The article focuses on Hecla Mining Co., a lead mining company based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The company started when James Toner staked a claim on the banks of Canyon Creek on May 5, 1885. The company's stock had more than doubled under the leadership of James F. McCarthy. The mine buildings were destroyed by a fire that swept through the town of Burke in July 1923. The company received the mining industry's top safety certification from the U.S. National Mining Association.