The Referendum (L.4387) workings are located south of Fortynine Creek at an elevation of approximately 1716 metres and approximately 11 kilometres southwest of Nelson. The Tec Gold showing (MINFILE 082FSW324) is just to the southeast.

The area is underlain by zones of alternating sedimentary, metamorphic and volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Elise Formation (Rossland Group). The rocks include agglomerates, conglomerates with boudinage texture, tuffs and crystal tuffs with metamorphic rocks comprised of sericite schist and chlorite schist. The volcanic rocks in the mine area are andesites and basalts intruded by lamprophyre dikes that host tension veins with tourmaline and ilmenite. Some tension veins are quartz-calcite–filled, others only host quartz. To the southeast of the mine area, an Eocene Coryell syenite intrudes the Rossland Group rocks.

The main occurrence consists of a quartz vein, varying from 0.30 to 1.65 metres wide and striking 255 to 305 degrees with a dip of 80 degrees to the south, hosted by andesites of the Lower Jurassic Elise Formation (Rossland Group). No sulphides are documented but a black, gouge-like material forms a thin veneer on shear partings and often fills fractures. The main vein has abundant massive, fine-grained tourmaline. The small tension veins that join the main vein also host tourmaline. The vein has been followed for approximately 46.5 metres along strike. The vein is cut and displaced, for approximately 10 metres, by a biotite lamprophyre dike.

Three narrow, subparallel veins, referred to as the no. 2, 3 and New veins, are located approximately 30, 70 and 170 metres, respectively, northwest of the main shaft. The no. 2 and 3 veins have been exposed intermittently for approximately 45 and 30 metres, respectively, along strike and average 30 centimetres in width. The New vein is less than 0.5 metre wide and is reported to be vuggy with a high tourmaline content and visible gold. It is cut and displaced by the same biotite lamprophyre dike as the main vein.

Another vein is exposed by a short shaft approximately 230 metres to the northeast of the main shaft. The structure hosting this vein crosscuts that of the previous veins, in a sheared sedimentary rock with a strike of north 55 degrees east and a near vertical dip.

In 1980, two dump samples (8259 and 8260) yielded 10.5 and 27.5 grams per tonne gold, respectively, whereas a chip sample (8261) from the eastern shaft vein yielded 1.7 grams per tonne gold over 20 centimetres (Property File - Coffee Creek Resources Inc. [1981-01-07]: Report on the Referendum-Stamp Claims).

In 1981, a chip sample taken across 0.35 metre of the quartz vein assayed 0.07 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 10239).

In 1986, sampling of the three main trenches exposing the main vein yielded up to 21.2 grams per tonne gold over 0.35 metre in trench 3, 82.1 grams per tonne gold over 0.35 metre in trench 2 and 1.6 grams per tonne gold over 1.55 metres in trench 1, whereas another sample, taken from a site located near the northeast shaft, yielded 0.55 gram per tonne gold over 1.5 metres (Property File - I.M. Watson [1986-12-09]: Letter Re: Referendum Property Sampling/Drilling Programme 1986). Chip sampling of the main vein near the shaft yielded 4.3 grams per tonne gold over 1.65 metres, whereas a grab sample of dump material from the second shaft, to the northeast, yielded 12.9 grams per tonne gold (Property File - Snowater Resources Ltd. [1986-10-22]: Report on the Referendum Gold Prospect - 1986).

Later in 1986, sampling of the no. 2 vein yielded up to 82.1 grams per tonne gold over 33 centimetres, with an average of 8.6 grams per tonne gold across 30 centimetres and over a strike length of 30 metres, whereas samples from the no. 3 vein yielded up to 36.9 grams per tonne gold over 20 centimetres (Property File - Snowater Resources Ltd. [1987-03-10]: Report on the Referendum Gold Prospect - 1987).

Also at this time, a bulk sample from the New vein is reported to have averaged 3.1 grams per tonne gold (Property File - T. Cherry [1986-08-01]: Report - Referendum Mine).

In 2005, grab samples from outcrop returned up to 4.24 per cent copper and 1.80 grams per tonne gold, whereas drilling results were lower; returning values of 0.252 per cent copper and 0.86 grams per tonne gold over two short intervals (Assessment Report 27948).

In 2012, a sample containing quartz with banded tourmaline from a trench at the Referendum property assayed 78.1 grams per tonne gold. At another area on the property, a copper-stained occurrence discovered along a deactivated logging road by a Moose Mountain technical services geologist assayed greater than 1 per cent copper (V STOCKWATCH, October 19, 2012).

The Referendum (L.4387) claim was located in 1900 and minor gold production in 1907 came from a 60-metre shaft, with 227 tonnes yielding 3.11 kilograms of gold. Another short, 6-metre deep shaft is reported approximately 230 metres northeast of the main shaft, just north of the Referendum (L.4387) Crown grant. A third shaft is reported to the west-southwest on the Katie (L.4386) Crown grant. During 1983 through 1985, approximately 181.4 tonnes was mined from a 30-metre section at surface with 159 tonnes of ore being milled, producing 573 grams gold, 1839 grams silver, 190 kilograms lead and 229 kilograms zinc.

In 1971, a program of heavy mineral and soil sampling was completed on the area. In 1980 and 1981, Coffee Creek Resources prospected and sampled the area as the Stamp 1-20 claims. During 1983 through 1990, Formosa Resources Ltd. of Vancouver held the option on the Referendum claim group and conducted exploration programs including trenching and bulk sampling. In 1986, Snow-Water Resources completed a program of geochemical sampling and three diamond drill holes, totalling 345.7 metres.

In 2005, Acrex Ventures completed a program of soil and rock geochemical sampling and four diamond drill holes, totalling 282.87 metres. In 2012, Rainbow Resources Inc. tried to identify highly prospective areas throughout its 13 000-hectare land package.