The Neosho occurrence is located approximately 1.9 kilometres west of Kootenay Lake and 800 metres north of Coffee creek at an elevation of approximately 1040 metres.
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 area is underlain by limestone, argillite and staurolite schist of the Mississippian to Permian Milford Formation. Granite of the Nelson Intrusions occurs immediately to the south. Intrusive sills or dikes of gneissic granite occur throughout the area north of the contact. The limestones strike approximately north and dip to the west.
The Neosho vein, varying in width up 0.76 metre, follows the bedding in the limestone. The vein is not presently exposed but is reported to have been in a zone of sheared and oxidized schist (with limestone layers) containing galena, sphalerite and locally wire silver.
The Norman vein is located parallel to and approximately 100 metres to the southeast of the Neosho vein.
In 1922, 10 tonnes were shipped, and a further 135 tonnes were shipped in 1949 and 1950. From this, 104 785 grams of silver, 3508 kilograms lead and 7808 kilograms of zinc were recovered.
In 2006 and 2007, two rock samples (523532 and 523571) taken from the adit on the Neosho vein yielded 0.66 and 0.51 per cent lead, respectively, greater than 1.00 per cent zinc and greater than 100 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 29305 and 30115).
Work History
Small amounts of high-grade silver ore are reported to have been shipped from this property in 1889 and 1890. The Neosho claim was Crown granted to the Neosho Mining Co. in 1892. By 1895 the workings consisted of a shaft more than 30 metres deep and 76 metres of tunneling. The mine is reported to have been shut down in 1897.
Production resumed, briefly, in 1922. Neosho Mines Ltd. acquired the Neosho, Normandy, Norman and several other claims in 1928 but very little work was done, and the property lay idle for the next 20 years. A historical shaft and at least two adits are also reported on the Norman claim, approximately 180 metres to the southeast.
S. Hallgran obtained the claim from the Crown in 1948. Leasers worked the property in 1949 and made shipments of ore from the adit dump. Privateer Mines Ltd. obtained an option to purchase the property but after a preliminary investigation by the company engineer in May 1950, it was decided that the option should be dropped. At this time, the main adit had been reopened for approximately 49.5 metres, with shallow shafts or stopes connected to the surface 3 to 6 metres above.
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 1989, South Kootenay Goldfields Inc., on behalf of Dragoon Resources Ltd., conducted a program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Peanut Butter property.
During 2006 through 2008, Kenneth Turner completed programs of prospecting and geochemical (rock) sampling on the area as the Queens Coffee property. In 2011 and 2012, David Wallach prospected and rock sampled the area as the Coffee Creek and Ainsworth properties.
