Steele, Peter (Musician)

According to the 1920 United States Federal Census records, Henry K. Doll was born about 1871 in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1888. The 1920 census also lists his occupation as blacksmith. His wife was named Carrie and his three children were Carrie, Mary, and Henrietta. Peter Steele, originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was born about 1866 according to the 1930 census. He died in Boise on January 2, 1938 and was buried at Morris Hill cemetery two days later. August Grete, who came from a local Silver City family, was born about 1861 to parents John and Mary. The 1900 U.S. census lists his wife Ella and son Lewis. Grete moved on to Portland, Oregon by 1920, and died on October 28, 1949 in Merced, California.

The earliest letter in the collection is dated to 1909. In his letters, Peter Steele wrote that in the early years the Banner operated with the aid of only three laborers and little equipment, including a compressor. August Grete supervised matters at the site in Silver City, while Peter Steele traveled about the Midwest. Steele tried to sell stocks and bonds to new investors in order to purchase more equipment and add more men to work in the mine until it began paying. He was unable to find much success in Minneapolis, Duluth, or Red Wing in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the power was cut off at the mine for long time due to low funds. This did not dampen his optimism regarding the potential output of the mine, however.

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