Argonaut Mining Company records, 1890-1984, bulk 1893-1948

Collection context

Summary

Creators:
Argonaut Mining Company
Abstract:
Collection comprises the administrative and financial records of the Argonaut Mining Company of Jackson, California, from 1890 to 1984, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1893 to 1948.
Extent:
6 linear feet (1 carton, 24 volumes)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Argonaut Mining Company Records, BANC MSS 85/38 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection comprises the administrative and financial records of the Argonaut Mining Company of Jackson, California, from 1890 to 1984, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1893 to 1948. The administrative records include the Articles of Incorporation; correspondence; materials documenting various real estate transcations; agreements made with farmers and other mines regarding water quality preservation; materials documenting worker's compensation and unionization efforts; and insurance materials on the 1922 Argonaut mine fire. The financial records include records of accounts with various utility providers and the Pinkertons, and financial reports from 1908 through 1950. The collection includes many volumes of ledgers, including payroll ledgers; work and operation ledgers; trial balance ledgers; and voucher ledgers.

Biographical / historical:

The Argonaut Mine was a gold mine in Jackson, California. It was originally discovered in 1850 by two freed slaves, William Tudor and James Hager, who mined it until the 1860s. The mine was purchased by the Argonaut Mining Company in 1893 and would become one of the most developed mines in California, producing more than $25 million in gold by the time it ceased operations in 1942. The Argonaut mine was the site of the worst mining disaster in California, when a fire killed 48 miners, primarily immigrants, on August 27, 1922. Although the fire and deaths were attributed to unsafe working conditions, the Argonaut Mining Company was not fined or punished as the US Bureau of Mines was largely ineffectual in enforcing safety regulations of mines. The Argonaut mine is now a registered California historical landmark.

Acquisition information:
The Argonaut Mining Company Records were purchased by The Bancroft Library from William J. Burger in September, 1984.
Accruals:

No additions are expected.

Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Argonaut Mining Company Records, BANC MSS 85/38 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481