Hecla funds Mullan Museum restroom remodel

MULLAN — The Hecla Charitable Foundation continues to restore needs in the Silver Valley, this time focusing its generosity on the Captain John Mullan Museum.

Established in the old Liberty Theater, the public museum exhibits historical furnishings, vintage clothing, photographs, newspapers, mining relics, and local school, sports, firemen and drug store memorabilia. The museum features information on the building of the Mullan Road from 1859-1862 which connected Fort Benton, Mont., to Fort Walla Walla, Wash.

According to Bud Koski, a member of the museum's board of directors, issues with the building’s plumbing system began to surface last year, with the main area of concern coming from the two bathroom facilities.

“All the piping is original to that building which is over 100 years old, and it was starting to show lots of wear and tear,” Koski said.

Koski said that over the years, several attempts were made to obtain a grant from different organizations for the project’s funding, but all were denied before finally making contact with Hecla.

It was then that a grant was requested from the Hecla Charitable Foundation and received in the amount of $12,650.

Work progressed slowly due to the pandemic, but the project was eventually completed earlier this year to provide the building with a handicapped accessible restroom, a vanity with heated water that was not available before and an infant changing station.

Koski said the Hecla Mining Company and the Hecla Charitable Foundation have been supporters of the Mullan Historical Society for years and are greatly appreciated by its membership. “Hecla has been a very good neighbor and friend for our historical society,” he said. “We’ve gotten money from them for different projects before. They have very seldom told us no — they always come through.”