The Golden Queen claim is located at about 1448 metres elevation on the southerly slope of Red Mountain about 1.6 kilometres northwest of Rossland. The St. Elmo claim adjoins to the north, at the summit of the mountain, and the Novelty claim (Lot 958) joins to the south. The Coxey claim (see 82 F/4, Mo 1) joins to the west.
The Golden Queen claim (Lot 994) was Crown-granted in 1896 to J. Garrison but there is no record of early work on the claim. The St. Elmo claim (Lot 923) was Crown-granted in 1896 to F.C. Loring. Development work continued until 1901 and included about 701 metres of drifts and crosscuts in 2 adits. Further activity was reported in 1908 when a small amount of ore was shipped under the name J.P. Johnson.
No further activity was reported until 1941 when the St. Elmo workings were reopened by A. Grubsic and Ike Glover. Scheelite was discovered in the old workings in 1942 and the Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company Limited examined the property under an option agreement. Northwood Mining Limited optioned the Golden Queen, St. Elmo, and Surprise (Lot 693) claims from Messrs. Grubsic and Glover in August 1964 and the Gertrude claim (Lot 690) from William Keane. By an agreement of September 1964 Northwood assigned the above 4 Crown-granted claims to McKinney Gold Mines Limited. Geophysical and geochemical surveys were started late in 1964. The geochemical survey of the Golden Queen and St. Elmo claims was continued in 1965. Some bulldozer stripping was done and numerous showings sampled. In addition, 47 vertical diamond drill holes totalling 1471 metres were drilled in the northwestern part of the Golden Queen and western part of the St. Elmo claim. Surface stripping and diamond drilling between elevations of 1472 and 1515 metres on the northwest corner of the Golden Queen claim, and about 152.4 metres east of the "A" orebody on the Coxey claim, delimited a Y-shaped body of mineralization (designated the NGQ Zone) containing an indicated 68,000 tons averaging 0.24 per cent molybdenite. Near the western boundary of the St. Elmo claim a mineralized zone (designated the NSE Zone) as outlined, which to a depth of 23 metres contains about 73,000 tons averaging 0.33 per cent molybdenite.
Scurry-Rainbow Oil Limited optioned the property in December 1966, the option included the Novelty claim (Lot 958). Drilling by Scurry in 1967 tested the eastern part of the breccia complex on the Golden Queen and St. Elmo claims and the full width of the Novelty claim. Of the 14020 metres of diamond drilling in 174 holes, most was done on the adjacent Giant claim (see 82 F/4, Mo 3). Further diamond drilling was done by Scurry in 1968. Under the terms of the agreement Scurry earned a 50 per cent interest in the property. The company name (McKinney) was changed in March 1967 to Continental McKinney Mines Limited. Based on the drilling on this property, and on the adjacent Giant property, independent consultants in 1967 calculated the indicated-reserves available for open pit operations in 5 separate orebodies at 810,540 tons averaging 0.39 per cent molybdenite. In addition, some 88,000 tons of possible ore of various grades are indicated below open pit limits.
Continental McKinney in May 1973 amalgamated with Trinat Resources Ltd., Gundex Holdings Ltd., and Modoc Holdings Ltd., under the name Chandalar Resources Limited. A geochemical soil survey was carried out by Mine Finders, Inc., of Lakewood Colorado in 1973. Chandler Resources abandoned its interest in the property prior to 1975; Scutty-Rainbow sold its interest in 1975. David Minerals Ltd. optioned the Golden Queen, St. Elmo, Surprise, and Novelty claims from J.D. Turcotte of Christina Lake, subject to a prior agreement between Turcotte and M. Delich of Rossland. From the exploration work done by Scurry Rainbow on the Golden Queen and St. Elmo (1971) there were outlined 237,000 tons grading 0.273 per cent MOS2 (Geol. Rept. for David Minerals in SMF 268/80, 24/12/80). In 1981, David Minerals diamond drilled 22 holes here and in the Giant, California, Novelty, Gold King areas. (See 82 F/4, Mo 3). Reserves were re-calculated by J.M. Stitt (1980) as follows: Golden Queen - 19,500 tons at 0.30% MOS2 St. Elmo - 65,100 tons at 0.28% MOS2- (Report by J.L. Deleen (1983) - in David Minerals Statement of Material Facts, 11/07/85).
The Gertrude Crown Grant is underlain by siltstone, hornfelsed siltstone, hornfels and a breccia complex of the Pennsylvanian and possibly Permian Mount Roberts Formation. The succession is thought to have been thrust over the underlying Rossland sill of the Elise Formation, Rossland Group, prior to the intrusion of the Middle to Late Jurassic Trail pluton. Augite porphyry of the Rossland sill may underlie the eastern part of the claim.
The siltstone is intruded by lenticular masses of andesite, irregular bodies of quartz diorite and quartz diorite breccia, and late, steeply dipping mafic dykes which trend northward. Small scale faults parallel to this trend step the older rocks down on the west. The quartz-diorite and quartz-diorite breccia are part of the Trail pluton of the Nelson Intrusions which is comprised of a mass of granodiorite to quartz diorite.
A little mineralization is reported to occur in the vicinity of a granitic dyke. At a shaft near the dyke there is a few streaks of ore along bedding planes and in the granitic rock itself. Seams of calcite are present. The ore on the shaft dump consist of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, arsenopyrite and a little molybdenite. Sphalerite, native bismuth and bismuthinite are also associated with the ore.
The characteristics of the mineralization in this area and its association with the Trail pluton, especially its upper and western margins, point to its classification as a porphyry-type deposit (Bulletin 74).
In 1991, drilling was initiated on the Gertrude claim in order to test for the strike extension of the War Eagle/Number One vein (082FSW097). One drill interval graded 14.06 grams per tonne gold over 5 metres (George Cross News Letter No.65, April 4, 1991).
Pacific Vangold and International Silver Ridge plan work (surface drilling and drifting from existing workings to intersect the vein), where proven reserves are estimated at 44,447 tonnes grading 7.9 grams per tonne gold (Information Circular 1995-9, page 18).
