The Wild Rose is located 3.5 kilometres southwest of Greenwood.

The area is underlain by volcanics and sediments of the Late Paleozoic Knob Hill and Attwood Groups, intruded by Cretaceous and Tertiary dykes and stocks.

The Wild Rose zone is comprised of at least 18 parallel to sub-parallel, west- north west trending, moderately to steeply dipping copper-gold-bearing quartz veins that occur both within the Wild Rose Fault and in the hanging wall of the fault zone lying with in an area of 130 metres wide by 800 metres long. The host hangingwall rocks are comprised of argillites, cherts, tuffaceous sediments, siliceous greenstones and andesites of the Late Paleozoic Knob Hill Formation. The footwall rocks are characterized as chert breccias and chert pebble conglomerates of the Triassic Brooklyn Formation. The Wild Rose veins are typically massive (50 to 90 per cent) pyrrhotite-pyrite+/-chalcopyrite+/-arsenopyrite veins that average 0.3 to 1.0 metres true width and a maximum of 5 metres. Another parallel vein, referred to as the Wildcat vein, is located approximately 40 metres east of the Wild Rose vein(s) and is exposed in the No. 1 adit.

The Deadwood Gold zone is located approximately 200 to 400 metres on strike to the north west of the Wild Rose zone and likely represents the on-strike continuation of the Wild Rose Zone. The Deadwood Gold Zone is an area of intense silicification (hornfels) with pyrite-biotite-chlorite-epidote alteration and widespread low-grade gold mineralization (including several high-grade veins) in the hanging wall of the Wild Rose Fault. Drilling has indicated mineralization over a strike length of 860 metres with up to four sub-parallel lodes with a combined apparent horizontal width of approximately 225 metres. The main west-northwest trending lode within this zone was defined with an apparent horizontal width of up to 115 metres and was tested to a vertical depth of approximately 220 metres below surface. The Deadwood Gold Zone remains open in all directions.

Another zone of mineralization, referred to as the Deadwood Silver zone, is located north of the gold zone near the south end of the Salamanca Fraction (L.2902) Crown grant. The mineralized zone is located at the contact between basalt and mudstone and is characterized by silicification along with stockworks of thin (less than 1 centimetre to millimetre) quartz-carbonate veins with fine grained galena and sphalerite.

Work History

The Wildrose vein structure was discovered in 1895 and has been explored by a total of at least 242 metres of workings on a main or adit No. 1 level, two shorter upper adit levels and numerous short shafts and cross trenching.

In 1897, work was focused on the Golconda Fraction a shaft was sunk to a depth of approximately 15 metres on the Shaft vein (Wild Rose zone) and from there a vein was traced for approximately 91 metres from the surface in open cuts. The shaft was reported to have terminated against a fault surface. In addition, work was also done in 1899 which included deepening the shaft to 18 metres, creating additional surface cuts, and tunneling (the No. 3 adit). Through the work completed in 1899 the Shaft Vein was successfully intersected by the No. 3 adit at approximately 15 metres in, at which point the vein was drifted on for 5 metres. Further work was also done on the Golconda Fraction in 1907 with the creation of a long cross-cut tunnel (the No.1 adit). This tunnel was created with the intent of intersecting the vein exposed at the shaft approximately 61 metres below the surface. In 1921, the No. 2 adit was begun to the north west of the No. 1 adit but did not intersect the vein.

In 1986, Wild Rose Resources Ltd. conducted geochemical and geophysical surveys and drilling of 12 holes, totalling 521 metres. The following year, a further 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 546 metres, were completed. Drilling on the Wild Rose zone yielded intercepts of up to 11.31 grams per tonne gold over a true width of 1.6 metres in hole 86-5, 8.74 grams per tonne gold over 2.3 metres in hole 87-3 and 9.36 grams per tonne gold over 2 metres in hole 87-4 (Dufresne, M. (2011-05-31): Technical Report on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter Property).

In 1989, Minnova Inc. optioned the property and completed a program of soil sampling and an induced polarization survey. In 1991 and 1992, Minnova is reported to have completed a large drill program on the property, including eight drill holes, totalling 260 metres, in 1991 and at least 22 diamond drill holes in 1992. Drilling in 1992 identified the Deadwood Gold zone, comprising a 1.3 metre-wide vein at a vertical depth of 85 metres, which yielded up to 58 grams per tonne gold over 0.3 metres in hole 92-41 (Dufresne, M. (2011-05-31): Technical Report on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter Property).

