The Lucky Friday Mine is a lead and silver mine located in Shoshone county, Idaho at an elevation of 3,445 feet.
About the MRDS Data:
All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.
Mine Info
Elevation: 3,445 Feet (1,050 Meters)
Commodity: Lead, Silver
Lat, Long: 47.4725, -115.77830
Map: View on Google Maps
Lucky Friday Mine MRDS details
Site Name
                            
                            Primary: Lucky Friday Mine
                        
                    
                            Secondary: Golden Hunter Mine ( old MAS# 0160790063)
                        
                    
                            Secondary: Gold Hunter
                        
                
Commodity
                                        
                Primary: Lead
                
                            
                Primary: Silver
                
                            
                Secondary: Zinc
                
                            
                Secondary: Gold
                
                            
                Tertiary: Cadmium
                
                            
                Tertiary: Copper
                
                            
                Tertiary: Antimony
                
                        
Location
                                                State: Idaho 
                                                County: Shoshone 
                                                District: Hunter District 
                    
Land Status
                                                Land ownership: Private
                        Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
                        
                                
Holdings
 
                   
                                    
                        Type: Located Claim
                    
                                    
                        Type: Patented
                    
                            
Workings
                        Type: Underground
        
Ownership
                Owner Name: Hecla Mining Co.
                Company ID: 1000088
                Percent: 100.0
                Home Office: 6500 North Mineral Drive Suite 200 Coeur d'Alene ID 83815-9408 United States 
                Info Year: 1996
                Years: 1964 - 
                Owner Name: Lucky Friday Silver-Lead Mines Co.
                Percent: 100.0
                Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
                Years: 1939 - 1964
                Owner Name: Lucky Friday Mining Co.
                Percent: 100.0
                Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
                Years: 1913 - 1936
                Owner Name: Lucky Friday Mines Co.
                Percent: 100.0
                Years: 1905 - 1913
Production
                        			
                Year: 1996
                Mined: 170800.000 mt
                Material type: Ore milled
            
            			
                Year: 2010
                Time Period: 1942-2010
                Material type: 147 milllion oz Ag, 1.1 million tons Pb/Zn combined.   Hecla 2010 AR, p. 6.  
            
            			
                Year: 1995
                Mined: 144128.000 mt
                Material type: Ore milled
                Description: Ore Production   144128   Mt Ore Milled
            
            			
                Year: 1993
                Mined: 162911.000 mt
                Material type: Ore milled
                Description: Ore Production   162911   Mt Ore Milled
            
            			
                Year: 1994
                Mined: 113385.000 mt
                Material type: Ore milled
                Description: Ore Production   113385   Mt Ore Milled
            
            			
                Year: 1992
                Mined: 158912.000 mt
                Material type: Ore milled
                Description: Ore Production   158912   Mt Ore Milled
            
            			
                Year: 1991
                Mined: 138028.000 mt
                Material type: Ore milled
                Description: Ore Production   138028   Mt Ore Milled
            
                    
Deposit
                            Record Type: Site
                Operation Category: Past Producer
                Deposit Type: Hydrothermal vein and replacement
                Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
                Plant Subtype: Flotation
                Operation Type: Underground
                Mining Method: Caving Methods - Longwall Caving
                Milling Method: Flotation
                Year First Production: 1942
                Year Last Production: 2001
                Discovery Year: 1880
                Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
                Years of Production: 
                Organization: 
                Significant: Y
                Deposit Size: L
           
        
Physiography
                General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
                Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
                                            Model Name: Polymetallic veins
                        
        
Orebody
                                                                            Form: Tabular
                                    
Structure
 
                    Type: L
                   Structure: Hook Anticline
                   Description: Hook Anticline, plunges 75 degrees, hosts vein
            
Alterations
                    Alteration Type: L
                    Alteration: Bleaching
            
Rocks
    
                    Role: Host
                    Age Type: Host Rock Unit
                    Age Young: Neoproterozoic
    
                    Name: Quartzite
                    Role: Host
                    Age Type: Host Rock Unit
                    Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
                                       
