Tintic, Star Consolidated Mine

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Star Consolidated Mining Company

(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Star Consolidated mine, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mine, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)

The Star Consolidated Mining company was organized in April 1896, and encompassed the North Star, the West Star, the Iron Clad, the Kohinoor and the East Star mining claims. Other claims were added later. The property of the Star Consolidated company lay immediately north of the Dragon Consolidated company's property, which included the original Black Dragon, Reverse and King James claims.

(Research suggests that there was never a North Star Mining company in the Tintic mining district. The North Star claim was owned by H. W. Lawrence, later in partnership with Milan Packard, and was worked by leasers. When the time came for a hoist to be installed, and a compressor for drills to be added, that was the time when a corporation was needed to raise funds for such improvements.)

The Star Consolidated continued as successful shipping mine until its debt from rapid expansion and development looking for good ore, became too much for assessments and sale of ore to cover. In 1907, the Black Jack Mining company, adjoining to the north and controlled by Jesse Knight and his associates, merged with the Star Consolidated company, at which time the Black Jack Consolidated Mining company was organized. The Black Jack Consolidated continued as a Knight property well into the 1970s and early 1980s, when Anaconda, as successor to the Knight properties, was forced to sell all of its mineral lands in Utah, to cover the debt brought on by mismanagement of the company by Wall Street-approved officers and directors.

North Star

March 25, 1880
"Washington, March 25, 1880. The following mineral patents have been approved by the General Land Office for the persons and companies as named and located as follows." "H. W. Lawrence, James Oakley, William H. Carter, Fred Carter, and J. H. Oakley, upon the North Star, Tintic mining district, Juab county, 5.5 acres." (Salt Lake Tribune, April 1, 1880)

(North Star was a popular name for a mining claims and a mining companies in California, Arizona, Idaho and in at least three other mining districts in Utah Territory.)

December 9, 1888
In March 1880 a patent was issued to H. W. Lawrence, et al., for a 1500-foot portion of the original 3000-foot North Star mining claim. In 1881 D. S. Dana, et al., as plaintiffs, sued Lawrence, et al., as defendants, claiming undivided half interest in the patented claim, also claiming that they had spent $20,000 for their part of the improvements on the patent. The First District Court in Provo found in favor of Dana. The case, which would decide the ownership of the North Star mine, was to go to the Territorial Supreme Court. (Salt Lake Herald, December 9, 1888)

(No other reference concerning this case, before this date, or after.)

December 25, 1891
"The North Star. - The Star is owned by H. W. Lawrence, of Salt Lake and Mr. Milan Packard, of Springville. The ore is of very good quality, and there was 126,090 pounds [63 tons] shipped." (Salt Lake Herald, December 25, 1891)

August 10, 1895
"H. W. Lawrence and Milan Packard were out this week inspecting the North Star. This property is working regularly and is sending out considerable high grade gold ore." (Salt Lake Herald, August 10, 1895)

January 8, 1896
The North Star mine shipped 15 carloads of ore during December. The ore assayed at 7 ounces gold and 50 ounces silver to the ton. (Salt Lake Herald, January 8, 1896)

February 2, 1896
"Work is also being pushed on the North Star mine, near Silver City, and the property is showing up in great shape. This mine is owned by H. W. Lawrence of this city, and Milan Packard of Springville. The tunnel in the Star is in about 400 feet, from the face of which a winze has been sunk to a depth of 250 feet, making a vertical depth from the surface of about 400 feet. In the bottom of the winze a good body of ore is being worked, while on the surface William Gundry, who is leasing, is doing well at chloridizing. Messrs. Lawrence and Packard are employing ten or twelve men and are making regular ore shipments." (Salt Lake Herald, February 2, 1896)

July 31, 1896
"Milan Packard of Springville, one of the pioneer miners of Tintic in the vicinity of Silver City, was in the city yesterday. Mr. Packard is heavily interested in the North Star mine, near the Dragon iron mine. The Star is one of the largest gold producers in the district and is a valuable piece of property." (Salt Lake Herald, July 31, 1896)

August 25, 1896
"A Forty Stamp Mill. - It is reported that the North Star Mining company which came to the front some time since is going to construct a mill over at Silver City, the capacity of which will be forty stamps. Should this forty-stamp mill be erected it will be the means of several other mills starting up at Silver city, and then the great Mercur camp will be rivaled outright. The North Star will make a shipment of two car loads of first class ore this week." (Deseret News, August 25, 1896)

Star Consolidated Mining Co.

