Butte County
Biographies
MICHAEL J. COONEY
M. J. COONEY.--Few names are more inseparably associated with the history of the mining industry in the Forbestown district than that of M. J. Cooney, who, as a mining engineer, has made an exhaustive study of the conditions of this section, and with his associates has met with rich returns as a reward for their years of close application. Mr. Cooney is heavily interested in gold and silver quartz mining properties at Forbestown; in fact, he has greater personal interests in the vicinity than any other individual.
History reveals that about $16,000,000 was taken out of the placer mines of Forbestown Ravine in the early mining days. This indicates that quartz formations must, of necessity, be very rich in gold, since the placer fold was the residue from the erosion of ages. It has been positively proven that Mr. Cooney has very valuable gold and silver deposits on his holdings. He has carefully gathered data for a quarter of a century, and knows whereof he speaks. Associated with him is Fred J. Stoer, president of the First National Bank of Emeryville, Cal., who is also a grain and feed merchant in that city. Their holdings are designated The Forbestown Consolidated Gold Mines. They comprise the following properties, all of which have records as producers: the Gold Bank, Golden Queen, Shakespeare, and Miller groups, which aggregate ten hundred thirty-five acres of patented lands. This includes the Oroville No. 1 and No. 2 placer claims of two hundred seventy-five acres; Statu Quo, twenty acres; Conjunction; and “R R” gold quartz claims and timber lands. Four other properties have been proven up by Mr. Cooney, and are included in the Gold Bank Tunnel and Tunnel site, covering three thousand feet square, or two hundred acres, and a dump site of two and one-half acres; viz.: the Woodford, Emeryville, Lexington and Daylight claims.
The foregoing is an interesting resume of the mining possibilities of a favored section of California; and it is just as interesting to review the life of the man who has such as abiding faith in the development of the mining properties about Forbestown.
M. J. Cooney was born in Galsworth, Ireland, on October 3, 1844. His father was Patrick Cooney, and his mother, before her marriage, was Catherine Connolly. They were both born and reared in Ireland, and were honest and industrious farmer folk, who lived and died in Ireland, the father passing away at one hundred two years of age, and the mother when past seventy-five years. Their family consisted of thirteen children, seven of whom grew up; and of these there are two sons, and three daughters still living. The Cooney family for generations has produced many prominent men, in all lines of professional activity.
In early life Mr. Cooney became acquainted with John Watts Kearny, a son of General Kearny; and by him he was induced to go West. He started for Nebraska, making the journey down the Ohio River, thence up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, and on up the Missouri River, to Omaha. The boat stopped at Kansas City, where, on July 3, 1869, a great celebration was being held to celebrate the completion of the Kansas City railroad and wagon bridge. Young Cooney decided at once that that was the place for him, and forthwith ended his river journey. He took up his residence there and engaged in a commercial business, as well as in mining and general engineering, and remained until 1876. The Rocky Mountain country was then booming, and he became a pioneer prospector and miner in the San Juan country. He located the Black Wonder, a claim he later gave to a new-comer to that section, and which later became a big dividend-payer. Mr. Cooney operated the Ocean Wave, near Lake City, for some time, besides leasing and operating other properties successfully. He went to Leadville, and there located the New Year’s Mine, which he sold. This mine later produced over a million and a half dollars. Although success had crowned his efforts in Colorado, he determined to go to Montana. At Cassell, he opened and successfully operated a group of silver mines. These he continued to work until the time of the demonetization of silver. He then resigned to go to the Whitlatch Union and the McIntyre gold mines at Unionville, four miles from Helena.
While attending school at Lexington, Ky., Mr. Cooney had studied geology, and he has been a student of that study ever since. While in Colorado he learned to be a practical mining engineer, a profession which has been of great value to him in later years. He has written extensively on mines and mining, contributing articles on these and kindred subjects to some of the leading papers of the Middle West, particularly in St. Louis Globe Democrat and the Omaha Bee. It was while he was in Leadville that he furnished a thousand-word article on mining in that vicinity to the former paper, sending the “story” by wire every Saturday night, to appear in the Sunday issue.
From Montana Mr. Cooney went to Europe, and from that country to South Africa, where as a mining expert he was employed by many of the big mining companies as a mining engineer. He was in South Africa during the Boer War, and he was the last assayer for the South African Republic, remaining there until 1904, when he came back to America in time to attend the St. Louis Exposition. While in South Africa, he had been interested in diamond mining; and upon hearing of the gems that had been found in the Oroville district in Butte County, he came here to investigate. He became very much impressed with the mining possibilities of the section he had visited, and upon learning that the Gold Back Mine could be bought, set about to acquire the property. He made the acquaintance of F. J. Stoer, of Emeryville, Cal., together they have spent large sums of money in buying up and doing development work on their various properties.
After an absence of fourteen years, Mr. Cooney again visited Kansas City, when he found that the street-cars had been elevated over the West Bottoms, on the Kaw River, and that tunnels had been bored to divert traffic. This plan was identical with one he had matured before leaving there.
Mr. Cooney has been twice married. His first union was with Miss Annie Taylor, whom he married in Denver, Colo., in 1881. Four children were born to them, but only one grew up, a son James T. Cooney, who is now a contractor at Greenville, Plumas County. He is married and is the father of six children. The second marriage of Mr. Cooney united him with Miss Emma Erfurth, and was celebrated in January, 1905. Always taking a live interest in the upbuilding of the various places where he has lived, Mr. Cooney has done his part as a public-spirited citizen. Since becoming a resident of Forbestown, he has been for a number of years serving as Justice of the Peace. He is a booster for Butte County, and has an ever-widening circle of friends in Northern California, where he has become well and favorably known.
Transcribed
by Joyce & David Rugeroni.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 789-791, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Joyce & David Rugeroni.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte County Biographies