The Republic group of claims is located in the headwaters of Climax Creek, approximately 5 kilometres by gravel road northeast of Slocan City.
The area is underlain by granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Middle Jurassic Nelson Batholith and granitic intrusives of the Paleocene to Eocene Sheppard, Tuzo and Shingle Creek intrusions. To the west, Carboniferous to Permian undivided metamorphic rocks are exposed.
Past production occurred from the Republic vein, which is less than 75 centimetres thick and is reported to average approximately 60 centimetres. The quartz vein contains pyrite, argentite, native silver and gold with minor galena and sphalerite. Bornite is also reported. The vein is hosted in potassium feldspar porphyritic granite. Wallrock alteration includes quartz, sericite, chlorite and carbonate. Hematite is also reported, extending less than 1 metre from the quartz veins. There are at least 2 main quartz veins on the property. They strike west and dip moderately to gently north.
The Republic vein has been developed by an inclined shaft, collared at an elevation of 1334 metres. The incline has been sunk to a depth of some 18 metres on the vein, which is approximately 1 metre wide. The vein strikes 085 degrees and dips 30 degrees to the north and is offset slightly by step faults striking 025 degrees to 045 degrees with dips from 65 degrees to 85 degrees northwest. The vein has been exposed along strike at surface, intermittently, for approximately 450 metres. Short irregular drifts and slopes have been driven from the incline. Another shaft, some 244 metres west of the above shaft, has been sunk on what appears to be the extension of the Republic vein. The vein is 0.6 metre wide, strikes 050 degrees and dips 35 degrees northwest. Further west, two levels were driven to crosscut the vein but neither did before work stopped.
The Bell No. 2 adit, west of the Republic adits, follows a discontinuous vein that strikes 020 degrees and dips 45 degrees southeast. Beyond, 18 metres from the adit portal, the vein is complexly faulted. The veins in the eastern portion of the property generally strike east and dip gently north, whereas the west veins strike northeast with a flat dip to the northwest. Oreshoots within the veins are erratically distributed and are elongated downdip.
In 1976, a grab sample of dump material from the Bell No. 2 adit assayed 352.9 grams per tonne silver, 2.9 grams per tonne gold and 0.06 per cent lead (Property File - D.W. Tully [1976-10-18]: Geological Report on the Republic Property).
The claims were first staked in 1895. In 1902, production was started by Slocan Republic Mining and Development Co. Ltd. and the claims were worked intermittently until 1952, with further production in 1971, 1983 and 1984. During this time a total of 300 tonnes was mined yielding 428.27 kilograms of silver, 3.47 kilograms of gold, 268 kilograms of lead and 184 kilograms of zinc.
The Crown-granted mineral claims have numerous showings and surface workings; a few claims that were previously worked on and surveyed were covered by some of the Ross claims in 1922. The Slocan Bob claim was covered by Ross No. 9 and the Ross No. 11 claims. The Club claim (MINFILE 082FNW169), which has two veins reported to be at right angles to one another, was covered by Ross No. 10 and Ross No. 12 claims.
During 1972 through 1979, Tandem Resources Ltd. held the property, including the Club (MINFILE 082FNW169) claim. Exploration programs included geochemical sampling, geological mapping, trenching and an induced polarization survey. Also at this time, six adits or inclined tunnels and one shaft were located on the Republic No.2 claim, and two adits and a test pit were identified on the Bell No.2 claim. An inclined tunnel, an adit and a number of trenches were also reported approximately 450 to 500 metres to the northeast, and on strike, of the main Republic No.2 workings. Shafts, adits and trenches or test pits were also reported on the Ross No. 3 and 16 claims.
In 1987, R.B. Stewart prospected the Evening No. 9 claims.
In 2011, Moose Mountain Technical Services, on the behalf of Rainbow Resources Inc., completed a program of prospecting and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the area as the Big Strike property. A sample (12578) assayed 142 grams per tonne silver (Morris, R.J. (2012-03-27): Property of Merit Report– West Kootenay Properties – Big Strike Project).
