Hand sorting ore at the Sullivan Mine, circa 1914-16.
The men are choosing various sizes for smelting. The Sullivan had a very interesting history. Discovered in 1892, a lead-silver ore body, it became part of the Sullivan Group Mining Company of Spokane. Its ores, however, were very complex, making exploitation only marginally profitable. In 1907 the mine and connected smelter closed down and were seized by the Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company for an unpaid coal bill. It passed through other reorganizations before being leased to Cominco in 1909. The problems of the complex ore, however, were still not solved. The secret of separating and recovering the various metals was discovered just after the First World War and the Sullivan Mine became one of the greatest producers in Canadian history.