In 1995, Kettle River Resources completed a compilation of previous work, including 1732 metres of NQ drilling in 10 holes to test the Wild Rose Fault, plus detailed mapping in the Wild Rose area. In 1997, Echo Bay optioned all of Kettle River Resources Greenwood area claims and completed a soil and rock geochemical survey program.

In 1998, First Gold Resources Corp. conducted exploration consisting of an underground program of drilling, sampling and drifting (90 metres) on the Wild Rose zone. Drifting intersected a previously un-recognized massive sulphide vein, referred to as the Wildcat vein, which likely correlates to the 1992 drilling intercept in hole 92-41 on the Deadwood zone. A panel sample on the Wildcat vein averaged 12.07 grams per tonne gold and 2.2 per cent copper over 1.14 metres, while grab samples yielded up to 29.14 grams per tonne gold and 5.2 per cent copper (Dufresne, M. (2011-05-31): Technical Report on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter Property).

In 1998, based on 1991 data, probable resources were estimated at 15,537 tonnes grading 10.15 grams per tonne gold and Possible resources are estimated at 2694 tonnes grading 8.57 grams per tonne gold (George Cross Newsletter #42 (March 2), 1998).

In 2002 and 2003, Pine Point Mines Inc., later known as Mineworks Resources Corp., optioned the property and completed a small underground drifting program. In 2004, Mineworks has signed an option agreement with Bow Mines to acquire 100 per cent interest in the Boundary processing operations which included a fully permitted 125 tonnes per day mill site for the processing of ore from the Wild Rose project.

In 2005, the property was optioned by 730821 BC Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genesis Minerals. In the fall of the same year, 730821 acquired an interest in two large parcels of ground in the vicinity of the Wild Rose property. In December, the company conducted an airborne time-domain electromagnetic and magnetic (AeroTEM II) geophysical survey over a portion of their Greenwood area, to test the effectiveness of airborne geophysics in the search for gold and base metal deposits (Assessment Report 33112A).

In 2010, Golden Dawn acquired the Wild Rose property and compiled a large database of all existing data. This database provided a working platform for an exploration program of a prospective target zone approximately 2,000 by 200 metres.

In late 2010 and early 2011, Golden Dawn completed a program of soil sampling and 12 diamond drill holes, totalling 1877.8 metres, on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter property. Later in 2011, a further 12 diamond drill holes, totalling 3476.5 metres, were completed on the property. Drilling on the Wild Rose veins yielded intercepts of up to 9.57 grams per tonne gold and 0.21 per cent copper over 1.47 metres in hole 10WR02 and 0.32 gram per tonne gold over 31.29 metres, including 5.38 grams per tonne gold over 1.10 metre in hole 10WR04, while drilling on the Deadwood Gold zone yielded intercepts of up to 0.36 gram per tonne gold over 138.0 metres, including 1.060 grams per tonne gold over 18.0 metres in hole 11WR12 (Dufresne, M. (2011-05-31): Technical Report on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter Property).

A lone drill hole (11WR19) was performed on the Deadwood Silver zone and yielded 72.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.18 per cent zinc over 31.5 metres, including 166.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.18 per cent zinc over 12 metres (Dufresne, M. (2011-05-31): Technical Report on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter Property). This hole also intersected extensions of the 3 and 4 lodes of the Deadwood Gold zone with intersections of 0.47 and 0.44 gram per tonne gold over 9.0 and 27.0 metres, respectively (Dufresne, M. (2011-05-31): Technical Report on the Wild Rose – Tam O’Shanter Property).

Using historical drill data and the results of the winter 2010 to 2011 drill program, Golden Dawn engaged Apex Geoscience Ltd. to create the first resource estimate. Results concluded an inferred mineral resource of 24.5 million tonnes grading 0.53 gram per tonne gold using a cut-off grade of 0.3 gram per tonne gold (V STOCKWATCH, December 11, 2012).

In 2016, a mineral resource estimate for the (pit constrained) Deadwood deposit was reported at 874,000 tonnes inferred grading 0.66 gram per tonne gold, using a 0.4 gram per tonne gold cut-off grade (Cowley, P. (2017-06-02): Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Greenwood Precious Metals Project).