Mining News: News Nuggets: Hecla launches 125th anniversary celebration

Hecla Mining Company Dec. 2 kicked off a year-long celebration marking its 125th anniversary as a mining company in 2016. Hecla President and CEO Phillips S. Baker Jr. addressed the company’s milestone during a keynote speech at the welcoming luncheon of the American Exploration & Mining Association Annual Meeting and Exposition in Spokane, Wash. Founded in 1891, Hecla Mining Co. is the oldest mining company on the NYSE. “We have been in business longer than iconic American companies such as Hershey Co., Dow Chemical and General Electric,” Baker said. “We have operated through many price cycles; from recessions and depressions to boom times, and it is a testament to the power of our projects and the strength of our team that we have weathered them all and are now a transformed company having recently seen the highest reserves and production of our history.” The original Hecla mine was located near Burke, Idaho, and operated for over 50 years. A fire in 1923 destroyed the town of Burke and all of the Hecla mine buildings. The mine and mill were rebuilt and processed ore from the Hecla until 1937 when it was converted to a flotation plant to handle ore from the Star mine, one of the deepest mines in North America. Ore was processed there until the Star mine ceased operation in 1982. From these humble beginnings, Hecla is today the largest primary silver producer in the United States.

- Shane Lasley