The Blackburn occurrence is thought to be located between Surprise and Morgan creek.

There are five major bands of limestone in the area which are known locally as the Black Warrior, Silver Leaf, Ellsmere Ledge, Horne Ledge and Surprise limestone. The Black Warrior was mapped by the Geological Survey of Canada as the Badshot Formation. It is now thought that all these bands are part of the Lower Cambrian Badshot Formation, repeated by folding. These bands are interfolded with schist and phyllites of the Cambrian to Devonian Index Formation, Lardeau Group.

The Blackburn is first mentioned in 1893 and in 1894 it was reported to consist of 3 claims which were concentrating ore. Samples were reported to assay between 2057 and 2400 grams per tonne silver and up to $18 in gold per ton (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1895, page 694). However, the Annual Report for 1897 said there was little development but there was some low grade galena showing.

The area was largely inactive until the 1980s when a number of the old workings came into the possession of Jack and Eric Denny, through purchase or staking. Please see Silver Leaf (082KNW204) for a description of the recent history of the area. A sample taken at the possible location of the Blackburn, along the Horne ledge in Dave Morgan Creek, yielded 32.02 per cent lead , 0.02 per cent zinc, 122.06 grams per tonne silver and 0.1 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 11979, page 24).

During 2006 through 2009, Mineral Mountain Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (soil, silt, talus fines and rock) sampling and an airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Kootenay Arc property.