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Leadville, New South Wales

Coordinates: 32°00′53.7″S 149°32′43.2″E / 32.014917°S 149.545333°E / -32.014917; 149.545333
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Leadville
New South Wales
Norman Horne Memorial Park
Leadville is located in New South Wales
Leadville
Leadville
Coordinates32°00′53.7″S 149°32′43.2″E / 32.014917°S 149.545333°E / -32.014917; 149.545333
Population169 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2844
Location
LGA(s)Warrumbungle Shire
State electorate(s)Barwon
Federal division(s)Parkes

Leadville is a town in New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Warrumbungle Shire local government area, 376 kilometres (234 mi) north west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2016 census, Leadville and the surrounding area had a population of 169.[1]

History

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Aboriginal history

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The site of modern-day Leadville lies on the traditional lands of Wiradjuri people, close to the lands of neighbouring Kamilaroi people that lie to the north and east.[2][3] Early government surveyors were directed to use local language words for place names whenever possible[4] and place names of surrounding settlements such as Dunedoo, Coolah, Goolma, Gulgong and Mudgee are settler interpretations of Wiradjuri language words. That tends to confirm that it is Wiradjuri country.

Mining town

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The origins of the town are associated with the nearby silver-lead ore deposits; the former Mount Stewart, Extended, Mount Scott, Grosvenor and Latimer Mines are nearby.[5]

An Aboriginal man, Tommy Governor—the father of Jimmy Governor—found some interesting rocks, near what would become Mount Stewart, and showed these to Mr. George Stewart. The rocks were lead carbonate and assays showed the presence of silver. Governor was later to complain that he had not received what he thought was fair compensation for his discovery.[6][7][8]

Mining commenced at Mount Stewart in 1888. For the first few years, the miners used nearby Denison Town for supplies and services.[6][7][8]

Tommy Governor, discoverer of the silver-lead deposit.

In 1891, Free Trader politician, gold-mining entrepreneur, and director of the Mount Stewart Lead and Silver Mining Company, Charles Lancelot Garland, retired as the member for Carcoar and bought 32 hectares (80 acres), at what is now Leadville, immediately to the east of the Mount Stewart mine site. He subdivided the land into 250 town allotments. The new 'private town' of Leadville took its name from another silver-lead mining town, Leadville, Colorado. Private ownership of the town was the reason that Leadville was a 'town', while nearby Dunedoo and Coolah were officially only 'villages'. The streets of the new town were named after directors of the Mount Stewart mine—Clarke, Garland, Cox, Channon, Stewart, Plumb—and others—Denham, Davis (a mine manager), and Robinson.The growth of Leadville caused Denison Town to fade away, as business migrated to the new town;[6][8] One of those to move was storekeeper, William Latimer.[9][10]

Mining at Leadville occurred in three distinct phases, 1888 to 1894, 1913 to 1935, and 1950 to 1952.

Beginning in 1888, silver and lead ore was mined. In 1889, the Mount Steward mine shaft had reached a depth of 78 metres (255 ft) and was driving east and west from the 76 metres (250 ft) level. In 1890, the Mount Stewart Mining Lead and Silver Mining Company was floated.[6][8][11] For fourteen months, from early 1892, there was also a smelter at Leadville, which produced 1,539 tons of lead and 9,085 kilograms (292,093 ozt) of silver, from 15,000 tons of ore. The smelter had an 80-ton "water jacket furnace" (a cold-blast furnace), with 19 kilowatts (25 hp) steam-driven blast engine, and a 15 metres (50 ft) high brick chimney. The furnace used coke—brought from Newcastle to Mudgee by rail and then carted from there to Leadville, an expensive proposition—supplemented by locally burned charcoal. The fortunate accidental discovery of a deposit of limestone, within the mine itself, provided a local source of limestone for flux used in the furnace.[6][8]

The initial success of the Mount Stewart Mine prompted others to explore and take up leases in the area.[12] A second mine, the Mount Steward Extended Mine—just north of the original Mount Stewart Mine and close to its smelter—was sunk in 1892 and a company floated to fund it; Garland was also a director of this company.[13] The Dynevor Silver and Gold Mining Co. was floated in Melbourne in 1891, and began to mine a deposit of sulphide ores approximately one kilometre/mile away from the Mount Stuart Mine.[14][15][16] Storekeeper William Latimer's freehold paddock also became a mine.[8][17] Three miles from Leadville, yet another company sank a shaft, the Mount Scott Mine, which seems never to have gone into production.[18][19][20][21][22]

Mining activity peaked in 1893, and with it the town's population—growing from 26 in 1891 to around 1000[23]—before the silver price crashed in a worldwide financial panic. By 1894, complicating the problem of the silver price, the carbonate ores at the Mount Stewart Mine were becoming exhausted, as miners reached the sulphide zone, consisting mainly of iron pyrites and zinc sulphide. Mining ceased around the end of 1894,[6][24] and also effectively ended land sales in the town, leaving Garland with many unsold town allotments.[25]

Charles Lancelot Garland, founder of Leadville, politician, and mining entrepreneur, c.1899.

