The W.S. group of claims are on the west side of McRae Creek approximately 1.6 kilometres northwest of Coryell Siding and reached by steep switchback road from the McRae Creek Road.
The area is underlain by an east-trending belt of greenstones, tuffs, limestones and argillaceous sediments of the Carboniferous to Permian Mount Roberts Formation that have been intruded by a Middle Jurassic porphyritic granite and syenitic to monzonitic rocks of the Eocene Coryell Plutonic Suite.
Mineralization consists of polymetallic veins (galena-sphalerite-chalcopyrite) following irregular fractures in limestone and limy schist of the Carboniferous to Permian Mount Roberts Formation. A small amount of replacement mineralization is associated with chloritization. The mineralized fractures dip north at approximately 45 degrees; some fractures strike north to northwest and dip steeply west or vertical. Most fractures are several centimetres to 61 centimetres wide.
In 1913, samples from three dump piles are reported to have averaged 19.2 grams per tonne gold and 127.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 2063).
Production occurred over 4 years during 1925 through 1954, totalling 47 tonnes of ore yielded approximately 24.6 kilograms of silver, 12 343 kilograms of lead and 5031 kilograms of zinc.
Work History
The area has been explored since the late 1800s and/or early 1900s. Early workings include a 15-metre long upper adit (No. 1); the No. 2 adit, which is located 27 metres below No. 1 adit and is approximately 76 metres long; a crosscut, located 23 metres from the adit portal and extending 36 metres to the south and a raise driven for 21 metres on the best showing in the No. 2 adit and leading to a sub-level 14.5 metres long and 21 metres above the adit. A little stoping was done from the raise and a pod of galena 1.7 metres wide was reported.
The property was once owned by H. Breckell and was relocated in 1947 by W.W. Schwartzenhaeuer of Castlegar, who optioned it to Cascade Lode Mines Limited in 1953. There are two old adits and some stripping on the steep hillside.
In 1969, Galoco Exploration Ltd. conducted a program of rock and heavy mineral sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Gal claims. In 1980, Geokor Energy Holdings Ltd. completed a lone drillhole on the area. In 1993, Crownex Resources Ltd. examined the area.
In 2006, a sample from dump pile on the Breckle zone, located to the south west at an elevation of approximately 1320 metres, assayed 2.71 grams per tonne gold, 469 grams per tonne silver, 11.8 per cent lead and 12.5 per cent zinc, while a nearby sample of rusty hornfels assayed 5.38 grams per tonne gold (MacIntyre, D. (2018-11-26): Technical Report - Molly Gibson Lode Property).
In 2018, Rich River Resources, on the behalf of Golden Lake Exploration Inc., completed a program of prospecting and geochemical (rock, soil and silt) sampling on the area as the Molly Gibson-Golden Lode property. Two samples (32171 and 32175) from the Breckle zone yielded 6.12 and 9.46 per cent zinc, 1.17 and 7.2 per cent lead, 202 and 429 grams per tonne silver with 1.41 and 2.52 grams per tonne gold, respectively (MacIntyre, D. (2018-11-26): Technical Report - Molly Gibson Lode Property).
