The Metaline Mining District, or Metalines for short, is located in northeastern Washington along the Pend Oreille River. Although the district’s existence was always based on the rich ores—quartz, lead, silver—found there in the late nineteenth century, its mid-twentieth-century transformation into the largest producing ore mining district in the state was a long time coming.

Early prospectors called the area Metaline for the abundance of metals there. In 1890, the state geologist reported that the Metaline Mining District contained an “immense amount of metal . . . certainly destined to rank as a leading mineral producer.” However, the transition from unproductive mineral deposits to industrial hard rock mining required the right individuals to bring it along: Lewis P. Larsen and Jens Jensen.

The partners acquired the Pend Oreille (or Josephine) Mine through their Metaline Lead and Zinc Company, which Larsen later reorganized into the Pend Oreille Lead and Zinc Company, and eventually, the Pend Oreille Mines & Metals Company. Larsen served as president and principal owner of the company while Jensen served as secretary-treasurer. When they assumed control of the operation in 1906, no rail lines serviced the area and the mines transported their ore by pack mule and riverboat. When rail arrived in 1910, hard rock mining in the Metaline District became viable on an industrial scale. That year, the first railcar load of lead, zinc, and silver was barged across the Pend Oreille River from Metaline to Metaline Falls and loaded onto the rail line.

Although production increased with the arrival of rail, it was not until 1928 that the true value of the Metalines was realized. Larsen organized a group of investors to undertake an exploratory diamond drilling effort that successfully led to the discovery of substantial ore bodies. Development proceeded rapidly thereafter. Indeed, from 1942 to 1952, 20 percent of the nation’s lead and 13 percent of its zinc came from the Metalines. By 1977, nearly 20 million tons of ore had been removed from district mines. Although most of the mines are closed today, the industry left its mark on the regional landscape through the growth of towns and accompanying infrastructure.

Credits and Sources:

Dings, McClelland G., and Donald H. Whitebread. “Geology and Ore Deposits of the Metaline Zinc-Lead District Pend Oreille County, Washington,” Geological Survey professional Paper 489. Washington DC: GPO, 1965.

Hudson, Lorelea, et al., Cultural Resource Consultants, Inc. A Historic Overview for the Colville and Idaho Panhandle National Forests and the Bureau of Land Management, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Districts, Northeastern Washington/Northern Idaho, A Cultural Resource Narrative. Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Region, Report No. 6, 1995.

Lasmanis, Raymond. “History of the Metaline Mining District and the Pend Oreille Mine, Pend Oreille County, Washington.” Washington Geology 23, no. 1 (March 1995): 24–29.

Madsen, Michael J., and Lynn L. Larson. Pend Oreille Mine Cultural Resource Overview and Historic Structure Inventory, Metaline Falls, Pend Oreille County, Washington. 1999. Prepared for Cominco American, Inc., Spokane, Washington.

Photographs courtesy of the Pend Oreille County Historical Society and Pend Oreille County Library District.