Promissory Notes: The Chateaugay Ore & Iron Company Buys Dynamite

 Chateaugay Ore & Iron Co miners c.1920 under Lyon Mountain in New York state

The Chateaugay Ore & Iron Company, located at Lyon Mountain, New York in the Adirondacks, was built on a substantial deposit of iron ore starting in the mid-1800s.  The owners of the company, Andrew Williams and Smith Weed of Plattsburgh, NY, made huge fortunes in the 19th century.  By 1902, surveys discovered that the deposit was far larger than originally estimated, extending the life and value of the mine and company.  Iron from the company is a part of the Brooklyn, George Washington, and Golden Gate Bridges.  By the 1960s, miners had to operate at a depth of 3500 feet, and with the expense of such deep mining the site was closed by 1967.

The company would have been a major user of dynamite in the mining process.  The Clinton Dynamite Company was one of their providers:

Six month promissory note by Chateaugay Ore & Iron Company to the Clinton Dynamite Company for $2392.77, March 29, 1901

Stamps on reverse side of promissory note with copy of R172p:

C. O. & I. CO.

MAR 29 1901

NEW YORK.

Reverse side of promissory note:

Unfortunately this note does not tell us how much dynamite was purchased.