The Chieftain (L.5845) adits are located on the south side of Caribou Creek, approximately 14 kilometres east of Burton, BC.
The area is underlain by the Triassic Slocan Group, which consists of metasedimentary rocks (mainly dark- grey to black argillites and shales), intercalated with massive, medium- grained, andesitic flows and tuffs (Assessment Report 12375). Bedding and foliation attitudes strike west to northwest with south dips. Quartz monzonite of the Cretaceous Goat Canyon-Halifax Creek stock and granodioritic rocks of the Cretaceous Whatshan Batholith are exposed to the south of the area.
The Chieftain vein consists of quartz veinlets and lenses, varying from 0.9 to 1.5 metres in width and dipping approximately 20 degrees to the south west, carrying galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, pyrite and pyrrhotite within a 2-metre thick sheared graphitic zone in dark grey argillites. The vein has been developed by two south east directed adits approximately 30 metres apart. The upper adit is 75 metres long and follows the vein for 26 metres, after which the vein pinches out. A 15 metre winze is also located in the upper adit. The lower adit, located 10 metres below the upper one, extends for a length of 38 metres, following the vein for approximately 20 metres. A third adit, located 100 metres east of the upper adit, is 45 metres in length and, although it transected the "shear zone" for 20 metres, it intersected only sparse quartz vein material and insignificant sulphides.
In 1979, sampling yielded up to 70.7 grams per tonne gold and 3470 grams per tonne silver from the upper tunnel, 27.0 grams per tonne gold and 466 grams per tonne silver from the lower tunnel and 7.7 to 7.8 grams per tonne gold with 391 to 1640 grams per tonne silver from dump samples (Property File - Rockland Industries Ltd. [1979-11-08]: Certificate of Assay - No. 7910-3059 - Chieftain).
In 1981, sampling of the upper workings yielded 0.7 gram per tonne gold with 130 grams per tonne silver over 0.9 metre, while a sample of sorted ore from the tunnel assayed 45.1 grams per tonne gold with 294 grams per tonne silver (Property File - Chieftain Resources Ltd. [1981-04-04]: Letters Re: Chieftain Mine). Sampling of the lower tunnel yielded 8.2 grams per tonne gold, 171 grams per tonne silver with 1 per cent zinc over 32.5 centimetres and 10,120 grams per tonne silver, 0.5 per cent lead and 2 per cent zinc over 35 centimetres, while dump samples yielded from 7.6 to 70.7 grams per tonne gold with 391 to 3470 grams per tonne silver (Property File - Chieftain Resources Ltd. [1981-04-04]: Letters Re: Chieftain Mine).
In 1983, a 1.9-metre-wide chip sample from the vein in the upper adit assayed 4.1 grams per tonne gold, 788 grams per tonne silver, 0.29 per cent lead and 0.21 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 12375).
The property was first staked in 1890, and much of the underground development was completed prior to approximately 1903. The property remained idle until 1920, when it was re-examined by a government engineer. BC Ministry of Mines reports record attempts to achieve production in the period between 1928 and 1934. Production was recorded in 1934 and 1955. During 1979 through 1981, Rockland Industries examined and sampled the area in conjunction with Chieftain Resources. In 1982, an airborne magnetic and VLF-EM survey was completed. During 1983 through 1985, the property was geologically mapped and prospected. Soil geochemical, magnetic and VLF-EM surveys were completed. The underground workings were rehabilitated, geologically mapped and re-sampled.
