1

Workers at the Hall Mines Smelter
1902
Nelson, B.C

2

By 1900 the famous Silver King mine was facing serious problems: - a depletion of ore; a slump in the price of silver; United States tariffs on lead ores; completion from the Klondike gold rush; the eight hour day and the subsequent closure of the Slocan mines; the growth of local smelters in the Kootenay and Boundary regions and the rise to prominence of the Trail smelter.

3

By July 1900 the London share price of the Hall Mines Co. had slumped to an all time low and the mine and smelter had temporarily closed down. The Hall Mining & Smelting Co. acquired the assets and liability of the old company and the mine re-opened later that summer.

4

Looking south and uphill to the Hall Mines Smelter.
1903
Nelson, B.C

5

After 1902 only small scale operations continued at the Silver King under a series of contract leases. When the Nelson smelter closed its doors in 1907 ore was shipped to Trail. In 1910 a Pacific coast syndicate acquired many of the claims, including the Silver King, on Toad Mountain. The destruction of the smelter the following year foiled any plans to process the lower grade ores. The properties then passed into the hands of the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co. (Cominco) in 1912. Attempts to rehabilitate the Silver King ended with the outbreak of war in 1914 and subsequent scarcity of men and capital.

6

View of Nelson from the North Shore of the West Arm, looking southwest
1950
Nelson, B.C

7

At the Dandy Claim Tunnel entrance.
1899
Toad Mountain, near Nelson B.C
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8

The Silver King was one of numerous claims to be staked on Toad Mountain and the surrounding area. Many others were highly productive and helped to fuel the wealth of Nelson - California, Athabasca, Granite-Poorman, Royal Canadian, Majestic, Starlight - these were just a few of the names that made the West Kootenay famous.

9

View of Nelson, B.C. and Kootenay Lake from the Tramline MidStation
1984
Silver King Mine, Toad Mountain, near Nelson B.C

10

In the mid-1960's the Silver King was again explored. Some new ore was found and preliminary plans were made to re-open the mine, but for unknown reasons it remained closed. In the last years of the century, geologists are once more exploring the mine. There are strong indications that more rich ore bodies remain to be discovered at the Silver King.