Lucky Friday, one of the top seven primary silver mines in the world (based on silver equivalent ounces), celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2017. Thanks to the #4 Shaft project, the mine is expected to have another 20-30 years of mine life and will continue to provide quality jobs and community support to north Idaho.
Mine Type
Ownership
Silver
Lead
Zinc
***All metals reflect 2024 production
Lucky Friday is a deep underground silver, lead, and zinc mine located in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District in northern Idaho. The mine began operating in 1942. Hecla now controls 100% of the Gold Hunter deposit, also known as the Lucky Friday Expansion Area. At the Lucky Friday, we pioneered the Underhand Closed Bench (UCB) mining method. Watch our animation video to learn more about how UCB is increasing safety and productivity. In 2025, Lucky Friday is expected to produce 4.7 to 5.1 million ounces of silver.
The #4 Shaft Project, an internal shaft at the Lucky Friday Mine and a key growth project, reaches 9,600 feet below the surface. The #4 Shaft is an important part of Lucky Friday’s future as it provides access to the highest-grade ore in the mine’s history which is located in the Gold Hunter/Lucky Friday Expansion Area.
Hecla is the second-largest private employer in Shoshone County, Idaho.
The mine is located approximately one mile east of Mullan, in Shoshone County and 55 miles east of Coeur d’Alene along Interstate 90 (I-90) where the Silver Shaft head frame may be easily observed near exit ramp 69.
The plant has a full surface facility complete with a 1,000 tons of ore per day mill, which produces silver-lead and zinc concentrates. These concentrates are currently shipped for treatment via truck to Teck Cominco Metals Ltd. smelter in Trail, BC, Canada. All production is by underground methods, which include both underhand and overhand mining. The coarse mill tailing is mixed with cement and used as backfill. Production is via ramps and transfers, and substantially utilizes jumbo drills, mechanized mining, and truck haulage to the Silver Shaft. Access to the underground workings is via the 18-foot diameter, concrete lined, Silver Shaft.
Learn about Hecla’s Underhand Closed Bench (UCB) mining process and how this innovative method is increasing safety and productivity at the Lucky Friday Mine.
The Lucky Friday has a long history in north Idaho and will continue to mine essential minerals responsibly for years to come.
The safety and health of our workforce is our highest priority, and we strive for continuous improvement in our safety performance year over year. Continuous improvement for safety means providing training, interactive meetings, and regular briefings on updated regulations, guidelines, and techniques for management and workers. Hecla’s Take 5 Safety Focus program fosters continuous improvement by improving job site awareness and decreasing exposure to high and critical risk activities at each job site. Hecla also launched our “Safety 365: Work Safe, Home Safe” initiative, a program that promotes an environment where speaking up about safety concerns is not just encouraged, it’s expected.
In 2024, Lucky Friday’s safety record was the strongest it’s ever been during a full production year. The Underhand Closed Bench (UCB) mining method we developed has been a complete game changer for us, in terms of both safety and production.
All miners complete required training courses on an annual basis. At Lucky Friday, all employees complete the required annual safety training to refresh their knowledge. We also offer safety leadership training provided by Balmert Consulting. In 2024, 69 Lucky Friday employees participated in Balmert’s Managing Safety Performance training.
Hecla teams showed their skill and competence at this year’s Central Mine Rescue annual competition held in Kellogg, Idaho. These competitions are more than just a test—they help our teams prepare for critical skills that are used during real-life mine rescue efforts. The Lucky Friday team placed in every single event.
At our Lucky Friday mine, Hecla has been an integral part of the community for generations. In some cases, Hecla has employed generations of the same families. One such family is the Groves family.
Hecla supports nearby municipalities with essential services such as working with the County to maintain the roads we use, and we have open communication with the County to coordinate this support. Lucky Friday employees volunteer as coaches for youth wrestling, basketball, and baseball leagues. Our employees are also active in local government, including serving in elected roles such as mayor and city councilmembers.
We pride ourselves on being a strong community partner and that begins with engaging with community stakeholders. Hecla is a member of the Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation which includes participating in monthly meetings to provide input and understanding how issues in the Silver Valley could impact the community and Lucky Friday. We also work with the Wallace Chamber of Commerce and Silver Valley Chamber of Commerce on initiatives to promote local businesses and events.
In 2024, we donated $70,000 to local clubs, activities, and charitable organizations including the City of Mullan, Silver Valley Cares Coalition, Silver Valley Baseball Club, Wallace Baseball Club, Wallace Gyro Club, Silver Valley Youth Sports, local high school sponsorships, Wallace Christmas Fund, Mullan Community Foundation, Shoshone County Crisis and Resource Center, Wallace Food Bank, and Silver Hills Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization.
