Henry Burrell was born in Scotland, on September 30, 1843. His family immigrated to America in 1856, and settled in Morris, Illinois. Henry's father, Archie Burrell, a coppersmith, died soon after arriving. Henry Burrell moved his family to Great Falls, Montana, sometime around the year 1892. This remained the family's permanent residence until 1904, when Burrell moved to Portland, Oregon. Throughout his life, Burrell was involved in mining in Montana, Idaho, and Nevada. He was a trustee of the American Developing and Mining Company, a gold mining company originally based in Marysville, Montana. In 1893 the firm moved to Butte. Henry's brother, Alexander, was also a trustee in this company. Between 1896 and 1903, Henry Burrell served as manager or superintendent of a number of coal mines working for several companies including the Sand Coulee Coal Company, Sand Coulee, Montana; Clarke Fork Coal Mining Company, Gebo, Montana; Carbon Coal Company, Carbon, Montana (owned by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company); and Montana Mining Company, Ltd., London and Montana. Burrell also invested in his own mines. In 1899, he bought five mines in Kootenai County, Idaho: Hoosier-Boy, Buck Horn, Keystone, Scout, and Lucky Three. Henry Burrell died of pneumonia in Wyoming on April 10, 1910.