Empire Zinc Company

Empire Zinc Company’s recorded history is tied to the New Jersey Zinc Company and to mining districts in the western United States. In Colorado, the company held or operated claims in the Gilman mining district. Between 1912 and 1915, New Jersey Zinc acquired and consolidated mines in the district as the Eagle Mines and operated Empire Zinc as a subsidiary. New Jersey Zinc also purchased the town of Gilman, which it administered as a company town. This arrangement placed housing and community infrastructure within the economic structure of the mining operation. The Eagle Mine area at Gilman later became an EPA Superfund site, giving the company’s Colorado history an environmental dimension as well as an industrial one. Reference material places the company’s founding in the 1940s, although the precise founding year is not established here. Its business involved exploration, mine development, and mineral production. Zinc was the principal mineral associated with the company, while lead, silver, and other minerals were also produced or mined through its operations. One of its best-known properties was the Hanover-Potosi mine in New Mexico, described as one of the largest zinc mines in the world. The mine was located near Bayard and became the setting for the labor conflict that defined the company’s public historical image. In 1951, workers at the Hanover-Potosi operation went on strike. The dispute was led by the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers and focused on wages and working conditions. The conflict also reflected broader divisions in the mining community, including unequal treatment of Mexican American workers and the differing roles assigned to men and women during industrial disputes. Women in the affected families became active participants in the struggle, an aspect that later received particular attention in cultural representations of the strike. The strike was eventually settled through negotiations. Its historical importance extended beyond the immediate workplace dispute: it became an example of labor organizing in the American mining industry and of community-wide participation in industrial action. The 1954 film Salt of the Earth was based on the strike against New Jersey Zinc’s Empire Zinc mine. The film’s treatment of labor, ethnicity, gender, and solidarity helped preserve the episode in public memory. Empire Zinc continued operating after the settlement. Reference material states that Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company acquired it in the 1970s, but does not provide a precise date or details of the transaction. The available sources also do not establish the company’s subsequent legal status, management, production levels, or whether the Empire Zinc name remained in use. For that reason, the company’s current status, headquarters, and present ownership are not identified in this dossier.

• 1970

  Acquisition by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting reported for the 1970s

  [1]Empire Zinc Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material states that Empire Zinc was acquired by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company during the 1970s. The exact year is not specified.

• 1954

  Salt of the Earth released

  [1]Empire Zinc Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The film Salt of the Earth drew on the 1951 Empire Zinc strike and presented the conflict as a story of labor activism, discrimination, family participation, and community solidarity.

• 1951

  Empire Zinc strike

  [1]Empire Zinc Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A labor strike began at the Hanover-Potosi mine in New Mexico over wages and working conditions. The International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers led the action.

• 1915

  Gilman mining consolidation completed in the documented period

  [1]Empire Zinc Companyen.wikipedia.org

  By 1915, the stated period of New Jersey Zinc’s acquisition and consolidation of the Gilman-area mines had concluded. New Jersey Zinc also controlled the company town of Gilman.

• 1912

  New Jersey Zinc begins consolidating the Gilman-area mines

  [1]Empire Zinc Companyen.wikipedia.org

  New Jersey Zinc began acquiring and consolidating mining properties in Colorado’s Gilman mining district, later organizing them as the Eagle Mines and operating Empire Zinc as a subsidiary.

A historical mining company focused on the extraction and production of zinc and associated minerals, with significance arising from its major mine operations, company-town administration, labor history, and later environmental legacy.

• Base metals

  Zinc

  Zinc was Empire Zinc Company’s principal associated mineral and the basis of its identity as a mining enterprise. The company explored, developed, and operated zinc-producing properties, including the Hanover-Potosi mine in New Mexico and properties connected with the Gilman district in Colorado.

• Base metals

  Lead

  Lead was among the additional minerals associated with Empire Zinc’s mining activities. The available reference material does not specify individual lead products, grades, production volumes, or markets.

• Precious and associated minerals

  Silver

  Silver was another mineral associated with the company’s operations. It appears in the historical description of the company’s mining activities, but the available material does not provide separate information about silver output or commercial branding.

• 1970

  Acquisition by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting CompanyM&A

  Background

  Empire Zinc continued operating after the 1951 labor dispute, and reference material places its later acquisition in the 1970s.

  Action taken

  Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company acquired Empire Zinc during the 1970s. The precise year and transaction terms are not specified in the available source.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition marked a change in the company’s ownership, but the available material does not document the subsequent use of the Empire Zinc name or its exact legal status.

  Source

• 1951

  Negotiation and settlement of the Empire Zinc strikeOther

  Background

  The strike at the Hanover-Potosi mine arose from a dispute between workers and the company over wages and working conditions. The action was led by the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers.

  Action taken

  The dispute was ultimately resolved through negotiations, allowing Empire Zinc to continue operating.

  Aftermath

  The strike became a significant event in American labor history and later served as the basis for the 1954 film Salt of the Earth.

  Source

1. 1Empire Zinc Companyen.wikipedia.org