Blakes farmed for several years, until, in September 1884, they happened to locate the Yankee Boy and Yankee Girl ore deposits up Big Creek Canyon from their homestead. It was these deposits, namely the Yankee Lode mining claim, that the Blake brothers staked in late September 1884. The two brothers mined their claim for the next two decades until poor health persuaded them to release control of the property to other interests. Following the death of True Blake in 1910, True's widow Hattie Blake and his brother Dennis Blake opted to lease out the mining property. The property was leased to several individuals sometime on or about September 1912. The property went through a series of acquisitions in the years following, being leased and managed at various times by men such as Sidney Shonts and subsequently Dan Price. Price, President of the Big Creek Leasing Company, extended a large sum of money attempting to reach ore reserves on the lower levels of the Blake Brothers previous workings. Proving unsuccessful at this attempt Price interested a Spokane businessman by the name of Eugene Tousley. Tousley, in turn, interested a Yakima, Washington businessman and mining entrepreneur named John Sawbridge. It is unclear when exactly Sawbridge became involved in the company, but he likely held stock in the company when the Sunshine Mining Company was officially formed in 1918. At this time the company's headquarters were in Spokane, Washington. The original officers of the company were Eugene C. Tousley, E. Ely and V.S. Ricaby. Tousley was a broker in the mining industry, working in Spokane. During this time W.F. Newton was the manager of the company In approximately 1921 a group of businessmen and entrepreneurs from Yakima, Washington purchased a controlling interest in Sunshine Mining Company. John Sawbridge became and/or remained the President of the company. The Yakima businessmen who joined the Board at this time were Albert E. "A.E." Larson (a successful businessman and entrepreneur), Alexander Miller (a civic leader and businessman) and Nathan P. "N.P." Hull (a prominent Yakima orchardist and businessman). Hull remained on the Board of Directors until his death in July 1929. Three years after his death, in 1932, Hull's son Carroll M. Hull was named to the Board. Carroll Hull remained on the Board of Sunshine until February 1965. Following the death of Sawbridge in 1931, Larson became president and served the company in that capacity until