“The Kearsarge Lode was first discovered by the original Kearsarge Mine – now known as the North Kearsarge – around 1887. While the lode’s namesake was unable to make much out of the find, its neighbor to the south had a bit more luck. This lucky mine was the Wolverine, an operation that would find success atop the Kearsarge for over 30 years. The Wolverine’s success prompted a rush of companies to take their aim at the newly discovered lode. One of those was the Iroquois, a small start up that squatted upon a narrow piece of land squeezed between the Wolverine and Centennial Mines. The Iroquois, however, never got past the exploration stage and was soon abandoned. But the mine would be given a second chance, thanks to the a little company known as the Osceola Mining Company.

The Osceola always considered itself one of the big dogs, in the same league as the C&H and Quincy mines. Towards that end the company looked to expand its influence over as much of the region as it could, a lofty goal that had become more attainable after the discovery of the Kearsarge lode. With the Wolverine’s success being a strong indicator of the new lode’s potential, the Osceola moved in to get its own piece of the pie. By 1900 the company had bought up as much land along the Kearsarge as it could, which at the time encompassed both the original Kearsarge mine and the defunct Iroquois property. The Osceola renamed the two mines as the North and South Kearsarge Mines, each set on either end of the Wolverine property.”