After silver-lead mining ended, some ethnic-Chinese shearers and station hands settled in the town, which had been vacated by the miners.[26][27] There was an ethnic-Chinese presence in the town for some years.[28][29]

Charles Garland bought the Mount Stewart Mine from the liquidator in 1898[30][6] and was joined in the venture by James Channon,[6] a Sydney manufacturer and mine owner.[31] Pyrite (iron pyrites) was used to make sulphuric acid, providing a potential market. In 1913, a trial shipment of 100 tons of pyrite was sold.[32] Garland was soon advocating—despite his earlier political stance in favour of free trade—the imposition of a duty on imported iron pyrites, claiming his mine would be a local source.[33][34]

Prior to 1920, the closest railway connection was at Craboon, on the Gwabegar railway line. In 1913, the construction of a branch line from Craboon to Coolah—passing through Leadville and servicing the mines there—was already under active consideration. Garland advocated the new line, as a means to lower the cost of Leadville iron pyrites to superphosphate fertiliser manufacturers.[35][36] An act to build the line was passed in December 1915;[37] it opened in March 1920.[38]

In 1916, iron pyrites was shipped to the Wallaroo-Mount Lyall Superphosphate Works, and in 1920 to the Cockle Creek Smelter,[6] over the new railway line. Around this time, in 1919, the population of Leadville and its surrounding area was still 772.[39] However, misfortune followed; Channon died in December 1920[31] and, on 14 October 1921, many buildings in the town and at the mine were damaged by a violent storm.[40] Garland lost his earlier enthusiasm for operating the mine, and with it the support of the town.[41]

In late 1926, the "Leadville Mines"—consisting of the Mount Stewart, Grosvenor, and Extended Mines— were on the market, "For the purposes of winding up a partnership", presumably the partnership of Garland and Channon's heirs.[42] Garland had lost interest in reopening the mine, by 1929, further angering the people of the town whose future prosperity depended upon it.[43] Garland died in 1930.[44]

In 1932 the Mount Stewart Syndicate reopened the mine and began shipping iron pyrites to Australian Fertilisers Limited at Port Kembla but, in 1935, the mining ceased.[45][6] In 1934–1935, there had been a bitter demarcation dispute between the Miners Federation and the Australian Workers Union, at Leadville,[46][47][48] and, in April 1935, there was suspected sabotage at the mine.[49] The dispute may have been a factor in bringing about the mine's closure. However, it was another industrial dispute—at distant Port Kembla—that was held responsible for the cessation of iron pyrites mining at Leadville and putting 50 men out of work. Imminent reopening was anticipated—for some years—but did not occur.[50][51][52]

In 1951, the Leadville Mining Company, produced a small amount of ore and concentrate and, in 1952, Mr R.H. Spence attempted to recover silver from the mine tailings using the cyanide process, unsuccessfully. That was the last mineral production at Leadville.[6]

After the First World War, two locations near Leadville, 'Pine Ridge' and 'Lawson Park', became soldier-settlement areas. Consequently, a number of returned servicemen settled in the area. Leadville became a soldier-settler town, during the inter-war years, as mining declined.[6]

In 1935, Leadville had a population of 250 (the district 600), a public school, post office, two hotels, two churches, bakery, butcher, billiard hall, fruiterer, newsagent, stock and station agent, a commercial store,[6] a brand new community hall,[53] and a passenger train from Sydney, every day except Saturday.[6]

Around 1960, the town experienced a serious decline, as businesses and services drifted away to Dunedoo.[6] In 1960 and 1965, town allotments—including many still owned by Charles Garland's estate—were sold to recover unpaid rates.[25][54] The school—opened in 1892—closed in 1972.[55][23] The post office—opened in 1891—closed in 1991.[56]

Leadville railway station opened in 1920 and closed in 1975. It was located just to the north of the town. The Coolah branch railway last carried trains in 1982.[38][57] For a time, a railway from Leadville to Merriwa was proposed as an alternative to the Sandy Hollow to Maryvale railway; in the end neither line would be completed.[58][59]

The town's most famous son was Major-General Sir Ivan Dougherty (1907-1998). The continuation of Garland St, after it crosses the town's boundary, is named Sir Ivan Dougherty Drive in his honour.

Remnants

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Modern-day Leadville is a quiet place. What remains of the town today lies just to the east of the site of the former Mount Stewart Mine. Most of the town allotments have been subsumed into larger blocks and paddocks but can still be viewed using Google Maps.[60] The town's cemetery still exists.[61]