April 14, 1896
The Star Consolidated Mining company filed its articles of incorporation with the county clerk. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 15, 1896, "yesterday")

April 15, 1896
"Star Consolidated. - A Company That Owns Valuable Property in Tintic. - The Star Consolidated Mining company incorporated yesterday with a capital of $150,000, divided into shares of the par value of $10 each. The stock is held by the incorporators as follows: Henry W. Lawrence, 4,180 shares; Milan Packard, 4,090 shares; William J. Lawrence and Julia A. Kimball, 470 shares each; Chilean F. Packard, 100 shares; James Oakley, 800 shares; Henry W. Lawrence, trustee, 1,740 shares. The remaining 3,150 shares are held as working capital or treasury stock. Among the property of the corporation are included the North Star, the West Star, a part of the Iron Clad, the Koh-i-noor, and the East Star claims, all situated in the Tintic district. Henry W. Lawrence is president, Milan Packard vice president, William Lawrence treasurer, and Geo. N. Lawrence secretary." (Salt Lake Herald, April 15, 1896)

(The Koh-i-noor lode was patented in June 1896, in the name of H. W. Lawrence and Millan Packard. -- Salt Lake Herald, June 14, 1896) (The Koh-i-noor name came from a reference to, at that time, the world's largest cut diamond that is part of the British Crown Jewels.)

May 16, 1896
"We are advised that the Star Consolidated Mining company, commonly known as the North Star, is contemplating extensive improvements in their property, together with a greatly increased development. The improvements embrace the erection of a new gasoline hoist, and a mill is also being seriously considered. The North Star has immense quantities of free milling gold ore of good, value, although not sufficiently high-grade to warrant shipment, and a mill would be a paying proposition from the start. We hear numerous inquiries for stock in this company, but so far as we can learn the owners are satisfied with the good thing they have and decline to let any of it go." (Salt Lake Tribune, May 16, 1896)

September 22, 1896
"The Star Consolidated Mining company, which is working the old North Star mine, near Silver City, Tintic, has just about completed the grading for the site of its new shaft, and will soon let a contract for sinking. As soon as it becomes necessary the company will put in a steam or gasoline hoist." (Salt Lake Herald, September 22, 1896)

September 26, 1896
"R. A. Brinton has the contract for building a wagon road from Mammoth to the North Star mine. The North Star commenced loading ore this week and will probably send out at least a ten-carload lot." (Salt Lake Herald, September 26, 1896)

October 2, 1896
"Robinson, Juab County, Oct 2, 1896. - The new road from the North Star mine to the Sioux road was completed yesterday. It is a fine piece of work, and now that this road has been completed, the ore from the North Star mine will be brought to Mammoth for shipment instead of Silver City. The North Star company has some fine ore just outside the ore shed, and will no doubt make heavy shipments very shortly." (Deseret News, October 3, 1896)

October 29, 1896
"Timbers are being delivered to the North Star mine for a new hoist which is to be erected." (Deseret News, October 29, 1896)

November 18, 1896
"The teamsters are still hauling ore from the dump of the North Star mine to the Sioux Consolidated mills for treatment. The ore is fairly rich and averages about four ounces in gold and sixty ounces in silver. At present the consignment from the mine to the mills is from sixty to eighty tons per day. Taking into consideration that there are over three thousand tons on the North Star dump, this will bring in quite a snug little fortune for the North Star company, when all of the ore has been treated." (Deseret News, November 18, 1896)

November 27, 1896
"The North Star mine sent 1000 tons of ore to the Sioux mill at Mammoth and had it milled. It was cleaned up the past week, resulting in an average product of $9 in gold and 13 ounces of silver to the ton. This makes the great ore bodies in the North Star a good milling proposition, and the company may before long put in a mill for reducing their ores. Before hauling this ore to the Sioux mill, they built a road one and a fourth miles long to reach the Mammoth-Sioux road, at a cost of $1100, making it an easy route to the mill." (Salt Lake Tribune, November 27, 1896)

January 1, 1898
From the Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1898.

Star Consolidated Mining Company. -- This is a new incorporation, owning and operating what was so long known as the North Star. The ground is opened by three tunnels, the upper one being in 250 feet, a second 220 feet and the third 300 feet. At a point 460 feet in on the No. 3 tunnel a station was cut and a winze run down 275 feet, opening up large bodies of ore.

