Research Database
Crowley Family Mining Documents
Overview
This collection comprises scans of original documents currently curated by the Mineral King Preservation Society. The collection contains documents pertaining to the Mineral King Mining District from about 1890 to 1930. It includes mine claim notices, many of which were collected from survey monuments by members the Crowley family when they were relocating the claims; assay records; transactions; mining company stock certificates; and other records pertaining specifically to the mining district.
In the summer of 1873, several ranchers discovered agentiferous sulphide ores in Tulare County, CA and collaboratively established the Mineral King Mining District. Their actions instigated a “rush” resulting in the development of at least 11 mining settlements, and over the course of the decade, at least 763 miners filed more than 254 twenty-acre mine claims and 65 five-acre mill site claims. The Crowley family became involved in the mining district in 1879, when John William Crowley (1836-1881) was contracted to build a wagon road to the mining district. His son Arthur (1859-1931) served as timekeeper for the endeavor. The two men located mine claims and established an assay office. Although the mining rush ended in 1882, Mineral King had evolved into a summer resort, which the Crowley family continued to visit in the summers. The creation of Sequoia National Park in 1890 prompted a resurgence of interest in the Mineral King valley. The Mineral King Road initially provided the most viable access to the new park, and Arthur anticipated increased potential for the summer resort. He located the five-acre property in 1890 upon the death of its prior owner, and was awarded a patent for the property on 17 December 1908. Arthur became the town's postmaster and ran the resort until 1928 when he sold it.In the intervening decades, however, his Arthur and his children did not limit their activities in Mineral King to resort management. With the support of his children, Arthur continued to acquire and develop mine claims. His daughters Elsie and Alice collected the documentation, and intended to use it as primary sources for a book about Mineral King. Alice's daughter Louise Alice Jackson inherited the material, and published a book (Beulah: The Story of Mineral King) in 1988.
Collection Items
Item ID | Title | Item Type | Collection Dates | Item Summary |
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