Mineral Exploration

Photograph : Granisle Public Librar y S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 35 A s early as 1898, pioneer pros- pectors trudged across the Bulkley Valley in west-central British Columbia. This group included William Binnie "Tom" Forrest, who staked the Bulkley Valley's first mineral claims on Hudson Bay Mountain and Dome Mountain near Smithers. By 1905 to 1907, more pros- pectors were combing the mountains through the Bulkley Valley, in anticipa- tion of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. William Fleet Robertson, provin- cial mineralogist, toured the Bulkley Valley on horseback in 1905 to examine and assess the mineral and coal resource potential of the region. By 1908, many new copper discoveries, especially in the Telkwa Range southeast of Smithers, were being reported. Two e a rl y p r o s p e c t o r s , H .J. MacDonald and Charles Newman, ven- tured into Babine Lake in 1900. They initially travelled southeast, where they discovered quartz veins with copper and silver minerals on a small island known locally as Silver Island. They then trav- elled north, prospecting on the various islands, and eventually discovered cop- per mineralization on Copper Island, later renamed McDonald Island. The copper showing and several other occur- rences were staked collectively as the Richmond property. The two partners continued pros- pecting northward along Babine Lake. They discovered and staked a lead-zinc- silver occurrence on the western shore of a peninsula north of Copper Island, appropriately named Newman Peninsula after Charles Newman. Several other veins with considerable zinc mineraliza- tion were also discovered. Two of the larger veins on the original discovery were reported to be nine metres and 15 metres wide, respectively. Newman explored these veins by driving 12-metre and 17-metre underground tunnels close to the shore of Babine Lake. A sample from the larger vein assayed 1.05 ounces per ton silver and 4.35 per cent copper. MacDonald and Newman had life- long dreams of discovering a big bonanza, which had them returning to Copper Island in the following seasons to further prospect around their earlier discover- ies. In addition to surface trenching, they explored the copper showings by driving two underground adits, 17 metres and 24 metres across, in continuous mineraliza- tion with abundant malachite and minor chalcopyrite and bornite. Samples from these workings returned 0.75 to 1.4 per cent copper, 0.12 to 0.26 ounces per ton silver and 0.03 ounces per ton gold. An eight-metre prospect shaft was also sunk on an outcrop with copper mineraliza- tion; two samples averaged 1.05 per cent copper and 0.22 ounces per ton silver. These copper showings would, in later years, be further explored and developed to become the Granisle copper mine. In addition to the copper showings, a 10- to 40-centimetre-wide galena vein with promising silver and gold values >> CAMPS OF FAME A tale of two mines EXPLORATION, DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT OF BABINE COPPER-GOLD DEPOSITS By Ed Kimura Drill rig on the move, Copper Island, summer 1929.

• Cover