                    Ore: Chalcopyrite 
                           
                    Ore: Galena 
                           
                    Ore: Sphalerite 
                           
                    Ore: Tetrahedrite 
                           
                    Gangue: Pyrite 
                           
                    Gangue: Siderite 
                           
                    Gangue: Quartz 
                           
                    Trace: Matildite 
                           
                    Trace: Pyrargyrite 
                           
                    Trace: Polybasite 
                           
                    Trace: Bournonite 
                           
                    Trace: Jamesite 
                           
                    Trace: Arsenopyrite 
                           
                    Trace: Pyrrhotite 
                           
                    Trace: Greenockite 
                           
                    Trace: Cerrusite 
                           
                    Trace: Limonite 
                        
Comments
Comment (Deposit): 5-16-97: Hecla Approved Plans To Double Ag Output. The Expansion Wll Be Fuelled By The Development Of The Gold Hunter Vein (1500 M NW Of The Lucky Friday Vein). The Gold Hunter Vein Is Nearly Twice The Grade And Width Of The Lucky Friday Vein And Will Allow The Company To Increase Ag Production To Over 4 Moz By 1998. In 1996, The Operation Produced 1.9 Moz. The New Vein Will Be Mined Using Overhand Cut-And-Fill. In Addition, Hecla Plans To Upgrade Its Backfill Plant And Expand Its Concentrate Storage Facilities. Total Proven And Probable Ag Reserves At The Lucky Friday Mine Are 18.5 Moz. Property Includes The Golden Hunter Mine (Past Producer) Mas Seq# 0160790063.
Comment (Reserve-Resource): 86 Brook-Hunt & Ilzsg Data. Hecla 1989 10k Has 458,800 St At 16.1 Oz Ag, 14.4% Pb, And 2.4% Zn.
Comment (Reserve-Resource): 1996: Measured Grades: Ag=401 G/Mt; Pb=11.6%; Zn=1.8%. 1996: Indicated Grades (From New Area): Ag=290 G/Mt; Pb=4.1%; Zn=Not Given In The Phone Call (0? Or Unknown?) All Tonnage And Assay Values Are Based On Dry Tonnes Total Metal Recovery Is 105% Vs Reserves, Total Tonnage Recovered Is 130% Vs Reserve Reserve Tonnages Only Are Quoted In Hecla Published Figures. Grades Are Computed Back Through Metal Recovered And Recovery Factors. As The Recovery Of Cu And Au Are Unknown This Method Could Not Be Employed For These Commodities. They Were Therefore Carried Through At 100%.
References
                
                                        Reference (Production): Yearly Hecla Annual Reports (1983 - present) 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Straam Engineers, Inc. Capital And Operating Cost Estimating  System Handbook.  Bumines Contract No. Jo255026, 1979. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Umpleby And Jones, Jr. Geology And Ore Dposits Of Shoshone County, Idaho.  USGS Bulletin 732, 1923, 156 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Ransome And Calkins.  The Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Coeur D'Alene District, Idaho.  USGS P.P. 62, 1908, 203 Pp 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Staff, Lucky Friday Mine.  Cut-And-Fill Stoping At Lucky  Friday Mine.  Ch. 6 In U.G. Mining Methods Hdbk.  Sme-Aime  1982, Pp. 554-557. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Steckly And Lemons.  A Method For Updating Cost Estimates  For The Minerals Availability System.  Unpubl. Bumines  Rep., Ifoc, May 1976. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Shenon And Mcconnel.  The Silver Belt Of The Coeur D'Alene District, Idaho:  Id Bumines And Geol. Pamphlet No. 50,  1939, 9 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Mining Engineering. Hecla'S Silver-Lead Mines Provide A  Study In Contrasts, July 1976, Pp. 59-60, 356-5, 356-6. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Mckinstry,  Deepest Single Lift Shaft In North America Nears Completion. Min. Eng., Oct. 1983, Pp. 1391-1396. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Leep, Geologic Features Of The Star-Morning And Lucky Friday  Mines In Idaho'S Coeur D'Alene District.  Pres. At Aime 16th Annual Int. Miner. Con., Vail, Co, July 18, 1980,  10 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Hobbs, S. W., And Others, 1965 , Geology Of The Coeur D'Alene District, Shoshone County, Idaho:  USGS Prof. Paper 478 , 139 P. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): ----.  Joint Proxy Statement-Prospectus For Merger With Ranchers Exploration And Development Company.  June 11, 1984, Pp. 48-55, 71. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Hecla Mining Company. Annual Report. 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): ----.  Lucky Friday Mine. Unpubl. Pamphlet, 1981, 4 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Hecla Mining Compay.  Form 10-K Report To The Sec. Dec. 31, 1983. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Gross, The New Lucky Friday Mine. Pres. At The 1984 Pacific  Northwest Met. And Miner. Conf., Portland, Or, Apr. 30- May 2, 1984, 14 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Gott, And Cathrall, Geochemical-Exploration Studies In The  Coeur D'Alene District, Idaho And Montana:  USGS Pp 1116,  1980, 63 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Fryklund, Ore Deposits Of The Coeur D'Alene District, Shoshone County, Idaho:  USGS P.P. 445, 1964, 103 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): E & Mj.  Programming New Growth In The Coeur D'Alene, Apr.  1980, Pp. 62-66; Part 2, May 1980, Pp. 94-99. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Day, H. C.  The Coeur D'Alene Mining District In 1963.  Id  Bureau Of Mines And Geol. Pamphlet 133, 1963, 104 Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Mining Journal, 5-16-97, P.394. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Marks, Cut-And-Fill And Square-Set Stoping Costs For Smaller Orebodies.  Ch. 8 In Mineral Industry Costs.  Nwma 1982,  Pp. 115-121. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): The Mining Record, Dec., 4, 1996, P8, V107, #49, P19. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Brakenbusch, Silver Shaft Development. Pres. At Nwma Short  Course, Spokane, Wa, Nov. 28-30, 1983. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): The Mining Record, Sept., 4, 1996, P11. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Reserve-Resource): Hecla Mining Co., 1989, Form 10k, 3/19/90 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Reserve-Resource): Hecla Minco, 1983, Annual Report For Fy 1983. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Reserve-Resource): Hecla Mining Co. 1985 Annual Report 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Production): Hecla Mining Company, 1995 Annual Report, P19. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Crandell, & Others.  Designing Lucky Friday'S Silver Shaft.  E & Mj, Apr. 1981, Pp. 68-73. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Crandell, The Silver Shaft Project At The Lucky Friday Mine.  Paper Pres. At The Nwma Convention, Spokane, Wa, 1980. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Campbell, Guidebook To The Geology Of The Coeur D' Alene  Mining District. Id Bumines And Geol. Bulletin 16, 1961, 37  Pp. 
                                                                
            
                
                                        Reference (Deposit): Wahler, W. A., And Associates.  Summary Of Hydraulic Backfill Operations In Selected Underground Mines, Coeur D'Alene District, Idaho.  Bumines Contract No. Ho242026,  May 1976. 
                                                                
            
Idaho Gold
 
"Where to Find Gold in Idaho" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Idaho. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Idaho.