The new workings lately inaugurated embrace a double-compartment and manway shaft, down 300 feet. At the bottom of the shaft a level is being driven to connect with the old winze, and connection has about been made. On sinking the shaft, ore was cut through seventeen feet in width, at a point 200 feet down. This ore, which has not as yet been prospected, shows an average of $5 to $8 in gold and 10 to 12 ounces silver.

The mine, besides having large bodies of first-class ore, has immense stopes of low-grade shipping ore, which runs from 18 to 20 ounces silver, 12 per cent lead, $3 to $5 in gold, 25 to 50 per cent iron and only 10 or 12 per cent silica. Such ore comes from a vein ranging from 5 to 15 feet across.

Last summer 2,300 tons of second-class ore was put through the Farrell mill, and the yield in bullion was $9.30 gold and 10 ounces silver per ton. Most of this ore was taken from the old or upper dump. There has been shipped and milled from this upper dump about 4,000 tons.

It is estimated that there is in sight between 65,000 and 100,000 tons of milling ore. The face of the upper tunnel shows 15-1/2 feet in width, and there is no place on that level that the vein shows less than 10 feet, while one swell is 70 feet wide. This body of ore has been drifted through 260 feet.

During the past year the mine was operated by leasers, with an average force of twenty men. The shaft is covered by a house and a horse-whim has been used heretofore, but a steam hoist of 35 horse-power, with 1,200 feet of wire rope, has just been put in, and it is proposed to run the shaft down to the 800-foot level this year.

December 12, 1898
From the Salt Lake Herald, December 12, 1898.

The Tintic Miner, in reviewing the mining interests of that great camp, gives the official announcement of David Keith's acceptance of the management of the Star Consolidated, in which he is one of the chief owners, and says:

"The Star Consolidated Mining company has contracted for water with the Silver City Water company, and a pipe line will be laid to the mine from Silver City.

"Preparations are being made for a new ore house with a. capacity of about 200 tons. An air compressor capable of running five drills has been purchased and will be installed within the next thirty days. But two drills will be run, the balance of the power to be utilized to run a donkey engine underground. The new boarding house is large and commodious and well built, and the fare is excellent.

"The company recently purchased the Great Whelvor group of claims and now owns clear to Dragon Hollow. The Star is one of the coming big bonanzas of the district. David Keith of Park City recently purchased 62,000 shares of the stock and will be the manager. Will Lawrence will remain as superintendent."

May 28, 1899
"The Star Consolidated Mining company owns fourteen claims of patented ground, comprising an area of nearly 190 acres, embracing practically all the territory extending from the Dragon Iron mine to the eastern and southern possessions of the Ajax company. The various claims, or many of them, have been continuously worked, with possibly infrequent periods of idleness, since April, 1870, producing some of the richest gold ores ever found in all Tintic district, yielding many hundreds of thousands of dollars, and not until the present management assumed control was there any pretension of deep or legitimate mining." (Salt Lake Herald, May 28, 1899)

June 21, 1899
At the Star Consolidated company, upon the expiration of a purchase option. "The fact is that conditions have materially improved at the property since the option was given, a greater amount of ore is in sight than at any period in the history of the mine, and off the 600-foot level changes are now occurring that will afford the company over 300 feet of stoping ground along the dip of the vein. During the past week the management has placed no less than twelve cars of ore upon the market, and everything denotes a steady increase in the output." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 21, 1899)

September 20, 1899
At a meeting of the directors of the company, new officers directors were elected. The new officers and directors were: David Keith, president; W. J. Lawrence, vice president; W. T. Dinwoodey, secretary; with W. H. Dickson, W. E. Hubbard, and Milan Packard as additional directors. (Salt Lake Herald, September 21, 1899, "yesterday")

December 14, 1899
The directors of the Star Consolidated company elected E. P. Jennings as the new superintendent. Jennings had been with the Highland Boy mine in Bingham prior to that company passing into the hands of "the Standard Oil crowd." At the same meeting, W. S. McCornick was elected as trustee of the company to ensure that the proceeds of a voluntary assessment were received in the company treasury. McCornick was also given the authority to sell the property if needed to "discharge its indebtedness." David Keith was shown as president of the company. (Salt Lake Tribune, December 15, 1899, "yesterday")

April 15, 1901
"The Star Consolidated Mining company has elected a new board with Milan Packard as president. The company has an indebtedness of $35,184 with $5,000 in its treasury. It is stated that the association has enough treasury stock on hand to more than meet its obligations, if sold." (Salt Lake Mining Review, April 15, 1901)

September 22, 1903
From the Deseret News, September 22, 1903.

