The Colorado area is located near the headwaters of Cabinet Creek, 37 kilometrers northwest of Houston. Also known as the L. E. claims, the property was originally known as the “Colorado” and “Tribune” claims. The earliest information on the claims is in the Annual Report for the British Columbia Minister of Mines in 1909. Several tunnels and at least one shaft had been driven prior to 1915.

The area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) volcanics comprised of red, purple, green to grey rhyolitic to andesitic flows, tuffs and breccia with minor intercalated sediment. Approximately 1.6 kilometres south, the volcanics are intruded by a Late Cretaceous quartz-feldspar porphyry stock of the Bulkley Plutonic Suite and locally by satellitic felsite dikes.

A calcite and quartz filled fissure vein from 30 to 61 centimetres wide strikes 022 degrees and dips 75 degrees northwest. The vein lies on a fault contact with a fine-grained, silicified grey volcanic which forms the hangingwall and a coarse-grained grey tuff which hosts tetrahedrite on the footwall. The quartz vein is separated from the host rock by a 1 centimetre thick clay zone. The quartz vein is 30 to 60 centimetres wide and hosts chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and electrum with malachite staining near the tetrahedrite and quartz. Pale yellow electrum forms small wire-like crusts near the tetrahedrite veins. In this vicinity there is a heavy, grey to white clay on the hangingwall of the vein estimated at 20 centimetres width.

Northeast and on strike from the tunnel, fractures resulting from strong fracturing in the volcanics host abundant calcite, quartz, clay, zeolites, and chlorite. Several occurrences of malachite appear along fracture zones between the Colorado Tunnel and the Tribune (093L 255) Shaft.

The Colorado workings consisted of 2 drift adits both about 46 metres long with a 15 metre connecting raise. In 1914 a sample from the dump of unsorted ore assayed 0.69 gram per tonne gold, 2372.5 grams per tonne silver and 6.5 per cent copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1914, page 221).

The Colorado tunnel was re-opened in 1982 by Lloyd Gething. A sample taken in 1985, of malachite-stained dump material assayed 1051.3 grams per tonne silver and 2.32 per cent copper (Property File Rimfire Dujardin, 1985).

In 1914, about 38 tonnes of ore was shipped from this property. From this ore 155,515 grams of silver and 2722 kilograms of copper were recovered.

WORK HISTORY

The Colorado claim, owned by C. Thoman and J.C. Cochran, was first reported on in 1909. The claim was worked under lease from the Coloredo Exploration Company, apparently an American incorporation, by Chas. Seeber and associates in 1914. The workings at that time included 2 drift adits, an upper, 46-metre long, and a lower, over 46 metre long, and a 15 metre connecting raise. Some ore was mined and shipped. In 1914 Mr. Seeber and associates owned the Grace and Foundation claims, located northwest of the Colorado near the summit of the mountain. Work on these claims included open cuts, a 6-metre shaft, and a 6-metre incline. The property was apparently part of a group of 68 claims, including the HB, AJ, Scout, and North claims, acquired by Hunter Basin Mines Ltd. in 1968 (see also NMI 93 L/11 CU 4).

In 1914, 38 tonnes of ore was shipped from the Colorado recovering 155,515 grams of silver and 2722 kilograms of copper. Several open cuts and a 4.8 metre adit were cut on the Hunter in 1914 exposing high grade lenses, with 23 tonnes from the dump assaying 1.2 per cent copper, 2523 grams per tonne silver and 0.69 gram per tonne gram per tonne gold and a tunnel was driven on the Hannah, with no significant mineralization encountered.

In 1914 to 1941, combined production from the King and Rainbow mines totalled 269 tonnes of hand-sorted ore which produced 8160 grams gold, 283,366 grams silver and 42,710 kilograms copper.

In 1962 Canadian American Mining Co. Inc. shipped 24.5 tonnes of ore which produced 373 grams of gold, 11,539 grams of silver, and 1647 kilogram of copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1962).

In 1967, an induced polarization survey in Hunter Basin for Canadian American Mining Co. Inc. identified several conductors that could represent the extensions of known mineralization and additional zones (Assessment Report 1086).

In 1982, the Colorado tunnel was re-opened by Lloyd Gething and a 020-030 degree/70 west degrees quartz-calcite-adularia vein zone was identified with tetrahedrite and electrum (Assessment Report 10918).

In 1987, Atna Resources held the Silver Hill claim which covered the Tribune, Colorado and Hunter occurrences (Assessment Report 17448). A total of 374 soil samples were collected. The 1987 work centred on the caved Colorado Adit. The Tribune showing is plotted (MINFILE) in the grid area. Mapping and soil geochemistry delineated four north trending structures with anomalous copper and silver.

In 1989, Van Alphen Exploration conducted exploration on their Hunt claim. Six major showings were reviewed and sampled (Assessment Report 19555). These showings included the King, West, Upper West, Rainbow, Mohock and Idaho showings.

In 2007, Lions Gate Energy Corp conducted an Aerotem airborne geophysical survey on parts of the El Toro property which also covered the Hunter Basin area that included Idaho (093L 040), King (093L 041), Hunter (093L 042), Colorado (093L 043), Rainbow (093L 044), Tribune (093L 255) and Hannah (093L 080)(Assessment Report 29456).

The 2008 El Toro program of Lions Gate Energy Inc conducted 1495 line kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical survey covered the Hunter Basin area that included Idaho (093L 040), King (093L 041), Hunter (093L 042), Colorado (093L 043), Rainbow (093L 044), Tribune (093L 255) and Hannah (093L 080).

In 2008, Lions Gate Energy found that the Colorado adit was caved but sampled the dump that yielded 24.0 per cent copper, 0.75 gram per tonne gold and 1589 grams per tonne silver from sulphide mineralization (sample 14556) (Assessment Report 30731).

Refer also to King (093L 041) for general information on the El Toro property, a large property that was worked from 2007 to 2015) and contained the Hunter basin area.