Hecla’s Lucky Friday mine is more than 80 years old, and Hecla has been operating mines in the Silver Valley region for 134 years. We are one of the largest private employers in Shoshone County. In 2024, we had an impact in neighboring communities (including Mullan, Wallace, and Kellogg) of $171 million, including $54 million in wages, $12 million in taxes and fees, and $104 million in purchases from vendors. We prioritize local hiring, and in 2024, 90% of new hires at Lucky Friday were from local communities.
At Lucky Friday, we made significant progress towards the goal of reducing site-wide discharge by 35% (from a 2022 baseline) by 2025, by recycling enough water on-site to meet the mine’s operational needs. To reach this goal, Lucky Friday engineers are fine tuning a system they have developed to replace freshwater used to cool the underground decant water, potentially halving freshwater usage.
In 2024, we installed a new chiller in the mine, allowing the team greater flexibility to reuse water and thus reduce water discharge. The transition brings the facility closer to a “closed loop” system in which water never needs to be discharged into the environment. This lowers environmental risk, bolsters health and safety considerations, and improves mining operations.
Hecla utilizes an Environmental Management System (EMS) to encourage company-wide consistency in our environmental programs and promote a culture of environmental awareness, innovation, and accountability across all our operations. We track our environmental data to benchmark Hecla’s operations against industry standards, and we report on progress against our goals to ensure accountability and transparency.
One of Hecla’s largest sources of electricity is renewable hydropower, and we use as much hydroelectricity as our power suppliers can provide. Currently, the energy provider at Lucky Friday uses a mix of both hydropower and natural gas, with 60% of electricity sourced being renewable.
The Lucky Friday has also implemented several initiatives to lower GHG emissions through reduced use of diesel fuel. The development of the innovative Underhand Closed Bench (UCB) method for underground mining has improved the efficiency of our processes to operate in deep, high-stress, narrow-vein mining. Since the introduction of the UCB method our ratio of mining production per gallon of diesel used has improved. In addition, we have predominately used biodiesel for our underground equipment, and most of our underground drilling fleet minimizes diesel usage by running solely on electric power while drilling.
Reclamation is an important part of our work at Lucky Friday on the tailings ponds. In 2024, we completed closure on a tailings pond, using the hydroseeding method after topsoiling the site. Hydroseeding is a cost-effective method of reclamation that stabilizes soil and prevents erosion.
Hecla is an industry leader in adopting the latest technologies to enhance the health and safety of our employees, improve environmental performance, and maximize mine-operating efficiency and productivity.
One example of innovation at Lucky Friday is the Underhand Closed Bench (UCB) method for underground mining to achieve better control of fault-slip seismic events that often occur in deep, high-stress, narrow-vein mining. This method has been shown to successfully control the timing in which mine induced seismic energy is released. In comparison to the previous cut and fill technique, the UCB has eliminated prolonged seismic delays for miners to re-enter working places, reduced repair of areas damaged by seismic events, and improved productive mining time.
In 2024, even with a production ramp-up, processed ore tons at Lucky Friday were record-breaking. The mine had its third best year for silver, fourth best for lead production, and best year for zinc production. The Lucky Friday’s safety record was the strongest it’s ever been during a full production year. The UCB mining method we developed has been a complete game changer in terms of both safety and production.
Hecla's goal is to ensure that employees are able to manage and execute emerging technologies that make our workplace safer and more efficient. For example, for our Lucky Friday workforce, we provide online training in coordination with North Idaho College through TPC Training and hands-on training, such as those provided by equipment manufacturers, to ensure our maintenance employees continually expand their skill sets.
Lucky Friday is a deep underground silver, lead, and zinc mine located in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District in northern Idaho. The mine began operating in 1942. Thanks to the #4 Shaft project which is now complete and operational, the mine is expected to have another 20-30 years of mine life. Lucky Friday is located one mile east of Mullan, Idaho, and is adjacent to U.S. Interstate 90.
Careers
Learn more about joining the Hecla team. If you are considering a career in mining, view our current openings and apply here.
Information with respect to proven and probable ore reserves, measured, and inferred resources is set forth below.
|
Tons |
Silver |
Gold |
Lead |
Zinc |
Silver |
Gold |
Lead |
Zinc | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5,285
|
11.9 |
– |
7.6 |
3.6 |
62,825 |
–
|
400,400 |
189,860
| |
|
790 |
11.4 |
– |
7.6 |
3.1 |
9,011 |
– |
60,210
|
24,620 | |
|
6,075 |
11.8 |
–
|
7.6 |
3.5 |
71,836 |
–
|
460,610 |
214,480 | |
|
3,781
|
8.7 |
–
|
5.8 |
2.6 |
32,795
|
–
|
217,490
|
99,840 | |
|
845 |
8.7 |
–
|
6.6 |
2.3 |
7,350
|
–
|
55,890
|
19,700
| |
|
4,627
|
8.7 |
–
|
6.2 |
2.5 |
40,145
|
–
|
273,380 |
119,540 | |
|
3,811
|
10.3 |
–
|
7.7 |
3.2 |
39,183 |
–
|
293,010 |
121,710
|
Totals may not represent the sum of parts due to rounding.
