History of the Flat Creek-Iron Mountain Mine
By Kathleen Woodford, Excerpt from Mineral Independent
The Flat Creek-Iron Mountain Mine started when the ore body was discovered by L.T. Jones in 1888. It was claimed by Jones and his partners as the Iron Mountain and Iron Tower lode claims. The mine was operated by the Iron Mountain Mining Company between 1888 and 1896. In 1897, the property was closed down by the Inspector of Mines for violations of state law for not having two openings. Then, in 1915, H.L. Day acquired the property.
The mine saw continuous production between 1909 and 1930, with peaks in the mid-1910s and 1920s. Since then, lessees from time to time have opened the property. From 1909 to 1953, the Iron Mountain Mine produced 7,535,084 pounds of zinc, 5,385,741 pounds of lead, 5,274 pounds of copper, 389,355 fine ounces of silver, and 19 fine ounces of gold. A lead-antimony sulfosalt in the zinc vein of the Iron Mountain Mine was described as “unique” in the veins of this area.