Register of the Penn Chemical Works (Campo Seco, Calif.) Assay Records, 1912-1919

Processed by Don Walker; machine-readable finding aid created by Don Walker
Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections
University Library, University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA 95211
Phone: (209) 946-2404
URL: https://www.pacific.edu/university-libraries/find/holt-atherton-special-collections
© 1998
University of the Pacific. All rights reserved.



Register of the Penn Chemical Works (Campo Seco, Calif.) Assay Records, 1912-1919

Collection number: Mss14

Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections

University Library

University of the Pacific

Contact Information

Processed by:
Don Walker
Date Completed:
5-98
Encoded by:
Don Walker
© 1998 University of the Pacific. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Penn Chemical Works (Campo Seco, Calif.) Assay Records,
Date (inclusive): 1912-1919
Collection number: Mss14
Creator:
Extent: 0.5 linear ft.
Repository: University of the Pacific. Library. Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections
Stockton, CA 95211
Shelf location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Penn Chemical Works (Campo Seco, Calif.) Assay Records, Mss14, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library

Biography

Campo Seco, eight miles southwest of Mokelumne Hill in Calaveras County prospered briefly as a gold mining camp (1850-1860), but in later years was known principally for its production of copper and zinc, most notably from the Penn Mine. In 1887 the Penn Chemical Co. acquired a mining site and erected a smelter (1899) which served the Penn mines through 1919. The smelter was equipped with a crushing and grinding plant, eight roasting furnaces and a blast furnace. The smelter was shut down and dismantled when the price of copper declined following World War I. Gross returns from the smelting operation exceeded $7 million.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of pages of unbound printed forms on which daily assay samples are recorded, giving the percentages of copper, iron, etc. in each sample. Since the period covered by these records includes the World War I years, the data displayed may show an increase in mining activity in response to war needs.

 

BOX 1: DAILY ASSAY RECORD

 

Vol. 1 Jan. 20, 1912 - Mar. 7, 1914 (100 pp.)

 

Vol. 2 Jan. 3, 1914 - Feb. 29, 1916 (100 pp.)

 

Vol. 3 Feb. 29, 1916 - May 19, 1918 (100 pp.)

 

Vol. 4 Mar. 26, 1917 - Aug. 28, 1918 (42 pp.)

 

Vol. 5 May 20, 1918 - Mar. 29, 1919 (22 pp.)