The Wellington past-producing mine is situated between Murray and Whitewater creeks, approximately 1.5 kilometres north-northwest of the historic mining town of Retallack, British Columbia. Development work has included a number of tunnels and shafts extending along a north-south strike with east-west–trending drifts, for approximately 1.3 kilometres from the Hazel (L.2639) Crown grant to the Blutcher (L.3633) Crown grant. The main Wellington adit and shaft are located on the Wellington (L.553) Crown grant at elevations of approximately 1456 and 1504 metres, respectively.

Regionally, the area lies on the western margin of the Kootenay Arc, in allochthonous rocks of the Quesnel terrane. In the vicinity of the occurrence, the Quesnel terrane is dominated by the Upper Triassic Slocan Group, a thick sequence of deformed and metamorphosed shale, argillite, siltstone, quartzite and minor limestone. Rocks of the Slocan Group are tightly and disharmonically folded. Early minor folds are tight to isoclinal with moderate east-plunging, southeast-inclined axial planes and younger folds are open and southwest-plunging with subhorizontal axial planes. The sedimentary sequence has been regionally metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies. To the south, the Slocan Group has been intruded by the Middle Jurassic Nelson Intrusions, which comprise at least six texturally and compositionally distinct phases ranging from diorite to lamprophyre. The most dominant phase is a medium- to coarse-grained potassium feldspar porphyritic granite. Several feldspar porphyritic granodiorite dikes, apparently related to the Nelson Intrusions, also cut the sedimentary sequence near the occurrence. Volcanic rocks of the Permian to Carboniferous Kaslo Group are exposed to the west (Paper 1989-5).

Locally, the area is underlain mainly by argillite and slate of the Triassic Slocan Group. The slates are distinctly fissile with a wide variation in composition from calcareous to argillaceous to graphitic to quartzitic. There are five principal limestone bands; the central band is referred to as the Whitewater band. The average thickness of this central band is 15 metres, with the whole assemblage being roughly 90 metres thick. The upper two bands are 3 to 9 metres thick, lying within the calcareous zone of slate. The lower bands are 9 to 30 metres thick. These lithologies are intruded by a few small, basic dikes. A lamprophyre dike, exposed in the Whitewater canyon, extends south across hostrocks of the Wellington occurrence to the Metlakahtla occurrence (MINIFLE 082KSW034). Folding of these rocks has resulted in a series of anticlines and synclines which dip predominantly to the south or southwest.

The Wellington lode is considered part of an east-west lode system consisting of the Wellington-Sunset-Colorado lodes (MINFILES 082KSW140 and 082KSW031). At the Wellington occurrence, the lode comprises a hangingwall lode (south lode) and a footwall lode (north lode). The south lode strikes 050 degrees and dips 60 degrees southeast. The north lode strikes 090 degrees and dips 70 degrees north. Most of the ore came from the north lode, where up to 1.5 metres of galena was mined in the winze between the 40- and 80-foot levels. The lodes consist of stringers and pockets of quartz, siderite and carbonate, which contained galena, with lesser tetrahedrite and sphalerite containing good silver content.

The Wellington and Blutcher lodes are strongly sheared, mineralized fissure zones, crosscutting at very shallow angles, mainly across slaty argillaceous sediments of the Slocan Group. The oreshoots rake to the east, consisting of lenses of sphalerite, galena and tetrahedrite in a gangue of brecciated wallrock, quartz and siderite. The proportion of quartz is generally high. In 1984, a grab sample, SSRk 42, taken from the upper Wellington lode yielded 830.99 grams per tonne silver, 21.12 per cent lead and 0.19 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 13465).

The Matheson adit, located approximately 400 metres to the south of the Wellington adit and on the northern end of the Homestake Fraction crown grant, intersected the north lode and was extended to a total length of 660 metres by 1963. At 72 metres from the adit portal, a drift extends for 126 metres along a strike of north 82 degrees east on a vein that dips 54 degrees south. The mineralized vein occurs in a sheared argillite, varies from 5 to 60 centimetres in width and is comprised of galena and sphalerite with quartz. Another drift is reported a further 13.5 metres from the first. In 1950, two samples (no.604 and 605) from the first drift assayed 1050 and 164 grams per tonne silver, 37.2 and 8.4 per cent lead with 21.3 and 14.3 per cent zinc over 5 and 57 centimetres, respectively (Property File - C.C. Starr [1950-08-01]: Report of Examination of the Wellington Mine). In 1975, a chip sample from near the face of the Matheson east drift assayed 344 grams per tonne silver, 12 per cent lead and 8.8 per cent zinc over 0.6 metre (Property File - Semco Mining Corp. [1979-07-01]: Preliminary Mineral Evaluation Report - Charleston-Wellington-Kaslo Claim Group).

The I.C. (Porcupine) adit was driven to explore the presumed western extension of the Whitewater lode from the adjoining IC claim. The lode is highly sheared and is concordant or slightly discordant with slaty argillaceous sediments and limestone of the Slocan Group. The limestone has a general strike of 090 degrees and dips south at approximately 70 degrees. Principal workings consisted of two adits at the same elevation and connected underground, totalling approximately 380 metres in length. In 1950, a sample (no. 610) from a pit just east of the shaft assayed 3570 grams per tonne silver and 79.9 per cent lead over 20 centimetres (Property File - C.C. Starr [1950-08-01]: Report of Examination of the Wellington Mine). In 1984, trench 84-2 exposed a gossan in phyllite that yielded 71.53 grams per tonne silver, 2.00 per cent lead and 4.00 per cent zinc (Sample SSRk 33; Assessment Report 13465).

