The Butcher Boy past producer is located immediately south of Carmi, British Columbia, near the junction of the Butcher Boy (Lot 2352), B.A. FR. (Lot 2357) and No.3 MC (Lot 2354) reverted Crown grants. The reverted Crown grants lie on the west side of the West Kettle River and adjoin the Carmi property (MINFILE 082ESW029) to the west.
The area is underlain by granodiorite of the Jurassic Westkettle Batholith and an irregular body of Permian Wallace Formation covering approximately 2.56 square kilometres. The Westkettle Batholith varies in composition from granodiorite to quartz diorite to diorite. The granodiorite phase is medium-grained and grey to pink with chlorite or occasionally biotite-altered mafics. Local epidote and minor potassic alteration also occur. The quartz diorite phase is commonly foliated and porphyritic. These phases are intruded by quartz monzonite, quartz-k-feldspar and andesitic dikes. Veins are composed of quartz, quartz and k-feldspar or quartz-calcite plus or minus pyrite. The veins are commonly associated with a clay-rich fault gouge.
The Butcher Boy and Carmi workings appear to be on the same faulted vein, following a shear zone in fine-grained granodiorite. The shear zone strikes 090 degrees and dips 45 to 60 degrees southward. It has been traced for over 750 metres along strike, despite minor fault displacement. The vein varies in width from 5 to 250 centimetres. One mineralized ore shoot near the surface was reported to be 76.2 metres long.
Mineralization consists of massive to banded stringers of pyrite with lesser sphalerite and galena carrying gold and silver values. Minor chalcopyrite and molybdenite are also present. The gangue is quartz and ankerite and in places intensely sericitized andesitic dike.
A general sample of unsorted ore taken in 1930 from the shaft dump yielded 11.66 grams per tonne gold, 85.71 grams per tonne silver and 1.6 per cent lead (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1930, page 220). In the following year shipped ore averaged 17.14 grams per tonne gold, 102.86 grams per tonne silver and 3 per cent zinc (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1931, page A126).
In 1980, three dump samples yielded from 2.8 to 76.9 grams per tonne gold, 30.9 to 130 grams per tonne silver, 0.11 to 0.58 per cent zinc and 0.15 to 0.21 per cent lead (Property File - Kelvin Energy Ltd. [1981-01-01]: Carmi Gold Project - 1980 Final Report).
In 1987, a sample (CAR 42) from a 50 -centimetre vein, located near the shaft, assayed 44.00 grams per tonne gold and 212.0 grams per tonne silver (Property File - Valentine Gold Corp. [1987-07-28]: Property Evaluation of the Carmi Property).
The Butcher Boy produced a total of 2000 tonnes of ore intermittently between 1904 and 1940. Recovery included 21,337 grams of silver, 5195 grams of gold, 361 kilograms of lead and 634 kilograms of zinc.
The area has been explored since 1895, when placer gold was discovered on China Creek, approximately 8 kilometres to the north east. The Butcher Boy claim was first staked in 1896 by J.C. Dale. Development work initially consisted of trenches. Shaft sinking began in 1903. In 1904, the Butcher Boy (Lot 2353), May (Lot 2355) and No. 3 (Lot 2354) were Crown granted to J.C. Dale, R.D. Kerr and P.B.S. Stanhope. In 1913, the claims were leased to A. Robinson from F.J. Finnucane. No further work was reported until 1930, when Dale, Stanhope and Kerr leased the property to J. Carlson and associates. The underground workings were extended, with ore shipments made in 1930 and 1931. Canadian-American Mines Ltd. acquired the Carmi (MINFILE 082ESW029), Butcher Boy and 18 other claims in 1932. In 1934, the underground workings of the Carmi mine were extended into the Butcher Boy claim. Canadian-American Mines Ltd. assets were taken over by Carmi Gold Mines Ltd. in 1934 and further underground development work was completed. Lessees worked the property for a short time in 1935. At this time, the Carmi deposit had been explored by a 91- metre long inclined shaft with levels extending east and west at the 30.5 and 46 metre levels, while a 122 metre long adit and an inclined shaft of unknown length were also developed approximately 350 metres east of the main shaft. The Butcher Boy occurrence was explored with a 67 metre long inclined shaft with drifts on the 46 metre level that connected with the Carmi workings. The combined Carmi and Butcher Boy occurrences include at least 1100 metres of underground workings.
The claim was acquired by J.V. Hinks and J.A. Olinger. Options have been held by International Minerals and Chemical Corp. (Canada) Ltd. in 1970 and by Husky Oil and G.V. Lloyd Exploration Ltd. in 1970 and 1971. In 1974, Vestor Explorations Ltd. optioned mineral lease M 290, which includes the St. Lawrence (Lot 1562s), Copper Queen (Lot 1563s), Lily (Lot 1565s), Butcher Boy (Lot 2353), No. 3 (Lot 2354), May (Lot 2355), No. 6 Fraction (Lot 2356) and Hatford (Lot 2358) reverted Crown grants, mineral lease ML 425 and approximately 300 adjacent claims. In 1981, Kelvin Energy Ltd. was owner of the Carmi claims, surrounding the Carmi occurrence. An eight-hole diamond drill program was conducted, three holes of which tested for the Carmi veins below the old workings. In 1987, Valentine Gold Corp. sampled and examined the area. In 1992, American Bullion examined the area.
