The Venango occurrence is situated on the western edge of the Granite-Poorman mine (MINFILE 082FSW086), approximately 11.5 kilometres west of Nelson. The veins of this occurrence are similar to the Granite-Poorman veins and are part of the same fracture system.
The area is underlain by Jurassic pseudodiorite and pyroxenite of unknown affinity underlain by volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Elise Formation, Rossland Group. These have been intruded by granodiorite of the Middle to Late Jurassic Nelson Intrusions (Nelson batholith). The Venango and Kenville area is underlain by the Eagle Creek plutonic suite, which is mainly composed of gabbro and diorite, though quartz monzonite to hornblende syenite phases are also present. All phases have undergone varying degrees of alteration.
A northwest-trending system of quartz veins is hosted in pseudodiorite, locally gneissic, intruding greenstone on the east limb of a syncline. The veins, which are weak fault zones, strike 330 to 350 degrees and dip 40 to 45 degrees north. The veins are cut by faults, some of which are occupied by lamprophyre dikes. The veins have good continuity along strike and downdip.
The occurrence consists of two quartz veins along strike with and similar to the Granite-Poorman veins. The quartz gangue hosts pyrite with lesser amounts of chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite as irregular concentrations. Free gold was reported and scheelite was found in significant amounts but not recovered. The vein in the stope varies from 10 to 60 centimetres in width and is up to 46 metres in length. This vein is typically "sheeted" by fractures parallel to the walls. Locally, significant concentrations of scheelite were noted (0.3 to 3.39 per cent WO3) but no tungsten was produced (Property File, Maconachie, 1942). A scheelite lens 15 by 3.66 by 0.25 metre was documented near the collar of the shaft. The veins are remarkably consistent along strike with some anastomosing of the vein into narrow, flat-lying stringers. The ore shoots plunge to the south at approximately 30 degrees along the plane of the vein. No major faulting was observed in the underground workings but a large lamprophyre dike crosscuts the vein in its northern extension.
Production figures are scarce but it is estimated that approximately 809 tonnes were mined with shipping grades in the order of 14.5 grams of gold and 17 grams of silver per tonne with some lead and zinc.
In September 1900, the Venango claim was granted to Thomas R. French and Isaac Erickson. As of 1938, the property was owned and operated by D.H. Norcross and associates. That year, a small mining plant was installed, and 121.9 line metres of geophysical surveying and 18.3 metres of sinking were completed. The majority of work performed on the property took place after 1939.
By 1939, the property was owned by Venango Gold Mines Limited. The existing shaft was extended 36.6 metres, and 121.9 metres of ground sluicing was carried out to trace the vein. A new adit was started 89.6 metres below the existing workings. In total, 85.3 metres of drifting and 68.6 metres of crosscutting were completed and 464.5 tonnes of ore were shipped to the smelter at Trail. The shipped ore yielded 8228.6 grams of gold and 11 862.8 grams of silver (Ministry of Mines Annual Report, 1939, page 81).
In 1940, development work consisted of 259 metres of drifting, 35 metres of crosscutting, 30.5 metres of raising and 533.4 metres of diamond drilling. In total, 115.2 tonnes of ore were mined and shipped to the smelter at Trail. The ore yielded 1645.7 grams of gold and 2091.4 grams of silver (Ministry of Mines Annual Report, 1940, page 66). Though the ore contained some tungsten, no recovery was made.
Work continued into 1942 with considerable amounts of development work, including trenching by ground sluicing, 152.4 metres of diamond drilling and some underground drifting. As a result of this work, a new vein containing appreciable amounts of scheelite was discovered. The following year, 45.7 metres of ground sluicing, 30.5 metres of stripping and 121.9 metres of diamond drilling were performed. The assays of the newly discovered scheelite vein reported encouraging gold values and the vein was uncovered for more than 76.2 metres.
In 1944, work efforts focused on a new vein approximately 42.6 metres west of the original Venango vein. Approximately 30.5 metres of drifting opened up a commercial ore shoot approximately 15.3 metres long and 0.36 metre wide. A second adit, situated 21.3 metres below the first, was driven for 29 metres on a vein averaging approximately 0.31 centimetre in width. No ore was shipped from the property that year.
In 1945, the Venango property was leased to Granite-Poorman Kenville Gold Mines Limited. By this time, two veins had been opened up and a small amount of stoping had been conducted on one of the veins. Granite-Poorman Kenville Gold Mines drilled two holes from the bottom level of the Venango mine in an attempt to locate the downward continuation of the Venango No. 1 vein. In 1949, A.G. and D.H. Norcross leased the Venango property from Venango Gold Mines Limited. That year, 224 tonnes of ore were shipped to the Kenville mill for processing.
As of 1958, the Venango property was still owned by Venango Gold Mines Limited. That year, a small amount of surface stripping and 198.1 metres of diamond drilling were completed to prospect an extension of a quartz vein and locate a possible source for molybdenite float found on the property. In 1963, the portal on the No. 2 vein was reopened and the main drift was extended 11.6 metres. A raise was driven 14.6 metres from the drift face. In total, 57.1 tonnes of siliceous ore yielded 411.4 grams of gold, 857.1 grams of silver and 57.1 kilograms of lead and zinc (Ministry of Mines Annual Report, 1963, page 49).
In 1980, DeKalb Mining Corporation completed 2932 metres of diamond drilling in 20 holes on the Venango-Shenango and Greenwood claims.
Coral Industries acquired the Venango property in 1989 and amalgamated it with the Granite-Poorman (Kenville; MINFILE 082FSW086) property to the east.
The Kenville mine property, including the Venango workings, was acquired by Anglo Swiss Resources Incorporated in 1992. Teck Exploration Limited optioned the Kenville property from Anglo Swiss Resources in 1994 and amalgamated it with the adjacent Ron property. Teck completed 3083 metres of diamond drilling (16 drillholes), as well as induced polarization, resistivity, ground magnetometer and geochemical surveying. Low-grade porphyry-style mineralization and alteration were encountered over short drill intervals. Teck Exploration later dropped the option in 1997.
In 2002, Anglo Swiss Resources optioned the Kenville property to a joint venture among Babylon Enterprises Limited, Foaming Holdings Limited, Glacial Holdings Limited and Tracer Enterprises Limited. The joint venture group then optioned a percentage of their holdings to Gold Standard Resources Corporation. In 2005, on behalf of the joint venture group, Bob Burton carried out an exploration program of mapping, geochemical soil sampling and excavator trenching on the west side of Eagle Creek. The following year, work consisted of geochemical soil sampling, preparatory underground exploration, adit rehabilitation and trench reclamation.
In 2007 and 2008, Anglo Swiss Resources drilled 15 500 metres in 50 holes near the Kenville mine. In 2009, on behalf of Anglo Swiss Resources, Equity Exploration Consultants Limited undertook an exploration program consisting of 680 line kilometres of airborne electromagnetic geophysical surveying, surface diamond drilling, and underground rehabilitation and drilling. Ten diamond drill holes were completed on the south side of Eagle Creek, approximately 700 metres south of the Kenville mine.
By 2010, the Kenville property had been expanded to include separate claim groups to the north and south. In 2010, on behalf of Anglo Swiss Resources, St. Pierre Geoconsulting Incorporated conducted airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys over the entire Nelson Mining Camp area. Soil sampling was conducted over the central Kenville claim block, though the majority of the sampling was conducted in the area of the Silver Lynx occurrence (MINFILE 082FSW378) to the south.
