The Shorthorn occurrence is situated along the top of a steep canyon on the north side of Ed James Creek, approximately 6.4 kilometres south of Westbridge.

The area is underlain by Permian to Upper Triassic Anarchist Group greenstones, limestone and argillites. These rocks have been intruded by Cretaceous granites of the Nelson and Valhalla Plutonic Suites. Both the Anarchist Group and Nelson and Valhalla intrusive rocks are overlain by the sedimentary Kettle River Formation, which is in turn overlain by the Tertiary Phoenix Group volcanics.

The property is underlain by Permian to Triassic Anarchist Group argillites, some of which are well schisted. Cretaceous Valhalla plutonic rocks lie to the east and limestone occurs to the north. A fault is believed to run along Ed James Creek as the dip of the veins changes suddenly from south to north.

As of 1948, a crosscut tunnel had been driven 11.6 metres (38 feet) at 315 degrees on the Shorthorn No. 1 claim. The tunnel cut a 4.6-metre-wide (15-foot-wide) quartz vein striking 240 degrees and dipping 30 to 42 degrees north. The footwall of the tunnel consisted of badly crushed and broken schist with small lenses of what appeared to be sulphur-bearing limestone. Chip samples taken across the hanging wall returned only trace values for gold.

At a higher elevation approximately 244 metres (800 feet) to the north, an open cut contained a flat, sheared, 0.9-metre-wide (3-foot-wide) vein striking east-west and dipping 20 degrees north. The vein was well oxidized and contained considerable bunches of chalcopyrite.

Approximately 15.2 metres to the north of the open cut, a smaller cut exposed sericite- and talc-bearing intrusive rock.

Sometime prior to 1948, the Smith claim group—formerly known as the Albion or Gallot claims—was acquired by Howard J. Smith, a local rancher.

In 1948, the Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company Limited conducted an examination of the Smith claim group. Chip and grab samples were collected from the tunnel and open cuts; however, only one sample returned anomalous values for copper. Mineralization on the property was not considered to be of economic importance and the company declined any further involvement.

Sample No. 635, collected by Granby in 1948, returned trace gold and 1.25 per cent copper (Property File, Frith, page 2).