The Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
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As far as J.J. was concerned, mining was the best occupation in the world. Widely considered one of the best mining men in the business, J.J. earned his reputation through hard physical work and intelligence.

A group of Leadville mining men including A.V. Hunter, August R. Meyer, Max Boehmer, William Byrd Page and John F. Campion, bought and consolidated a group of mines and leases under the name "Ibex Mining Company." They asked J.J., a minor stockholder, to oversee the company's many mining operations.

In the 1890s the price of silver fell and the price of gold rose. Gold was now the only metal backing the U.S. currency due to the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1893. It was gold that was destined to make the Ibex Mining Company and Margaret and J.J. Brown a legend.

In 1893, despite the poor economic conditions, Ibex decided to look for a second ore contact in the Little Jonny Mine, once one of the area's major producers of silver and lead. Most people in Leadville thought this a ridiculous plan. There were no indications that the company would find gold.

The venture was difficult. The mine shaft immediately hit a layer of dolomite sand and continually caved in. J.J. Brown, now superintendent of all the Ibex properties, devised a method of using baled hay and timbers to stop the cave-ins. His persistence paid off. When the Little Jonny opened, vast quantities of high-grade copper and gold were found. The grade of gold was so pure and the vein so wide it was heralded as the world's richest gold strike. By October 29, 1893, the Little Jonny was shipping 135 tons of gold per day. The Ibex Company and its owners, including the Browns, were suddenly very, very rich.

The entire country watched J.J.'s success story. In Leadville, other mine owners decided to reopen mines previously thought useless. The Little Jonny Strike revitalized Leadville and mining communities across the west. As a reward for his success, the Ibex Company gave J.J. 12,500 shares (or 12.5%) of the company stock and a seat on the Board of Directors. His hard work had finally paid off.

Content from Kristen Iversen's book, Molly Brown, Unraveling the Myth.  Published by Johnson Books in 1999.