The Portland (Haida) prospect is located north and adjacent to the toe of Thomas Glacier. The area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation rock of the Hazelton Group, consisting of a series of sediments in contact with a feldspar porphyry dyke. The sedimentary rocks have a strike of 135 degrees and a dip of 65 degrees to the northeast. They are composed of argillites and grey- wackes varying from thin intercallations to thick individual se- quences. The argillites are mainly black and contain pyrite in fine grains. The feldspar porphyry dyke is approximately 30 metres wide and varies from a coarsely porphyritic phase to a grey-green fine- grained andesitic phase.

The sediment-dyke contact has an approximate strike of 110 de- grees and a dip of 75 degrees southwest. The sedimentary sequence is silicified and locally shattered and crushed along a 70 metre width adjacent to the contact. The showings appear to be a series of parallel closely spaced quartz lenses, lying en echelon within a fairly wide zone, and carrying inclusions of country rock. Min- eralization occurs within quartz veins and in silicified sediments and dyke material. Pyrite and arsenopyrite are the predominant sulphides and occur massively and in sparse disseminations. Sphalerite and galena occur locally in small amounts and chalcopyrite may also be present. Gold values are highest with pyrite and arseno- pyrite and tests indicate gold and silver occur at least partially as electrum (F.J. Hemsworth, 1953).

The main adit of this prospect was driven in 1940 for 49.4 metres at 100 degrees following a poorly defined shear zone, irregularily silicified and sparsely mineralized, with a dip of about 85 degrees south. The adit was started on a well mineralized 36 centimetre wide quartz vein which pinched out 10.7 metres from the portal. A 90 centimetre sample from here assayed 1.37 grams per tonne gold.

The lowest showing is in a 3 metre long adit drive on a 1.5 metre wide zone of silicified argillite and quartz vein that strikes 110 degrees and dips 83 degrees northeast. The vein zone pinches to about 15 centimetres and continues into the feldspar porphyry dyke which occurs near the adit. Shearing is pronounced on both walls. Numerous streaks and irregular masses of pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite and galena are reported.

Several open cuts also investigate mineralized zones. A sample across a 1 metre wide zone of quartz and silicified rock containing abundant pyrite and arsenopyrite with minor amounts of sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite assayed 4.11 grams per tonne gold and 20.57 grams per tonne silver. Another channel sample, 0.66 metres wide, taken acaross a 0.6 metre wide zone that contains silicified rock, quartz stringers and fine-grained pyrite and arsenopyrite in veinlets and disseminations, assayed 33.60 grams per tonne gold and 24.00 grams per tonne silver (Minister of Mines, Annual Report 1946).

Big I Developments drilled one hole on the Haida claim in 1991 but did not report any significant results (Assessment Report 22124).

Work History

The first reported activity on the 16 claim Portland group was in 1934 when the owner, Alphonse Thomas of Stewart, was exploring the showings by open cutting. Intermittent work by the owner continued until 1940 when Silbak Premier Mines, Limited optioned the property. Work by the company included exploratory stripping, open cutting, and 49 metres of drifting in one adit. The option was subsequently relinquished. In 1946, Mr. Thomas still held the property which was reduced to 4 claims. Development work to this date included, in addition to the adit driven by Silbak Premier, a 3 metre long adit and about 10 open cuts.

Silver Standard Mines acquired the Haida 1 claim in 1967. During 1980 Northair Mines Ltd undertook a limited geochemical soil sampling program near the main surface sand underground workings on the Haida 1 claim.

From 1980 to 1982, the Catspaw claim (southeast of 4J's) was staked by Elan Exploration Ltd arround the Haida Claim and optioned to E & B Exploration. E & B undertook minor prospecting, sampling and geological mapping before returning the property to Elan. Several of the streams draining the Catspaw and Jim claims were noted to carry gold colours when panned by prospectors.

In 1983, the Catspaw claim was optioned to Teuton Resources Corp. Thee property was enlarged by staking the Four-J's claims and the Gamma claim. A stratiform lead-zinc-antimony (gold-silver) occurrence and a boulder train of argentiferous quartz sulfide mineralization was discovered on the John claim. This latter work was undertaken by Billikin Resources under option (the option was relinquished the following year).

In 1987, the property was optioned by Teuton to Wedgewood Resources. Field program concentrated on prospecting, trenching, sampling and geochemical surveys on the Four-J's and surrounding claims.

In 1988, Wedgewood carried out further rock sampling and mapping on the Four J's, Catspaw and Gamma claims before discontinuing the option.

In 1990 Big I Developments Ltd. coptioned both the Haida #1 and Catspaw mineral claims and performed some geological mapping, limited VLF-EM and magnetometer surveys, rock trenching and a drilled a short diamond drill hole. The exploration program confirmed that number of occurrences of structurally controlled quartz fissure (breccia) zones containing significant gold and silver values. All of the known precious metal-bearing showings, examined appear to be related to east-west faults and/or contacts. Gold values were ran as high as 39.77 grams per tonne and silver ran as high as 4526 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 21212).

A diamond drill and rock trenching program was undtertaken by Big I Developments in 1991 on the Haida/Catspaw claims. Of the two zones drilled only one (Site 1 - DDH 91-2) encountered anomalous gold silver. While the values encountered were low; 0.38 gram per tonne gold and 27.09 gram per tonne silver over an 11 metre section, the zone may have east-west and down-dip potential (Assessment Report 22124). Drillhole 91-3 was put down on the Haida claim.

In 2006, a 427 line kilometre airborne electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical survey was successful in outlining a number of target areas worthy of further exploration. Principal among these was 4J, a complex EM anomaly situated under thin ice cover approximately 100-200m west of the eastern edge of the Smalles icefield. Other significant geophysical anomalies indicated were the EM conductors detected southeast of the 4J anomaly on the Catspaw claim and the discrete, oval-shaped Mag-EM anomaly detected near the southeast corner of the gossan covered by the Tennyson 1-4 claims. The showing covered by the survey include the 4-J (104B 128), 4-J Gold (104B 126), Portland (Haida)(104B 082), Catspaw (104B 211), Catspaw South (104B 288) and Catspaw 146 (104B 343).

In 2011, the property was optioned to Rotation Minerals which can earn a 50% interest in the property by incurring specific exploration expenditures over 4 years.

Refer to 4-J (104B 128) for further details of the combined 4-J and Catspaw work history, the latter of which surrounded the Haida (Portland) property