The property is located on the east shore of Kootenay Lake, at the north edge of the community of Riondel and adjacent to the Bluebell mine claims.

The Kirby group of 7 claims, and fractions (Lots 13007-13013) was staked by A.J. Curle, of Kaslo, in 1919. Work on the showings to 1921 included a 17-metre crosscut and about 30 metres of drifting on the footwall of the main vein. Where intersected by the crosscut, the vein consisted of 3 metres of sparsely mineralized quartz with a narrow band of ore on the hangingwall and small bunches and stringers of galena on the footwall. The claims were Crown-granted to A.J. Curle, W.T. Kirby and R.V. Guthrie in 1922. The owners incorporated The Shepherd Mining Company, Limited in December 1922. A new low level crosscut adit, driven from near the lake shore, reached bedrock at 227 metres and was continued to 305 metres, cutting a vein at 274 metres and a stronger vein at 305 metres; the latter was drifted on for about 229 metres, connecting with a shaft to surface. The last reported work by the Company was in 1926.

The area is underlain by Middle Cambrian quartzites and schists of the Index Formation, Lardeau Group.

Three principal veins occur as distinct bedding fissure veins, mainly in schist but also cutting granitic dikes and sills locally. The calcareous schists are sparingly impregnated with sulphides, mainly pyrite. A series of steep fissures connect the main veins, cutting across the strike of the sediments. The ore minerals, pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrargyrite occur with quartz, rhodochrosite and other carbonates in bedded shear zones, along with fragments of country rock.

Eight tonnes of ore was reported mined in 1920 and 7,558 grams of silver and 1,778 kilograms of lead were recvovered.