kimberley history

In 1892 four prospectors came to the East Kootenay to ultimately discover one of the greatest lead-zinc mines in the world. Walter Bruchett, Ed Smith, John Cleaver and Pat Sullivan arrived at the base of the North Star Mountain only to realize that the entire hillside had been staked. The four crossed Mark Creek to explore what is now called Sullivan Mountain. Some ore was picked up and three claims were staked. In 1896 the group formed the Sullivan Group Mining Co. in memory of their partner Pat Sullivan who died in a cave-in at a mine in Idaho .

The first shipments of ore to the smelters in Nelson and Trail began in 1900. In 1903 a smelter was constructed in Marysville which operated until 1907. The ore from the Sullivan mine was very complex and difficult to refine; however, research staff at the Trail smelter developed a successful floatation process which in turn attributed to the long life of the Trail operations.

Large scale production of the ore started in 1923, following the take over of the mine in 1910 by the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company Ltd. (Cominco). Cominco went on to construct a Concentrator at Chapman Camp in 1922 and a Fertilizer Plant in 1951.

In 2001 a depleted resource ended the century-long storied history of the Sullivan mine bringing to a close the one of the world’s largest lead-zinc mines and a piece of Kimberley’s history.