(2) Mineral reserves are based on $22/oz silver, $1,900/oz gold, $0.90/lb lead, $1.15/lb zinc, unless otherwise stated. All Mineral Reserves are reported in-situ with estimates of mining dilution and mining loss.
(4) The reserve NSR cut-off values for Lucky Friday are $225/ton for the 30 Vein and $236/ton for the Intermediate Veins; metallurgical recoveries (actual 2024): 94% for silver, 94% for lead, and 86% for zinc.
Note: All estimates are in-situ. Resources are exclusive of reserves.
(12) Mineral resources are based on $2,000/oz gold, $24/oz silver, $1.15/lb lead, $1.35/lb zinc and $4/lb copper, unless otherwise stated.
(14) The resource NSR cut-off value for Lucky Friday is $236/ton; metallurgical recoveries (actual 2024): 94% for silver, 94% for lead, and 86% for zinc.
(years ended December 31)
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023
|
2024
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Silver (ounces) |
2,031,874 |
3,564,128 |
4,412,764
|
3,086,119
| 4,890,949 |
|
Lead (tons) | 12,727 |
23,137 |
29,233
|
19,543
| 31,265 |
|
Zinc (tons) | 6,298 |
9,969 |
12,436
|
7,944
| 13,513 |
In 2024, exploration drilling is planned to the east of the 30 Vein in an underexplored area between the Gold Hunter and the historic Lucky Friday Mine. Proven and probable reserves are currently 78 million ounces of silver, 492.4 thousand tons of lead and 229.4 thousand tons of zinc. Based on this current reserve base, Lucky Friday has a 19-year mining plan. Measured and indicated resources are 53.9 million ounces of silver, 359.6 thousand tons of lead and 173.3 thousand tons of zinc. Inferred resources include 27.9 million ounces of silver, 211.3 thousand tons of lead, and 100.6 thousand tons of zinc.
Our goal is to access more resources to further extend the mine life at Lucky Friday. Currently, we believe only one-third of the tons and one-half of the ounces that are contained underground at Lucky Friday are in the current mine life. Hecla sees great organic growth opportunities at Lucky Friday.
There have been two ore-bearing structures mined at the Lucky Friday Mine. The first, mined through 2001, was the Lucky Friday vein, a fissure vein typical of many in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District. The orebody is located in the Revett Formation, which is known to provide excellent host rocks for a number of orebodies in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District. The Lucky Friday vein strikes northeasterly and dips steeply to the south with an average width of six to seven feet. Its principal ore minerals are galena and tetrahedrite with minor amounts of sphalerite and chalcopyrite. The ore occurs as a single continuous orebody in and along the Lucky Friday vein. The major part of the orebody has extended from the 1,200-foot level to and below the 6,020-foot level.
The second ore-bearing structure, known as the Lucky Friday Expansion Area, is located in the Wallace Formation. It has been mined since 1997 pursuant to an operating agreement with Silver Hunter Mining Company (“Silver Hunter”), our wholly owned subsidiary. During 1991, we discovered several mineralized structures containing some high-grade silver ores in an area known as the Gold Hunter property, approximately 5,000 feet northwest of the then existing Lucky Friday workings. This discovery led to the development of the Gold Hunter property on the 4900 level. In 2008, through Silver Hunter, we completed the acquisition of all of the assets of Independence Lead Mines Company (“Independence”), including all future interest or royalty obligations to Independence and the mining claims pertaining to the operating agreement with Hecla Limited that was assigned to Silver Hunter.
The principal mining method at the Lucky Friday unit is ramp access, cut and fill. This method utilizes rubber-tired equipment to access the veins through ramps developed outside of the orebody. Once a cut is taken along the strike of the vein, it is backfilled with cemented tailings and the next cut is accessed, either above or below, from the ramp system.
There are three main phases to the mining process: development, production, and backfilling.
Development – the tunneling or accessing phase
Using plans from the geology and engineering departments, miners drive tunnels 12ft high by 12ft wide to access the various ore zones to be mined.
Production – the extraction phase
The method of extraction depends upon the geological nature of the orebody involved. Some of the narrower orebodies can be extracted using conventional mining methods (slushers and jackleg drills), mining as narrow as three feet. In other, more massive orebodies, mechanized mining methods are employed using large rubber-tired equipment to mine widths of up to 20 feet.
Backfilling – the replacement phase
The voids created during the production phase are filled up with a combination of mill waste (tailings) and cement. This “backfilling” process stabilizes the production voids and allows extraction of the ore beside, above, and even below the backfilled area.
Lucky Friday is one of the largest private employers in Shoshone County, Idaho, and is an integral part of the community through volunteerism and investment. In 2024, we had an impact in neighboring communities (including Mullan, Wallace, and Kellogg) of $171 million, including $54 million in wages, $12 million in taxes and fees, and $104 million in purchases from vendors.
