THE FREE COINAGE ' GOLD MINING COMPANY -t ' COLLECTION NO. 332

Transcription

1 THE FREE COINAGE ' GOLD MINING COMPANY -t ' COLLECTION NO. 332 THE COLORADO HISTORICAL SOCIETY JUNE 978 (_

2 Introdution. The Free Coinage Gold Mining Company was inorporated on May 3, 892, by Samuel G. Altman, Charles s. Older, and James E. Mintyre. The enterprise, with an authorized apital of $ million, proposed to mine preious metals in the Cripple Creek Distrit. The firm owned the Rising Sun, Pinto, Bison No. 2. Wilson, and Publo lode mining laims, and also platted and sold lots in the town of Altman, the highest inorporated ommunity in the United States. The Free Coinage Gold Mining Company was reorganized in 93. The firm's first harter, issued for twenty years, lapsed. / On May 27, 93, stokholders of the old orporation authorized reinorporation under the law of Colorado. Artiles were filed with the Seretary of State on June 9. The inorporators were John B. and Anna B. eville, and Regina N. Strong. Diretors for the ensuing year were the Neville's and Charles Cavender, a Leadville attorney. Control of The Free Coinage Gold Mining Company eventually rested with a group of eastern apitalists. The Neusta Ventura Mining Corporation, with headquarters in Rohester, N.Y., held approximately 54 perent of the outstanding shares. Absalom v. Hunter (later the A. V. Hunter Trust) owned about 44 perent of the stok, and the remainder was distributed among small investors.

3 ( Introdution The Free Coinage Gold Mining Company was inorporated on May 3, 892, by Samuel G. Altman, Charles S. Older, and James E: Mintyre. The enterprise, with an authorized apital of $ million, proposed to mine preious metals in the Cripple Creek Distrit. The firm owned the Rising Sun, Pinto, Bison No. 2. Wilson, and Publo lode mining laims, and also platted and sold lots in the town of Altman, "the highest inorporated ommunity in the United States. \ ' The Free Coinage Gold Mining Company was reorganized in 93. The firm's first harter, issued for twenty years, lapsed. On May 27, 93, stokholders of the old orporation authorized ( reinorporation under the law of Colorado. Artiles were filed with the Seretary of State on June 9. The inorporators were John B. and Anna B. eville, and Regina N. Strong. Diretors for the ensuing year were the Neville's and Charles Cavender, a Leadville attorney. Control of The Free Coinage Gold Mining Company eventually rested with a group of eastern apitalists. The Neusta Ventura Mining Corporation, with headquarters in Rohester, N.Y., held approximately 54 perent of the outstanding shares. Absalom v. Hunter (later the A. V. Hunter Trust) owned about 44 perent of the stok, and the remainder was ~stributed among small investors. ; ~

4 \ The Free Coinage ompany maintained a lose working relation ship with The Aaia Gold Mining Company, operator of adjoining laims in the Cripple Creek Mining Distrit. Kenneth MaCKenzie, president of Aaia from 906 to 937, was also hief exeutive of Free Coinage for eleven years prior to his death in 937. The Neusta Ventura Mining Corporation, based in Rohester, N.Y., owned ontrolling interest in both enterprises. By the 940s, aess to the Free Coinage firm's underground workings was through Aaia's South Burns shaft and the United Gold Mines Company's Deadwood sh _t. In the 960s, Free Coinage aquired all of the Aaia properties through a tax sale. Over a period of nearly seven deades, the Free Coinage ompany» and its numerous lessees, extrated enormous quantities of ores ~~~ the firm's properties in Teller County. Operations ended in the early 960s when the last mill in the Cripple Creek Distrit shut down. Thereafter, the orporation, without inome of any kind, pa annual taxes and other expenses from what remained of previous earnings. In 966, Oliver P. LeCompte, a diretor, ating at the request of the A. V. Hunter Trust, initiated the proess of liquidation. A plan for the purpose, formally adopted by the diretors on July 25, 969, authorized the t~ansfer of all properties, with retention of royalty interests, to The Golden Cyle Corporation, the prinipal. owners of mining properties at Cripple Creek. The Free Coinage ompany was dissolved and its remaining assets distributed among the I ' stokholders on November 0, 969. The sum of $7,769.6 was paid out at the rate of $0~002 per share.

5 tit ( The reords of The Free Coinage Gold Mining Co. were given to The Colorado Historial Soiety by Oliver Leompte of Colorado Springs, the deed of gift dated June 28, 978. Components inlude orrespondene; monthly and annual operating reports; loal, state, and federal tax reords; ore settlements; deeds and leases; journals and ledgers; minutes of diretors' and stokholders' meetings; stok ertifiates; stok ledger; plat book and related douments for Altman, Colo.; and a map and plat of the Cripple Creek Distrit. Within the olletion there are letters and douments that pertain to The Aaia Gold Mining Co., The United Mines Co., and The Neusta Ventura Mining Corp. The olletion ontains approximately 2,500 items and was proessed by Lee Sameborn as an ativity of The Western Business History Researh Center. \

6 FF No. Items THE FREE COINAGE GOLD MINING COMPANY 0 Correspondene, Correspondene, Correspondene, Correspondene, Jan. -<C Marh 969 \ 5 26 Correspondene, Apr. - June Correspondene, July - Ot Correspondene, Ot Jan Monthly reports, Monthly reports, Annual reports of operations, Annual reports of operations, Tax reords, state and federal, Tax reords, state and federal, Tax reords, state and federal, Tax reords, state and federal, T.ax data, Teller eounty, Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp., Mar. - June Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp., July - De Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp., Aug Sept Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp. (Deadwood Leasing eo.\, Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp. (Deadwood Leasing Co ) 953 (_ Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp. (Deadwood Leasing Co.' _

7 Free Coinage-2 ( so Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp. (Deadwood Leasing Co.), 959 Ore settlements, Golden Cyle Corp. (Deadwood Leasing Co.), Mill shedules, Leases, Deeds and loation ertifiates, Reports to state and federal bureaus of mines, Ledger, Reord book, Journal and ash register 32 7 Contributions to State Compensation Insurane Fund, Inorporation papers, ( Statement of operations, List of stokholders, Aug. 29, 90 Minutes of meetings and related materials, Misellaneous douments 38 Plat book of Altman, Colo Certifiates of redemption, Altman lots, 908 Map of Cripple Creek Distrit, and plat of mining laims Minutes of diretor's and stokholders' meetings, (vol ~ ) 42 Minutes of diretors' ana stokholders' meetings, Minutes of diretors' and stokholders' meetings, Minutes of diretors' and stokholders' meetings, Stok ledger Stok ertifiates, Nos

8 Free Coinage-3 \ Stok ertifiates, Nos Stok ertifiates, Nos Stok ertifiates, Nos Misellaneous douments ~;pertaining to The Neusta Ventura Mining Corporation, Rohester, New York (_