At the Hazel adit, located on the northern end of the Hazel (L.2639) Crown grant approximately 850 metres to the south of the Wellington adit, underground workings have identified silicified argillites and limestone hosting sphalerite, galena and siderite mineralization over a width of 45 centimetres. The limestone strikes north 65 degrees west and dips at 50 to 75 degrees south. The adit is reportedly 705 metres long with east-west–trending drifts located at approximately 45, 69 and 471 metres from the adit portal and extending for up to 72 metres to the east and 145.5 metres to the west. The mineralized zone has been traced in outcrop and float for approximately 400 metres to the southeast of the adit. In 1950, sampling (no. 602 and 601) of the second set of east and west drifts yielded 760.6 and 902.9 grams per tonne silver, 21.4 and 29.0 per cent lead with 0.5 and 10.7 per cent zinc, respectively, over 5 centimetres (Property File - C.C. Starr [1950-08-01]: Report of Examination of the Wellington Mine). In 1979, underground sampling of a crosscut from the Hazel adit yielded 58.14 grams per tonne silver, 0.53 per cent lead and 4.0 per cent zinc over 3 metres (Property File - Semco Mining Corp. [1979-07-01]: Preliminary Mineral Evaluation Report - Charleston-Wellington-Kaslo Claim Group).

A potential underground mineralized zone in the Hazel adit, up to 30 metres thick, 150 metres long and 150 metres deep, containing up to 1 814 370 tonnes averaging 68.4 grams per tonne silver, 2 per cent lead and 2 per cent zinc is reported (Property File - Semco Mining Corp. [1979-07-01]: Preliminary Mineral Evaluation Report - Charleston-Wellington-Kaslo Claim Group). This potential resource was considered very speculative.

The ‘Road’ zone (Homestake vein), located between the Hazel and Matheson adits on the Homestake Fraction, consists of a 3.6-metre wide mineralized contact zone of limestone and slate or limey shales. The zone has been explored by two short adits, one of which is at least 18 metres long. In 1962, surface sampling on the zone reported to have averaged 441.2 grams per tonne silver, 18.8 per cent lead and 5.7 per cent zinc over 1.6 metres, whereas eight channel samples from the adit averaged 516.4 grams per tonne silver, 13.3 per cent lead and 11.08 per cent zinc over 0.6 metre (Property File - Semco Mining Corp. [1979-07-01]: Preliminary Mineral Evaluation Report - Charleston-Wellington-Kaslo Claim Group).

In 1975, sampling of the Wellington and Sunset (MINFILE 082KSW140) mine dumps yielded a possible resource of approximately 9072 tonnes averaging 155.6 grams per tonne silver, 1.08 per cent lead and 0.72 per cent zinc (Property File - Semco Mining Corp. [1979-07-01]: Preliminary Mineral Evaluation Report - Charleston-Wellington-Kaslo Claim Group).

The Wellington mine was a significant past producer for this area, spanning 42 years from 1892 to 1934. A total of 1779 tonnes of ore produced 3 653 134 grams silver, 124 grams gold, 231 478 kilograms lead and 87 286 kilograms zinc.

The Wellington past producer was first staked in 1892 by W. Matheson. Shortly thereafter (1894), the property was sold to a syndicate of Ottawa lumbermen, who formed the Kootenay and Columbia Prospecting and Mining Company (Limited). The claim was Crown granted the same year. The property was explored along the Wellington lode, thought to be the western extension of the Whitewater lode (MINFILE 082KSW033). In 1896, the AY adit was driven to reach the Hazel vein, and the Ivanhoe adit was driven. In June 1897, the property was transferred to the Wellington Silver Mining Company Limited. From 1908 to 1910, the Wellington property was leased and production continued. At that time the workings consisted of four shallow shafts, two crosscuts and two intermediate levels. The lower crosscut intersected the vein, which was drifted along for over 300 metres east. The western extension of the Wellington lode was explored on the Ivanhoe Crown grant (Lot 1195). In 1920, Slocan Consolidated Silver Mines Limited optioned the property, restoring some of the old workings. The Wellington group was consolidated with the Homestake group, which adjoins to the south. Work was focused on the extension of the Whitewater lode with the opening of the East Matheson adit. In 1934, ore was shipped by lessee S. Marzoli. By 1937, the workings consisted of the Hazel adit, the AY adit, three Homestake adits, two Matheson adits and two IC shafts.

In 1950, the Waddington Mining Corporation Limited held an option and examined the area. New Wellington Mines Limited was incorporated in 1953 and acquired the Wellington and Homestake properties. From 1958 to 1967, work extended the Matheson adit to the north some 670 metres. The vein was drifted for 91 metres before the option was dropped. In 1976, the company name changed from New Wellington Mines Limited to International Wellington Resources Ltd. In 1978 and 1979, Semco Mining Corp. completed programs of geological mapping, trenching and geochemical sampling on the area. In 1984, Rex Silver Mines completed a program of sampling and trenching.