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

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NMI
Name KEITHLEY CREEK, KITCHENER, HOWICK, ONWARD, CARIBOO PLACER GOLD, PLACER LEASE 29 Mining Division Cariboo
BCGS Map 093A073
Status Producer NTS Map 093A14W
Latitude 052º 46' 33'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 26' 23'' Northing 5848487
Easting 605255
Commodities Gold Deposit Types C01 : Surficial placers
C02 : Buried-channel placers
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Barkerville
Capsule Geology

Placer gold workings have been situated at a number of sites along Keithley Creek for 8 kilometres from its mouth. One of the main areas of activity was on the Kitchener claim located about two kilometres upstream from the mouth of the creek. A considerable amount of underground work was carried out on a bench situated over 30 metres above the creek. Around 1920, hydraulic operations largely replaced underground mining. The creek drains an area that is mainly underlain by Upper Proterozoic-Paleozoic Snowshoe Group metasedimentary rocks. For the period 1874 to 1945 there is a recorded production of 1,100,891 grams of gold.

"Data from the Cariboo mining district indicate that supergene leaching of gold dispersed within massive sulphides by Tertiary deep weathering followed by Cenozoic erosion is the most likely explanation for the occurrence of coarse gold nuggets in Quaternary sediments" (Exploration in British Columbia 1989, page 147).

In 1987, Placer Lease 29 was put into production on a joint venture basis and approximately 7600 cubic yards (5811 cubic metres) of pay gravels were washed to produce 118 ounces (3670 grams) of 800-900 fine raw gold (Assessment Report 21523). Noble Metal Group Inc. processed gravels in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, processing of 8994 cubic yards yielded 18,018 grams of gold (GCNL #212 (Nov.4), 1998).

Placer gold was first found near the mouth of Keithley Creek in July, 1860, by W.R. (Doc) Keithley, who, in October of that year, recorded a claim on his discovery of placer gold on the Cariboo River (then called the North Fork of the Quesnel River) about 12 miles upstream from Quesnel Forks. In October 1860, thirty to forty men were working on Keithley Creek (it is recorded in a letter to the Colonial Secretary from P.H. Nind, the Gold Commissioner at Williams Lake, that from 100 to 150 men had been at work on the creek earlier in the autumn), and George W. Weaver, William Haseltine, and four partners, calling themselves the Slide Company, were mining on their discovery claims just above Sebastopol Point. The tremendous new discoveries of placer on Antler, Cunningham, Williams, Lightning, and other creeks in 1861 and 1862 drew men away from Keithley Creek. The early placer activity on Keithley subsided rapidly and was overshadowed by the discoveries on other creeks to the north (see Bulletin 28 for a continued detailed history).

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1874-5,table; 1875-11,13,table; 1876-419,table; 1877-399; 1878-373,374,table; 1879-236,238,table; 1880-424,426,table; 1881-394; 1883-402,table; 1884-420; 1885-381; 1886-197,239; 1887-257,258; 1888-292,294,325; 1889-274,277; 1890-360,361,362; 1891-561,562; 1892-528,529,table; 1893-1039,table; 1894-727,732,733,table; 1895-656,659,table; 1896-499,515,516; 1897-465; 1898-982; 1899-610,614,633; 1900-741; 1901-963,969; 1902-60,88,116; 1903-69; 1904-41,50; 1905-51,59; 1906-47; 1908-44; 1909-47; 1910-46; 1911-51,52; 1912-53; 1913-60,66; 1914-73; 1915-57; 1916-41; 1917-140; 1918-143; 1920-99; 1921-115; 1922-131; 1923-132; 1924-127; 1925-160; 1926-177,178; 1927-179; 1928-202; 1929-204; 1930-175; 1931-95; 1932-113; 1933-136; 1935-C38; 1937-C35; 1938-C50; 1939-109; 1940-9; 1941-89,90; 1942-88; 1943-84; 1944-79; 1945-127; 1946-
201; 1947-196; 1948-179; 1949-243; 1950-201; 1951-205; 1952-239; 1953-176,177; 1954-171; 1955-86; 1956-141; 1957-74; 1958-79; 1959-148; 1960-123; 1961-133; 1962-142; 1963-135; 1964-176; 1965-253; 1966-256; 1967-297; 1968-291
EMPR ASS RPT 8707, 15274, *15847, 16399, *21523
EMPR BULL 28, pp. 7,48,49,51; 34, pp. 38,45,50,52,53,55,56
EMPR EXPL 1986, p. C316; 1987, p. C257; 1989, pp. 147-169
EMPR FIELDWORK 1982, pp. 305-313; 1990, pp. 331-356; 1992, pp. 463-473
EMPR GEM 1970-484
EMPR OF 2001-11
EMPR PF (Topographical Map)
EMPR PF Placer Dome (M.K. Lorimer (1983): Summary Report on the PL #29 Property,
Keithley Creek; C.F. Law, D.G.H. Wright (1925): Correspondence re: Yanks Peak, Keithley
Creek; Prospectors Report 1994-38 by Robert Bartlett; Prospectors Report 1995-40 by
Robert Bartlett)
EMPR PF Rimfire (Kavanagh (1964): Re: Keithley Creek Placer Claims)
GSC MAP 59-1959; 1424A; 1538G
GCNL #166(Aug.28), #238(Dec.11), 1997; #212(Nov.4), 1998

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