While in the city yesterday afternoon Manager Milan Packard, of the Star Consolidated Mining company, received a check from the American Smelting & Refining company, for $9,361.46 in settlement for 37-1/2 tons of ore from that well known Tintic property.

It was said today, that at the plant of the Pioneer Sampling company, are two more cars containing ore just as rich; so this trio ought to come pretty close to clearing up the red ink balance on the books of the corporation at the present time. There is yet $18,000 of the voluntary assessment, levied nearly three years ago, still unpaid and which must be returned to the shareholders with the accrued interest.

Manager Packard is likely to appear in the local market soon with a shipment from the rich streak encountered between the 300 and 400 levels. Nearly two tons have been hoisted to the surface and judging from reports received from there the product is "good enough to eat." Mr. Packard has a few picked samples with him yesterday which assayed up to $5,250 to the ton.

December 4, 1903
The Star Consolidated Mining company was shown as embracing the Ardath, the North Star, the Iron Clad Fraction, the East Star, and the West Star mining claims, and improvements. (Eureka Reporter, December 4, 1903)

April 23, 1904
A new set of officers were elected at the special stockholders meeting of the Star Consolidated Mining company. The new officer and directors included H. G. McMillan, president; J. P. Turner, vice president; Frank D. Kimball, treasurer, with A. C. Ellis and C. F. Packard as additional directors. (Deseret News, April 23, 1904)

(The previous regime had included Milan Packard as president, and A. O. Packard as secretary, along with W. V. Landers, who owned a patent on a milling process which he proposed to turn over to the company in return for one-half in the mine. A spirited meeting on April 15, 1904, in which specifics of the by-laws were called into effect, had seen the change in management, resulting from a rebellion of a very large majority of stockholders. The Landers proposal was soundly defeated. -- Deseret News, April 15, 1904)

July 6, 1904
A recent audit of the company books, obtained in April 1904, had revealed some "bookkeeping" discrepancies that resulted in the departure of Milan Packard, the former president and general manager. (Deseret News, April 27, 1904; July 6, 1904)

(Packard later turned over 100,000 shares of the company stock, valued at $16,000 as settlement for the discrepancy.)

September 11, 1905
At its annual meeting, the officers of the Star Consolidated Mining company reported that the shaft was down to 765 feet, 165 feet below the current 600 working level. The goal was to continue to the 900 level. A drift had been driven from the 400 level, and a raise had hit a body of copper ore. (Deseret News, September 11, 1905)

April 13, 1906
At the annual meeting of stockholders, company officers reported that the shaft had been sunk an additional 200 feet, and that there had been 3,000 feet of drifts completed. The company income was reported as $28,984.72, which included two assessments that brought in $23,602.17, and the sale of 472 tons of ore that had brought in $4,862.59. The company was $26,740.61 in debt. The directors were Henry G. McMillan, president; C. M. Freed; J. P. Turner; Frank D. Kimball; and Ernest Bamberger. (Salt Lake Herald, April 13, 1906)

(J. P. Turner was mine superintendent.)

(Between June 10, 1905 and November 25, 1906, there were two assessments, each at 3 cents per share, and two delinquency sales of stock that failed to pay the assessments. A total of 40,000 shares were sold at the first delinquency sale on August 5, 1905, selling for 1/2 cent under market at 8 cents.)

April 12, 1907
The Star Consolidated Mining company had shipped three cars of ore to the smelter, and on April 12, received $2,500 for the ore. It was seen as another reason to build a smelter at Tintic, which would allow better returns to the mines because of high transportation costs to the Salt Lake smelters. (Salt Lake Herald, April 13, 1907, "yesterday")

(Between April 14, 1906 and January 9, 1907, there were two assessments, each at 3 cents per share, and two delinquency sales of stock that failed to pay the assessments.)

(As was common in so many mines, the Star Consolidated company had finally reached a paying ore body, but lacked the funds to exploit it due to the company being too far in debt. Assessments against the stock were not providing the needed funds to both reduce the debt, and to continue development of the mine.)

Black Jack Consolidated Mining Co.

May 14, 1907
The stockholders of the Star Consolidated Mining company ratified the company's consolidation with the Black Jack Mining company. The stockholders of the Black Jack company later ratified the consolidation on June 29th. (Salt Lake Telegram, May 21, 1907; Salt Lake Herald, June 30, 1907)

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