The Dardenelles occurrence is located at the headwaters of Dardenelles Creek, the eastern tributary of McGuigan Creek. Kaslo, British Columbia lies 29 kilometres to the east-southeast.
The earliest work was done on the Dardenelles and Antelope claims, the latter property being leased. On the Dardenelles, a total of 67 metres of shafts and 396 metres of adit were developed by 1897. Veins on the Okanagan and Diamond Cross (Fly Fraction) claims were explored and in 1896 plans were made to develop them with underground workings. By 1927, the workings were inaccessible. Mine plans indicate the Dardenelles workings consisted of a shaft on the footwall of the lode for 90 vertical metres. Nine equally spaced drifts accessed the lode, totalling some 210 metres.
Hostrocks of the Dardenelles occurrence are chiefly slate, finely bedded argillite and limestone of the Triassic Slocan Group. These strata are intruded by numerous quartz or feldspar porphyry dikes and sills. Slocan sediments strike 300 degrees and dip 50 degrees southwest.
Three significant lodes have been discovered on the Dardenelles Claim Group. The first discovered lode is known as the Diamond Cross lode on the Fly Fraction claim. This lode contains veins with silver-lead ore. The second is the Okanagan lode on the Okanagan claim, some 76 metres from the Diamond Cross lode. This lode consists of a quartz vein up to 30 or more centimetres wide, from which high silver values were obtained. Most of the development work was carried out on the third, the Dardenelles lode, on the Dardenelles claim. This lode strikes 025 degrees and dips 38 degrees southeast. The lode is traceable on surface for 60 or more metres. The Dardenelles lode is very flat and up to 1.5 metres wide. An ore shoot was stoped out along the footwall from nine drifts. The shoot extended continuously from the surface to the No. 8 level, some 128 metres below. The maximum stoping length was 30 metres along the vein, averaging 9 to 12 metres. The lode had an average width of 4.5 to 6.0 metres. The central portion of the vein appeared to consist of decomposed dike, with evidence of shearing on either side. Galena and high grade silver minerals, most likely tetrahedrite and pyrargyrite, were reported hosted in a quartz vein. The lode has a strong continuity with depth and had encouraging mineralization over 122 to 152 metres length.
The first reported shipment of ore was made in 1892, when 9 tonnes were shipped averaging 6857 grams per tonne silver and 30 per cent lead (Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 184, page 36). Intermittent work was continued until 1902. In 1893, 181 tonnes from the Dardenelles and Antelope claims was shipped. A total of 3079 grams of silver and 28,050 kilograms lead were recovered (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1893, page 1054). In 1896, 296 tonnes of ore were reported mined and shipped, averaging 9086 grams per tonne silver and 26 per cent lead (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1896, page 63). A second grade ore grading 2571 grams per tonne silver and 16 per cent lead was stockpiled on the dump (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1896, page 63); 84 tonnes of this ore was sent to the Pilot Bay smelter. In 1898, 62 tonnes of ore are reported shipped (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1898, page 1074). Galena was reported as the chief sulphide over 60 centimetres at 152 metres depth. The property was optioned to S. Ross and H. Lazier in 1938 and 1939. In 1939, the main shaft was de-watered but no further work was reported. The property was leased to L.P. Gormerly in 1949 who made a shipment of 7 tonnes to the Trail smelter. A total of 10,046 grams silver, 1395 kilograms lead and 648 kilograms zinc were recovered (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1949, page A187).
Total recorded production from the former Dardenelles mine amounted to 690 tonnes with 4,468,050 grams silver, 5 grams gold, 190,077 kilograms lead and 4232 kilograms zinc recovered.
