Henry pond *   Noah Armstrong *   Henry Knippenberg * Elias C. Atkins *
George B. Conway * Hecla Consolidated mining Company *
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In the Spring of 1877, Noah Armstrong having solicited Philadelphia and Indianapolis Capitalists, organized the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company for the purpose of developing the Lion Mountain properties. The name was decided from a painting that had been hanging in the Company's payroll office which depicted Mt. Hecla, a volcano found on the Icelandic Continent. On some early company checks, a logo showing the volcano spewing forth dollar signs was used as the vignette. It is reasonable to assume that Noah Armstrong having initiated the formation of this new company probably held the honor in naming it as well.  He purchased the Cleopatra and the True Fissure claims which gave the Hecla Mining Company complete control of Lion Mountain. By 1878, Glendale grew to 950 people of which 262 were voters and 125 school children under 20.

Mt. Hecla

In 1879, Noah Armstrong was replaced as General Manager by Elias C. Atkins of Atkins Saw Works of Indianapolis. Two years later, after a fire that destroyed the smelter and almost 78,000 dollars in debt, The Hecla Mining Company reorganized placing Henry Knippenberg at the helm. Henry Elling, Banker at Virginia City had the option of acquiring the properties but refused making it the biggest (and some say the only mistake Henry Elling ever made) as the Company went on to become a very successful and profitable mining entity for many years to come.  Knippenberg formally accepted the position on March 01, 1881 with the understanding that he was to have full control both in the Territory and the States. After tying up loose ends in the east, Henry arrived in April of 1881 and quickly went to work reorganizing the company into three divisions, appointing a superintendent for each. James Parfet was in charge of Mining, headquartered at Hecla, George G. Earle in charge of reduction at Glendale and John M. Parfet, in charge of the iron mines at Norwood in Soap Gulch. By December 31 of 1881,  the company’s reorganization paid off with a profit of 237,729.76.

Superintendent's photo
Sam Barbour, John and James Parfet, and George G. Earle

Henry appointed George Conway to serve as cashier for the company. Conway arrived from Indianapolis at about the same time as Knippenberg.  The arrival of Knippenberg at Glendale marked a twenty year stretch of success for the Hecla Mining Company. The forty- ton smelter built by Armtrong and Dahler in 1875 and the ten- stamp mill and leaching works which was added in 1878, ran irregularly on Hecla ore until fire destroyed all the buildings except the roaster, in 1879.

The plant was rebuilt and enlarged at a cost of about 20,000. The new Smelter was put into operation until 1881, when the Hecla Mining Company absorbed the plant and by 1885, the facility had expanded to three blast furnaces, two crushers, a large roaster, a blacksmith shop, a sack house, warehouses, an iron house, a stable, two powder houses, three coal sheds, an office, an assay office, a flume ditch, a sawmill, a tramway with cars, and five private homes. By 1880, Glendale had a weekly newspaper, ‘The Atlantis”. From 1878 to 1884, Glendale’s Merchant’s and services included a brewery, several saloons, general merchandise stores, hotels, livery stable, opera house, two dentists, a hospital,  and eventually a two story schoolhouse, and the largest skating rink in the northwest.