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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  30-Oct-2014 by Laura deGroot (LDG)

Summary Help Help

NMI 082K10 Pb1
Name LEAD QUEEN (L.12763), COLUMBIA (L.12764), FIRST EFFORT (L.11426), BIG CHIEF (L.12766), COLUMCHIEF FR. (L.11423), LEAD KING (L.11422), LUCKY CHIEF FR. (L.11424) Mining Division Golden
BCGS Map 082K078
Status Past Producer NTS Map 082K10E
Latitude 050º 43' 36'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 116º 34' 04'' Northing 5619519
Easting 530507
Commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold Deposit Types I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Ancestral North America
Capsule Geology

The Lead Queen group is situated at an elevation of 2350 metres in a basin on the north side of and near the head of Frances Creek. The Steele Group (082KNE061) is located north of and adjoining the Lead Queen group at an elevation of 2530 metres on what could be the northern extension of the Lead Queen fissure.

The Lead Queen group of 9 claims was located in about 1900 by Tom Brown of Wilmer. The property was worked intermittently by Brown and associates until 1915 when J.T. Burgess optioned the property and reportedly formed a company to carry on development work. The company went into liquidation in 1916 and the property reverted to the original owners. The property was subsequently acquired by Paul Denhart of Seattle and intermittent work was carried on until about 1923. New York interests acquired the property in 1925 and intermittent work was carried on until 1929. Claims Crown-granted in 1928 include: Lead Queen (Lot 12763), Columbia (Lot 12764), First Effort (Lot 11426) and Big Chief (Lot 12766) to Dorothy McKay; Columchief Fraction (Lot 11423) to E.M. Davis; Lead King (Lot 11422) to Frances Simonds; and Lucky Chief Fraction (Lot 11424) to A.F. Hyde.

Intermittently from 1916 to 1929, a total of 390 tonnes were mined from which 439,174 grams of silver, 31 grams of gold, 145,867 kilograms of lead and 1193 kilograms of zinc were recovered.

The Upper workings consist of some 274 metres of crosscuts and drifts in 3 adits. A long meandering crosscut, possibly 335 metres in length, was driven at the 2042 metre elevation to intersect the vein but it is not known if the vein was found. A fifth adit was driven 46 metres to explore a second fault zone on the west side of the property.

The property was held by Silver Queen Mines Limited for a number of years but remained inactive. In January 1965, Lorne Dempster acquired the option to purchase the property and subsequently assigned the option to a private company, Silverton Explorations Limited. During 1965, the Cable Nos. 1-31 claims were staked adjacent to the original claim group. In April 1966, Dempster Explorations Limited obtained a working option on the property.

Frances Creek Mines Ltd. obtained possession of the property by 1971 and conducted mapping and trenching (152 metres) and stripping (427 metres) on the Steele No. 2 Crown grant. In 1972, Frances Creek conducted mapping and magnetometer surveys. In 1972, Frances Creek Mines drilled one hole totalling 59.4 metres on the Lead Queen and three holes totalling 126.2 metres on the First Effort.

The property is underlain by sediments of the Middle Proterozoic Mount Nelson Formation, Purcell Supergroup. A major fault cuts most of the claims, striking north-northwest. Rocks in the property area inlcude limestone, quartzite, argillite, black slate and calcareous schist. The fault that cuts these rocks has provided the locus for mineralization.

A dolomitic limestone and quartzite formation, which strike northwest and dips steeply to the southwest, occupies the west side of an anticlinal fold. The fault follows the bedding plane of the formation. The presence of talc gouge within the ore zone suggests considerable movement along the fault plane producing a zone of crushed material. The vein varies from 0.6 to 1.2 metres wide and carries galena in irregular masses within the crushed siliceous material.

Bibliography
EM GEOFILE 2003-2
EMPR AR 1901-1015, 1902-137, 1903-105, 1904-114, 1905-146, 1906-135,
1908-89, 1909-102, 1915-82,98, 1916-187,516, 1917-147,177,477,
1918-151,185, 1919-113, 1920-115,138, 1925-225, 1926-240,
1927-265, 1928-276,521, 1929-284,292, 1966-246
EMPR ASS RPT *796, 4538, *4747, 4712
EMPR GEM 1971-427,428; 1972-75; 1973-94
EMPR PF (*Allen, G.B. (1970): Compilation on the Frances Creek
Property, Frances Creek Mining Co. Ltd., 23 pages; MacKenzie, A.G.
(1971): Report on Geological Exploration of Lead Queen - Steele
Property, Frances Creek Mines Ltd., 15 pages; MacKenzie, A.G.
(1971): Progress Report No. 1 on Lead Queen - Steele Property,
Frances Creek Mines Ltd., 5 pages; Prospectors Report 1994-32 by Mary Anne Larrabee)
EMPR PRELIM MAP 62
EMR MP CORPFILE (Dempster Exploration Ltd.)
GSC MAP 2070; 12-1957; 1326A
GSC MEM 148; 369
GSC SUM RPT 1925A, p. 227
EMPR PFD 20438, 20439, 20440

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