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Helena-Frisco Mine

Past Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper, Gold
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10078363
MRDS ID W026656
Record type Site
Current site name Helena-Frisco Mine
Alternate or previous names Badger Mine, Black Bear Mine, Frisco Mine, Gem Mine, Gem of the Mountains Mine, Milwaukee Mine, San Francisco Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1215 On south side of Canyon Creek at Black Bear
(click for info)
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1110 On south side of Canyon Creek at Black Bear
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1165 On south side of Canyon Creek at Frisco.
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1165 On south side of Canyon Creek at Gem
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1014 On south side of Canyon Creek at Gem
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1041 At Black Bear
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1034 At Frisco
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1031 At Frisco
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1029 At Frisco
-115.86132, 47.50957 (WGS84) 1003 At Gem

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Burke(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Thompson Falls(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wallace(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Coeur d'Alene(hydrologic unit)

Spokane(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Shoshone

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 048N 005E 17,18 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • ON S SIDE CANYON CREEK; LOCATION OF OLD FRISCO MINE IS GIVEN

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Silver Secondary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Gold Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • IN THE GEM-GOLD HUNTER MINERAL BELT.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Pyromorphite Trace
Pyrargyrite Trace

Alteration

  • (Local) Sericite; Chlorite; Garnet

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Upper Prichard Formation
    Rock description Upper Prichard Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Burke Formation
    Rock description Burke Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Osburn Fault (WNW) to the south.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Frisco Fault, a shear sypathetic to the Osburn Fault.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Cross faults

Ore body information

  • Name Frisco
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N 67 DEG W
    Dip 75 DEG SSW
    Thickness 826M
    Length 274M
    Width 3M
  • Name Black Bear
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 80-90NE
    Dip 80-90NE
    Thickness 329
    Length 100
  • Name Gem
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 90
    Dip 90
    Thickness 369
    Length 168

Comments on the ore body information

  • The deposit consists of three fault segments, separated by left-lateral cross faults, forming three orebodies, the Black Bear, San Francisco (Frisco), and Gem of the Mountains (Gem). Each orebody or vein segment had a barren core, forming a north and south "vein" which were stoped separately. The Frisco orebody or segment, in the middle, was rotated by antithetic faulting, apparently creating better ground as this is the largest and richest orebody of the three. The vein was originally a sympathetic shear plane to the Osburn Fault to the south.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault Zone; Favorable stratigraphy (quartzite).

Comments on the geologic information

  • The Gem orebody is hosted by Prichard Formation sediments, the Frisco is hosted by Burke and Prichard Formation, and Black Bear by Burke Formation.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1884
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Waste Rock
Year of first production 1896
Year of last production 1967
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Gravity
Milling method Gravity
Production years 1889-1913, 1915-1957, 1966-1967

Mining district

District name Lelande

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Milwaukee Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1888
    Last year 1899
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Black Bear Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1889
    Last year 1900
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Helena and Frisco Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Helena, Montana
    First year 1890
    Last year 1896
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Frisco Mining Co. Ltd.
    Interest 100
    First year 1896
    Last year 1900
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Frisco Consolidated Mining Co. Ltd.
    Interest 100
    First year 1900
    Last year 1913
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Federal Mining and Smelting Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1913
    Last year 1953
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Hull Leasing Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1929
    Last year 1957
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner American Smelting and Refining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1953
    Last year 1976
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Asarco, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1976

Comments on the ownership information

  • Frisco Mining Co. Ltd. purchased the Milwaukee Mining Co., owner of the Gem of the Mountains mine, in 1899. The Frisco Consolidated Mining Co. Ltd. purchased the Black Bear Mining Co., owner of the Black Bear mine, in 1900.
  • Hull Leasing Co. operated a lease on the upper levels of the Helena-Frisco mine. Federal Mining and Smelting Co. (after 1953, American Smelting and Refining Co.) operated the lower levels independently from 1943 to 1956. Other leasers operated other parts of the mine at various times.

Production statistics

  • Year 1959
    Period 1897-1957
    Material Ore Mined
    Ore mined 1800000mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^2.9 Oz/Ton Ag, 4.8% Pb, 2.4% Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Lead Lead 5wt-pct
  • Year 1983
    Period 1897-1967
    Material Ore Treated
    Ore mined 2427971mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor smelter recovery Silver Silver 191mt 133g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production reported by Crosby (1959).
  • Production data from Mitchell and Bennett (1983) from production reported to the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Grade data from Long (1998)

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Helena-Frisco Mine
    Length 12910.11M

Comments on the workings information

  • LENGTH OF WORKINGS A 1965 FIGURE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GEM - GOLD HUNTER MINERAL BELT IS ABOUT 30,000 FT. LONG. 4 MAIN ORE SHOOTS IN GEM MINE: LEAD AND ZINC SHOOTS STRIKE N 55 - 60 DEG E, DIP VERTICALLY; FRACTION VEINS STRIKE W, DIP 85 DEG S; HANGING VEINS STRIKE N 75 DEG W.
Deposit 3 LODES IN THIS MINE: BLACK BEAR, FRISCO, AND GEM VEINS. 3 MAIN VEINS IN THE FRISCO LODE: FRISCO VEIN STRIKES N 67 DEG W, DIPS 85 DEG S - 85 DEG N; NORTH VEIN STRIKES N 72 DEG E; MIDDLE VEIN STRIKES W; LATTER TWO DIP 80 DEG S. DEPTHS TO TOP, BOTTOM, ARE EXPRESSED IN ELEVATION ON THE FRISCO VEIN

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1975 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 17-OCT-1990 Kauffman, John D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 08-MAR-2005 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • American Smelting and Refining Co. — acquired by Asarco LLC, subsidiary of Grupo México (2009)
    Renamed to Asarco; filed Chapter 11 in 2005; acquired by Grupo México in 2009.

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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