The International occurrence is located on the slopes on the east side of Duncan Lake just north of Pat "McGuire" Creek.
The area of the International occurrence is underlain by coarse clastic rocks of the Upper Proterozoic Horsethief Creek Group. The rocks in the area have been listed as quartzite, limestone, argillite and grey schist.
The host rocks consist of black, carbonaceous, siliceous schists and decomposed mica schists. A bed of conglomerate lies above the dark schists and forms the hangingwall of a quartz vein which is conformable to bedding. The vein is 0.6 to 1.2 metres wide where exposed and is mineralized with galena, tetrahedrite, pyrite and sphalerite. The vein strikes northwest with a generally flat dip to the northeast.
The Cabin occurrence is described as a quartz vein, up to 2.5 metres wide, that has been exposed by a road-cut for approximately 80 metres along strike. Mineralization comprises irregular massive sulphide bodies of galena, pyrite and rare sphalerite. The exposed vein is reported to be conformable to the layering of the host schists with a strike of approximately 290 degrees and a dip of 5 to 20 degrees to the north.
A sample was taken across the vein from where a small streak of galena, about 10 centimetres wide and 4.6 metres long occurs. The sample assayed 445.72 grams per tonne silver, 37.7 per cent lead and 1.2 per cent zinc (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1918, page 162).
The first report of the property comes in 1918 when Blue Lake Consolidated Mining Company was owner. It is mentioned at that time that there were already old workings consisting of a 7.6-metre drift and a few opencuts. Blue Lake was in the process of driving a crosscut to tap the vein at depth and were in 20 metres and still working.
John Noihl was reported to be active on the property in 1924, 1925 and 1926. A property visit on behalf of Porcupine Goldfields Development and Finance Co. Ltd. occurred in 1926. A sample taken across 0.9 metre from the face of the east drift yielded 384 grams per tonne silver and 30 per cent lead (Starr, 1926 (Property File)).
In 1927, the International property was known as the Riverside group which included five claims: Riverside, Giant, Joint, Howser and Portland. The owners were J. Noihl, J.W. Mulholland and W. Sturgeon. At that time, property workings include two shallow incline shafts, opencuts and stripping.
In 1928, the Riverside was taken over by the Omo Mines Corporation of Spokane and a large number of claims covering the southern extension of the vein were acquired.
In 1929, a crosscut was driven by Omo Mines a little south of the older workings in order to test the southern extension of the vein. It was also reported that on the Southern Pacific group, about 1.2 kilometres to the south, another group of superficial workings explored what is thought to be the same vein. Short crosscut tunnels and opencuts were developed. The vein description is much the same. Omo continued work on the Riverside crosscut in 1930.
In 1942, Kaslo Mines Corporation of Spokane issued a prospectus regarding a share offering for their property which includes the Forgotten (L.14941), Jiant (L.14358), (L.14363), Howser (L.14359), Portland (L.14940), Brennan (L.14363), Chisholm (L14360), Southern (L.14361), Poole (L.14362) and Cabin Fraction (L.14942). They reported that their main working tunnel was 142 metres long and had a 30-metre drift at the 122 metre point. It is not clear whether or not the company did any of this work or just assumed control of the workings.
In 1972, a Kaslo Mines Limited of Kaslo constructed a road to the showings. Some prospecting and the reopening of old workings was done. No further history of the property is recorded.
In 1978, the property was purchased by W. and D. Fulko of New Denver, BC. J.C. Snell, P.Eng., completed a geology report after field work. In 1998, Snell completed an evaluation report and concluded metal prices at that time were too low and an increase in metal prices would be required to attract exploration and development capital (Snell, 1999).
In 1999, Sakua Development Ltd. acquired the Crown grants from Fulko.
In 2006, David W. Johnson acquired the Crown grants and other mineral claims and registered them with Braveheart Resources Canada Inc.
In 2009, Braveheart commissioned Paul A. Hawkins & Associates to do a preliminary evaluation of the properties, underground workings and showings, and to design a preliminary development program. Hawkins’ work included taking six rock-chip samples from old trenches and collecting 453 soil samples over the area between the Crown grants and Forestry Road. Hawkins reported that samples returned an average of 54.35 per cent lead and 660 grams per tonne silver, confirming the previous high-grade lead-silver mineralization present on the property (Assessment Report 33143).
Rainbow Resources now holds a 100-per-cent interest in the property after its acquisition of Braveheart in 2011.
In 2012, initial prospecting, rock and soil sampling was carried out by Moose Mountain Technical Services, Rainbow Resources Inc.’s resource consultants. Moose Mountain’s extensive review of work completed by Braveheart Resources confirmed historical assay results and the potential for an epigenetic polymetallic deposit on the property. Moose Mountain reports that 12 rock samples collected in 2008 returned high grades of silver and lead. The average grades of 562.3 grams per tonne silver and 39.2 per cent lead are fairly typical of historical assays from old workings going back to the early 1900’s (V STOCKWATCH, March 29, 2012).