The Jackson occurrence is located in the Jackson (Stenson) Creek valley, 4.5 kilometres south of its confluence with the Kaslo River. New Denver, British Columbia is located 12 kilometres west-southwest from the Jackson occurrence.
The former Jackson mine was first discovered in 1892 by R. Jackson. Development was conducted by R. Jackson for several years. In 1893, the Northern Belle Mining Company held the property under bond. The property was then bonded to G. Alexander and associates who formed the Jackson Mining Limited in 1897. A 44 tonne (per day) lead mill was built; it was later modified to also produce zinc. Production temporarily ceased in 1905 with property development occurring in 1906. Lessees continued intermittent production from 1906 to 1929 when the Silver Basin Mines Limited took an option from the Alexander estate. The option was dropped shortly thereafter. More intermittent work was carried out by lessees from 1944 to 1949. In 1951, the Selkirk Mining Co. Ltd. was formed to acquire assets of the the former Selkirk Mining Co. Ltd. A 55-tonne per day mill was partially constructed when work ceased in 1952. The mine was finally put into production again in 1954 with ore shipped to the Western Exploration Company mill. All operations were shut down in late 1955. In 1967, Iskut Silver Mines Limited acquired nine Crown grants. Lessees worked the property in 1968 to 1973. In addition to 11 tonnes of ore mined in 1969, a geochemical survey, 3252 square metres surface stripping and 40 metres of underground exploration were done. The upper levels were cleared out in 1973 and ore hand picked for shipment. The face of the Lucky Jack Fraction tunnel was cleaned and 55 tonnes of ore recovered from the dump but not shipped. Commonwealth Minerals Limited worked on the property in 1979. During 2005 through 2008, Klondike Silver Corp. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, soil sampling, trenching and a ground electromagnetic (VLF) survey were completed on the area.
Workings at the former Jackson mine include 5 adits and a 45 degree incline extending down to the No. 6 level, covering 122 vertical metres. A 37-metre drillhole explored a new vein, the Ore Bin vein; mineralization was discovered in 1954. Zinc grades were insufficient to warrant mining. The No. 6 level was extended 38 metres to the southeast and 76 metres to the northwest in 1955. Five exploratory raises were also driven and three holes drilled, totalling 39 metres; no new ore was found. A diamond drill program was undertaken in 1988 by Locke Rich Minerals Ltd. on the Northern Belle claim. A fan of six holes, totalling 367.32 metres, was drilled 45 metres east of the Northern Belle adit to test the southeasterly dipping Northern Belle vein and to test mineralization in a deeper parallel vein.
Hostrocks at the former Jackson mine are slate, interbedded argillite and a few narrow limestone beds of the Triassic Slocan Group. Numerous quartz porphyry dikes and sills intrude this stratigraphic sequence. Highly altered basic dikes were also found crosscutting strata but are nearly parallel to lodes. Dikes are highly sheared and altered to carbonate, quartz and mariposite.
The main lode, the Jackson lode on the Northern Belle Crown grant, was the most productive lode. The lode is defined as a vein-fissure. The lode generally strikes 075 to 085 degrees but changes over its exposed length to 340 degrees, nearly conforming to bedding. Overall, the lode dips 40 degrees easterly. Along the more productive sections the lode is 60 to 180 centimetres wide. Ore minerals include galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and pyrite in a matrix of siderite, quartz and brecciated basic dike hostrock. Blebs and irregular streaks of mineralization were up to 25 centimetres wide, occurring next to the hangingwall. Most commonly, a near solid band of sphalerite, 5 to 60 centimetres wide, followed closely along the footwall. Overall, the lode is well defined.
A number of other vein exposures were found on the Dublin Queen Crown grant and the adjoining Corrigan occurrence (082KSW014). On the Dublin Queen Crown grant the main vein has been traced for over 60 metres. It was explored by several short adits, crosscuts and opencuts. This lode strikes 065 degrees and dips steeply to the southeast.
The Ore Bin vein was discovered in 1954 near the ore bin of the No. 5 portal but ore grades were found to be uneconomic at that time.
The former Jackson mine operated intermittently from 1894 to 1975. During its mine life, 5847 tonnes of ore were mined with 3,106,070 grams silver, 373 grams gold, 3060 kilograms cadmium, 856,632 kilograms lead and 638,284 kilograms zinc recovered. Most of the early production came from near surface down to the No. 3 level. The point 30 metres east of where the lode changes strike abruptly was also a zone of high production. The lode was followed for 76 metres. The best results from the 1988 drill program on the Northern Belle claim were from drillhole 88-5, where up to 0.3 metre of massive pyrite-sphalerite were intersected. A 1.43-metre chip sample, including massive sphalerite, yielded 15.40 per cent zinc, 0.07 per cent lead, 53.83 grams per tonne silver and 0.23 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18016). Silver values were warranted uneconomic at that time and no further work was done.
The basic dikes are thought to have some genetic and structurally significance to mineralization at the former Jackson mine.