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leadville, New South Wales.
  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Leadville (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 May 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Brayshaw, Helen (1987). "ABORIGINES OF THE HUNTER VALLEY - A Study of Colonial Records" (PDF). SCONE, N.S.W.: SCONE & UPPER HUNTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
  3. ^ Studies, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (10 November 2022). "Map of Indigenous Australia". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Indigenous and Minority Placenames Australian and International Perspectives - ANU". press-files.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Leadville, Warrumbungle Shire, State of New South Wales, Australia". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Leadville Reunion Committee (28 March 1987). A Brief History of Leadville 1888 to 1987. Copy held by National Library of Australia.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ a b "MINING IN NEW SOUTH WALES". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 5 August 1892. p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Mining in New South Wales". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912). 27 August 1892. p. 502. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Local Brevities". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 10 July 1913. p. 30. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. ^ "FIRE AT MUDGEE". Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW : 1871 - 1938). 10 July 1896. p. 29. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  11. ^ "LEADVILLE—THE MOUNT STEWART SILVER MINE". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912). 27 August 1892. p. 484. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  12. ^ "THE MINER". Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907). 3 October 1891. p. 24. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Advertising - PROSPECTUS OF THE MOUNT STEWART EXTENDED SILVER-MINING CO., NO LIABILITY". Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930). 30 May 1892. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Miscellaneous". Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907). 7 February 1891. p. 40. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  15. ^ "THE MINER". Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907). 3 October 1891. p. 24. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  16. ^ "MINING INTELLIGENCE". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 10 April 1893. p. 9. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Latimer Mine, Leadville, Bligh Co., New South Wales, Australia". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  18. ^ "[BY TELEGRAPH.]". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 17 September 1892. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  19. ^ "THE FARMER". Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907). 20 November 1907. p. 35. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Mt. Scott Silver Lead Mining Company". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 18 January 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  21. ^ "MT. SCOTT SILVER-LEAD MINING COMPANY, LIMITED (IN LIQUIDATION)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001). 20 April 1910. p. 2244. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Mount Scott Mine, Leadville, Bligh Co., New South Wales, Australia". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Leadville". Katoomba Times. 3 March 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Intercolonial Mining News New South Wales". Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907). 12 January 1895. p. 17. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  25. ^ a b "SHIRE OF COOLAH—SALE OF LAND FOR OVERDUE RATES". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001). 27 May 1960. p. 1637. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  26. ^ "STORY OF LEADVILLE". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 25 June 1936. p. 17. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Turning the Tables". Bathurst Post (NSW : 1881 - 1922). 15 December 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  28. ^ "PASSING OF RESPECTED CHINESE STOREKEEPER". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 28 June 1923. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  29. ^ "Coolah — Chinese Marriage — Concert — Polo Tournament". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 25 August 1899. p. 15. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Sale of a Mine". Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907). 25 June 1898. p. 25. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  31. ^ a b "LEFT £99,172 - A Sydney Manufacturer - LATE JAMES CHANNON". Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954). 10 December 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  32. ^ "LEADVILLE". Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930). 27 June 1913. p. 15. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  33. ^ "INTERSTATE COMMISSION". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 11 July 1914. p. 22. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  34. ^ "THE TARIFF". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 11 July 1914. p. 9. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  35. ^ "DEVELOPING THE MINES". Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954). 31 January 1913. p. 1. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  36. ^ "New Railways. - Public Works Inquiries. - Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) - 6 Feb 1913". Trove. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  37. ^ Parliament of New South Wales (21 December 1915). "CRABOON TO COOLAH RAILWAY ACT. - Act No. 50 1915".
  38. ^ a b "Coolah Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  39. ^ "Population of Mudgee police District". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative. 6 March 1919. p. 19. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  40. ^ "Terrific Storm". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 17 October 1921. p. 12. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  41. ^ "LEADVILLE GROWS AGGRESSIVE". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 27 August 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  42. ^ "UP FOR SALE". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 18 November 1926. p. 14. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  43. ^ "IDLE MINE". Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954). 3 September 1929. p. 16. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  44. ^ "OBITUARY. MR. C. L. GARLAND". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 9 January 1930. p. 12. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  45. ^ "MT. STEWART TO REOPEN". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954). 9 February 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  46. ^ "NON-MEMBER IS BARRED". Labor Daily (Sydney, NSW : 1924 - 1938). 4 May 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  47. ^ "LEADVILLE". Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954). 20 June 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  48. ^ "MINING UNIONS". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 1 July 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  49. ^ "BOILER BLOWS UP - At Leadville Mine - EXPLOSIVE SUSPECTED - Work At A Standstill". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 11 April 1935. p. 7. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  50. ^ "LEADVILLE MINE When Will It Reopen?". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 9 April 1936. p. 8. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  51. ^ "LEADVILLE MINE". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 7 July 1938. p. 8. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  52. ^ "Dunedoo District News MAY BE WORKING AGAIN Leadville Mines". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 11 September 1941. p. 20. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  53. ^ "LEADVILLE'S NEW HALL". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954). 11 April 1935. p. 8. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  54. ^ "COOLAH SHIRE COUNCIL—SALE OF LAND FOR OVERDUE RATES". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001). 3 September 1965. p. 2878. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  55. ^ "Leadville". nswgovschoolhistory.cese.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  56. ^ "View Post Office Details - Leadville NSW". www.phoenixauctions.com.au. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  57. ^ "Leadville Station". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  58. ^ "Fight Over New Railway". Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954). 1 May 1936. p. 19. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  59. ^ "Battle Of Rail Routes". Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954). 25 September 1936. p. 18. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  60. ^ "Clarke St, Leadville, N.S.W." Google Maps. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  61. ^ "Australian Cemeteries Index - Cemetery 51 - Leadville". austcemindex.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
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