ECU may have owned (or thought they owned) that mill back around 2001 through BLM Minera, the company ECU bought that held the property claims ECU needed and that included a mill that BLM had built. This was during the time ECU was trying to get off the ground. It was a real mess legally back then with claims and counterclaims and convoluted arrangements flying around about who owned what and where. It was difficult to get the straight scoop back then, since events moved so quickly.

Anyway, I believe the mill was eventually lost when BLM defaulted on a loan with IIG Capital and IIG Capital sold the mill to Hecla. I remember the mill was adjacent to the property as is the one mentioned in the press release. And Hecla is involved now, and I remember Hecla was involved then.

However, Hecla then defaulted on other matters with BLM relating to the mill, and I think ECU sued them to get the mill or at least some of equipment back, but, though I think ECU won the case, Hecla kept the mill and the dispute continued on. I always thought that was the 60-80 tpd mill ECU bought that was on the property, but now I'm not so sure.

Perhaps Sinbob or ESL or C1 or some of the guys in the stock back then as was I remember the situation more clearly. Doesn't really matter. It's history and part of the amazing story of ECU and may not even be the mill in question. However, if this is indeed the same mill, then Hecla obviously retained control of it and must be surely glad they did. Costly, to be sure, but now it looks like it's ours....again?

Just speculating. As memory fades.