The Rufus showing is located just east of the west branch of Rufus Creek, approximately 2 kilometres north of the Bear River and the Stewart highway, 25 kilometres northeast of Stewart.
The area is underlain by subhorizontal to gently north dipping Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group) rocks (Bulletin 63). Fine grained, variably pyritic andesites are intruded by sporadic, northwest trending quartz-(hornblende) porphyry dikes (Assessment Report 7201) and quartz diorite dikes (Assessment Report 10634). Numerous rusty, north-northeast trending fracture/shear zones occur in the area.
The mineralization is poorly documented and reports are confusing. For example, a vein (named the Erickson vein) is described on both the Rufus claims (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1928; Assessment Report 10634) and the Veteran claims (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1925; Assessment Reports 6382, 7201). This vein may not be a true vein, but a chalcopyrite and pyrite-bearing, hematitic, chloritic and siliceous tuff unit (Assessment Report 6382). Two adits are indicated in the area of the Rufus claims (Geological Survey of Canada Map 217A); it is not clear why these tunnels were driven.
Mineralization in the area of the Rufus, Rufus 3, 5 and 6 claims, covering the headwaters of the west fork of Rufus Creek, comprises mainly north-northwest to north-northeast trending, steeply dipping dolomite-hematite-quartz veins (Assessment Report 7201). These veins are mainly barren but locally carry minor pyrite and chalcopyrite. Grab samples have assayed up to 0.6 per cent copper (Assessment Report 7201). The veins are mostly narrow, about 0.3 metre wide, although 1 vein is reported to be up to 3 metres wide. This vein contains hematite, jasper and calcite with minor chalcopyrite and galena (Assessment Report 8912, page 5).
Only one significantly mineralized vein has been reported in the area and it occurs on the Rufus No. 6 claim (Lot 3792), about 100 metres east of the upper adit. This quartz-dolomite vein dips gently south, is a few centimetres to 0.6 metre wide and is mineralized with sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1922). This vein is assumed to be the same one repeatedly referred to later (in Assessment Reports 6382, 7201 and 8912). Silver assays, assumed to originate from this vein, have assayed up to 1234 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 6382, page 25). Sample results are generally less than 30 to 50 grams per tonne silver. In 1978, a grab sample from the vein assayed trace gold, 3.1 grams per tonne silver, 16.6 per cent zinc and 0.3 per cent lead (Assessment Report 7201).
The Rufus claim group was first mentioned in 1916. Minor work was reported during 1916-24. In 1924, Rufus Silver-Lead Mines Limited was incorporated and acquired the Rufus and Rufus 1-6 claims. That year, prospecting, tunnelling and geological work were reported. In 1928, Rufus Argenta Mines Limited (a consolidation of Rufus Silver-Lead Mines and Argenta Mines) was incorporated and the following year a 244 metre long tunnel was reported. It is not clear whether this tunnel was driven on the Rufus or the Argenta claims. A further 46 metres of tunnelling was reported in 1937. New Rufus-Argenta Mines Limited was formed in 1955; further work was conducted during 1956-57 and 1964-65. Crest Copper Company Limited carried out geological mapping and trenching in 1966. Crest Metals Limited was incorporated the following year to acquire the Rufus group and adjacent ground. In 1976, Tournigan Mining Explorations Ltd. carried out reconnaissance studies in the area and, in 1978, acquired the Rufus, Rufus 3 and Rufus 5 claims and conducted some geological work. Kingdom Resources Ltd. was formed in 1978 and carried out geological and geochemical (soil and rock) work in the area during 1980-84; some sampling was done on the Rufus showing. The name of Kingdom Resources was changed to KRL Resources Inc. in 1989. In 1991, KRL and Tournigan entered into an agreement whereby Tournigan could acquire certain interests in the Rufus claim group. In 2007, Bear River Resources Inc. collected a total of 15 rock samples and 5 silt samples along Highway 37A on the south side of the Redoubt 1-2 claims which now cover the Rufus showing. During 2005 through 2010, Auramex completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical sampling and airborne geophysical surveys on the area as the Bear River-Surprise Creek property.
