Wallace in Shoshone County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Hercules Mill
By 1914 the mill ran 24 hours a day, regularly doubling its capacity. The mill was retrofitted in 1925 with innovative technology providing differential separation of lead-silver and zinc by flotation. By 1929 the mill employed 65 men with a payroll of more than $10,000 a month. When full operation ended in 1949, the Hercules Mill had yielded an estimated three quarters of a million tons of lead-silver concentrates.
In addition to the mill contributing to regional and federal demand for metals, part-owners Levi and Mary Arkwright Hutton established a trust fund to support a children's home which is still in operation in Spokane, Washington. Other mill investors included Eugene, Harry, Jerome, and Henry Day, Emma Markwell, the Ed Hedin family, August Paulsen, Myrtle White, and H.F. Samuels.
By 1976 the mill structures had either been burned or removed, leaving concrete foundations on the hillside. In 2012 railroad companies removed facing foundations and conducted soil cleanup, keeping several foundations and concrete structures. The main railroad route near the site is now a 72-mile recreation trailway.
Erected by Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Wallace District Mining Museum, Historic Wallace Preservation Society, North Wind Construction.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources.
Location. 47° 28.668′ N, 115° 56.015′ W. Marker is in Wallace, Idaho, in Shoshone County. Marker is at the intersection of Silver Valley and River Street, on the right when traveling south on Silver Valley. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 60874 Silver Valley Road, Wallace ID 83873, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. "The Big Blowup" (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named "The Big Blowup" (within shouting distance of this marker); Wallace (within shouting distance of this marker); Wallace World War Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Historic Wallace South Hill Stairs (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rossi Insurance Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Great Fire of 1910 (approx. 1.3 miles away); The Pulaski Tunnel Trail (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wallace.
More about this marker. The Hercules Mill marker is located near the Wallace Chamber of Commerce.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2018. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 447 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 4, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 3. submitted on September 5, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.