The Childhood Dream occurrence is located along End Lake Creek on the north side of the Osilinka River in the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, approximately 45 kilometres north-northwest of Germansen Landing and 180 kilometres northwest of Fort St. James.
The Childhood Dream prospect is located on the western edge of the Omineca Belt within parautochthonous rocks of North American craton affinity. A Cambrian to Lower Devonian package consisting of the Razorback (Kechika and Road River groups equivalents), Echo Lake (Sandpile Group equivalent) and Otter Lakes (McDame Group equivalent) groups comprise a regional northwest-plunging anticline offset by faults and local drag folds. Sandy and argillaceous dolomite, massive limestone and minor calcareous slate comprise this Lower Paleozoic sequence.
The showing area is underlain by Ordovician to Lower Devonian Echo Lake Group limestone and dolomite hosting lead, zinc, and silver mineralization. Massive to coarse-grained pyrite with disseminated galena and sphalerite occur as replacement and breccia infillings near a steeply dipping fault within coarse crystalline limestone. Historic adits have exposed pyrite, fine-grained galena, and brown-red sphalerite. Three oxidized shear zones, separated by sections of unoxidized dolomite, occur within a 150-metre section along the bottom of End Lake Creek. Sulphides are well oxidized; abundant limonite, goethite and hydrozincite are present. Abundant brecciation and dolospar veining occur in the dolomite.
In 1927, Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited began systematic prospecting of the general area. The first record of the Childhood Dream showing is in the 1930 Minister of Mines Annual Report. At that time, the property was owned by A.O. Swiggum, F. Eklund and A. MacKinnon and several small opencuts had been excavated. A 1.8-metre chip sample from the most promising shear zone, 8 metres wide, assayed 0.34 gram per tonne gold, 24 grams per tonne silver, 2.6 per cent lead and 11.2 per cent zinc (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1930, page 152). In 1952, New Jersey Zinc Explorations Limited leased the Childhood Dream claim, though there is no record of the company completing any exploration work on the property. Later that year, the property was examined by geologists from the British Columbia Ministry of Mines. Two adits, two trenches and two abandoned cabins were observed on the property. The pre-existing adits and trenches were examined and two samples, one grab and one rock chip, were collected from the two adits but did not yield any significant results.
Two historic adits are located on the property. The first record of these adits is in the 1952 Minister of Mines Annual Report, though they were constructed sometime between 1930 and 1952. The two adits are approximately 75 metres apart and are both driven along oxidized shear zones. The first adit, located farthest upstream, has been driven 8.8 metres at 137 degrees along a shear dipping 70 degrees northeast. A solid lens of massive pyrite is extended along the eastern wall of the adit for approximately 3 metres from the portal. The second adit has been driven 4.5 metres at 115 degrees and begins on an oxidized shear zone striking 075 degrees and dipping 25 degrees north. Minute grains of pyrite and galena are sparingly disseminated throughout the walls of the shear. Approximately 30.5 metres downstream of the second adit, evidence of prior excavation exists at a rock slide on a dolomite bluff with an exposed shear. This could be another short adit that has collapsed. A 4.5-metre-long trench has been excavated at the base of another bluff approximately 24.4 metres downstream of the rock slide.
In 2000, Cross Lake Minerals Limited staked the CD claim over the Childhood Dream showing and conducted mapping and sampling over the showing. Rock samples collected from the two adits yielded strong values for zinc, lead, and silver. Results of the 2000 exploration work, in addition to a short field examination of the property in early 2001, prompted Cross Lake to undertake a limited drill program. Two BQTK-size diamond-drill holes totalling 146.2 metres were completed on the eastern side of End Lake Creek. The drillholes were designed to test for an extension of the oxidized base metal mineralization exposed in the creek bed and new mineralized horizons. The holes intersected favourable dolomite hostrocks with galena and sphalerite mineralization but core assays returned uneconomic grades of lead and zinc.
Ownership of the claim was transferred to Selkirk Metals Holdings Corporation in 2005 and the claim was allowed to lapse in 2006. The claim was restaked by M. Jones in 2011 and then acquired by North America Mining Incorporated. In 2012, a grab rock sample (ORS 20) of pyritic (50 per cent) carbonate breccia from the Childhood Dream showing lower vein assayed 0.98 per cent zinc, 0.32 per cent lead and 3.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 33605).
