The Banker (L.147) occurrence is located on a high bluff, west of Kootenay Lake and approximately 800 metres southwest of Ainsworth.
Regionally, the area is underlain by hornblende schists, limestone and banded quartzite of the Upper Mississippian to Permian Milford Formation and basaltic volcanic rocks of the Carboniferous to Permian Kaslo Group. Granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Middle Jurassic Nelson Batholith are exposed to the west.
The occurrence comprises two quartz veins, Banker (Highlander) and Maestro, paralleling the bedding in quartzite and siliceous limestone of the Mississippian to Permian Milford Formation. Galena is associated with sphalerite and pyrite in a gangue of quartz, calcite and crushed country rock. The veins are reported to vary from approximately 0.9 to 2.4 metres in width. The ore shoots seem to have been localized in zones where the vein and strata dip flatly.
A total of 4346 tonnes of ore was mined from the Banker occurence, primarily from 1927 to 1937 but also in 1909, 1959 and 1960. From this ore, 1 916 941 grams of silver, 1 016 876 kilograms of lead, 24 567 kilograms of zinc and 31 grams of gold were recovered. During 1907 through 1911, approximately 427 tonnes of ore was mined from the adjacent Maestro mine. Later production from the Maestro mine appears to have been combined with the Banker mine.
Work History
The orebody is found on the extension of the vein through the Highlander (MINFILE 082FNE030) and Albion (MINFILE 082FNE140) claims. Originally staked in 1890 by A.D. Wheeler, the claim has been worked intermittently since that time. By 1896, approximately 45 metres of underground development in tunnels and shafts had been completed on the adjacent Maestro claim. H. Giegerich acquired the Banker claim prior to 1909. The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. held a lease on the property from 1913 to 1928.
Underground workings on the Banker mine, up to 1928, consisted of an inclined shaft following the dip of the vein for approximately 60 metres. Two drifts extend south along the vein at depths of 7 and 18 metres, the upper one is 49 metres long and has been largely stoped through to the surface, the lower one was driven for 21 metres. A crosscut tunnel was driven from the bottom of the bluff to explore the vein at a depth of approximately 116 metres; the tunnel was extended to 218 metres. At 190 metres from the portal, drifts were run north and south, the northerly one was 96 metres long. Also at this time, underground workings on the adjacent Maestro mine were reported to include several opencuts, shallow shafts and two tunnels, located approximately 18 and 45 metres below the vein outcrop, which follow the vein for approximately 60 to 100 metres with stopes connecting the adit levels.
From 1928 to 1937 the property was worked intermittently by a number of leasers, the greater amount of work being done by Banker Mines Ltd. and Ainsworth Mines Ltd.
The property was acquired by Yale lead & Zinc Mines Ltd. in 1949 and was worked, along with the Highlander (MINFILE 082FNE030), Albion (MINFILE 082FNE140) and other claims, up until 1959. A raise was driven from the Highlander workings to the 2500 Banker adit. A 2300 sublevel was driven off the raise and stoping carried out from this level and from the 2150 level. A raise was driven from the 2500 level to connect with the bottom of the old Banker shaft workings. The ore was taken out through the Highlander tunnel. In 1956 the 1900 level Highlander Tunnel 1 was being driven toward the Banker orebody but apparently no ore was found at this depth. The company closed down in 1938 but leasers continued operations through 1959 and part of 1960.
In 1979, David Minerals Ltd. conducted a program of geochemical (stream and silt) sampling on the area as the Peanut Butter claims of the Ainsworth property.
In 2012, David Wallach prospected and rock sampled the area as the Ainsworth property. In 2019, Bill Mckinney conducted a program of prospecting, rock sampling and aerial photo structural interpretation on the Ainsworth property. In 2021, a 24.0 line-kilometre airborne (drone) magnetic survey was conducted on the area by Taylor Lorenzen. In 2023, Turnagain Resources Inc. conducted a further program of prospecting, rock sampling and aerial photo structural interpretation on the Ainsworth property.
