The property, the first lode mine in British Columbia, is located on the south side of Mitchell Inlet in Moore Channel on the west coast of Moresby Island. The showing was first prospected in 1852 by Captain Mitchell for the Hudson's Bay Company. By 1859, Major W. Downie was reported to have recovered between $5,000 and $75,000 in gold by trenching. In 1907 the property, owned by J. McLellan, consisted of 16 claims. In 1908 it was bonded to Nuba Mining Company, Limited. Underground work produced 9 tonnes of free milling gold ore that averaged $60 per ton. The company charter was surrendered in 1912. Owner McLellan continued intermittent work on the property into 1933. The workings at that time included three adits, and an 11-metre raise from the lower adit to the surface. The lower adit, which has a portal just above high sea level, is a 66-metre long drift with an average strike of N35 degrees E. The middle adit, connected to the lower adit by a 15-metre raise, comprises an 8-metre crosscut and a 18-metre drift. The upper adit, at an elevation of 18 metres is a 12-metre drift. From the lower adit a winze was sunk for 12 metres from which a 3-metre crosscut and 21-metre drift were driven. An open stope exists from the lower to the upper adit levels.
Gold Harbour Mines$ Limited, incorporated in 1933, installed an algamating mill which could handle 36 tonnes per day. Initial milling treated an old dump, recovering 4354 grams of gold. From a small open cut the company is reported to have recovered $179000 in gold. Operations were suspended on December 13, 1933.
In 1939, D.F. Kidd, lessee, is reported to have made a shipment of 13.6 tonnes of high-grade ore from 4,665 grams of gold were recovered.
Charlotte Resources Ltd. drilled the property in 1981.
The area is underlain by Upper Triassic Vancouver Group greenstones of the Karmutsen Formation. These rocks have undergone low grade regional greenschist facies metamorphism and host abundant chlorite and some pumpellyite.
The deposit occurs in flat lying pillow lava and greenstone of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation. A 60 metre wide fault zone, contains a stringer vein system striking 037 degrees with two main branches striking 045 degrees and 027 degrees, and dipping near vertically. The veins, a few centimetres wide, consist of quartz and calcite with minor pyrite, chalcopyrite and fine free gold. Minor silicification and chloritization of the wallrock occur near the fracture zone.
A 61-centimetre sample near the south end of the open stope in the lower adit assayed 8.57 grams per tonne gold and 3.4 grams per tonne silver (Bulletin 54, pages 217,218).
Intermittent production has been reported from 1859 to 1939 but records are incomplete. Recovery in 1859 is estimated between 7530 to 112,000 grams of gold based on reported dollar recovery. Recovery in 1908 is estimated at 900 grams of gold. Recorded production from 1913 to 1939 totals 171 tonnes. From this ore 8,739 grams of gold and 1,244 grams of silver were recovered.
