Work History

Originally staked sometime prior to 1907 as Paymaster, Jumbo, Queen of Sheba, etc cl, for which no claim records or history have been preserved. Restaked about 1915 by T. Becker and H. Cochran, who explored with limited hand trenching and drove a 30.5 m adit.

Restaked as Caroline, etc cl (19289) in 1940 by J. Cox and W. McAlister, who carried out hand trenching until 1948; restaked Caroline claim as Mac cl (57581) in Jul/49; and drove a 27.4 m adit in 1951. Restaked as Lum cl 2-8, Al cl 1-8, Ed cl 1-8 and Star cl 1-8 (82036) in Oct/62 by A. Gatey et al.

Restaked as Lum cl 1-8 (90251) in Jun/64 by Yukon Antimony Corporation Ltd, which carried out extensive trenching, geological mapping and bulk sampling in 1964; drove 3 adits totaling 431.2 m and drilled 566.9 m (about half underground) during 1965 and 1966; optioned the property to National Lead Company Ltd from June to Sep/70; and reorganized as International Mariner Resources Ltd in Feb/71.

Restaked as Pop cl 1-14 (Y75415) in May/73 and May/74 by E. Bergvinson and optioned briefly by Belmoral Mines Ltd in 1974, which carried out geological mapping and geochemical sampling before dropping the option. Con-Am Resources Ltd subsequently acquired the option and carried out geological mapping and EM surveying in 1976. In 1977 Con Am staked Bang cl 1-8 (YA8768) and Whiz cl 1-14 (YA19120), carried out road building, completed underground rehabilitation and sampling and drilled 7 holes (695.6 m).

In 1982, the claims were transferred to Berglynn Resources Ltd which carried out prospecting and sampling the following year. Berglynn surrounded the occurrence with Pop cl 15-104 (YA81468) in Mar/84 and carried out geological mapping and geochemical soil sampling and staked Pop cl 101 fr-116 fr (YA93378) to the north during 1984 and 1985. Walhalla Exploration Ltd staked Tech cl 1-18 (YA82362) contiguously to the northeast in Jun/84 and carried out EM geophysical surveying and staked Tech cl 19-21 (YA86013) in Oct/84. The Tech claims were transferred to Berglynn Resources in 1986, which carried out road construction, trenching, mapping and adit rehabilitation on their adjoining Pop claims.

Skukum Ventures Inc and Berglynn formed a joint venture to consolidate their holdings in the area and carried out geophysical surveying and drilled three holes (818.1 m) in 1987. Skukum Ventures was renamed Skukum Gold Inc in Mar/88 and Berglynn changed its name to Arkona Resources Inc in Mar/92. In 1994 Arkona formed a new joint venture with No. 276 Taurus Ventures Ltd, a private B.C. company, allowing it to increase its interest in the property and contiguious claims.

In 1995 the property was optioned to Omni Resources Inc and in Sep/96 Omni drilled one hole (887.6 m). Omni and Arkona carried out detailed geological mapping, contour soil sampling and prospecting in 1998. By 1999 Omni had earned a 60% interest in the property and purchased Taurus Ventures 10% interest, subsequent to Arkona transferring 100% ownership of the property to Omni on July 23/99.

In Nov/2000 Omni amalgamated with Trumpeter Yukon Gold Inc to form Tagish Lake Gold Corporation.

Capsule Geology

Mineralization occurs in lenses of quartz and barite within a 300 m long , 2.1 m wide shear zone in granite and mid-Cretaceous rusty weathering, blue-grey andesite porphyry flows and breccias (Hart, 1990) that is adjacent to a rhyolite dyke of the early Eocene Mount Skukum Volcanic Complex along most of its length. The shear zone is poorly exposed at surface and has weathered to a grey gangue containing red and yellow streaks and boulders of massive sulphide. The zone has been explored on surface for a length of about 30 m, where it strikes 050° and dips 75° southwest. Mineralization consists of stibnite with lesser amounts of pyrite and sphalerite and traces of realgar, orpiment, galena and tetrahedrite in a gangue of quartz and minor barite.

The showing has been explored with three adits. No. 1 was driven northwest on the vein for 158 m, at an elevation of 1,603 m and was locally well mineralized in the centre. No. 2 was collared 82.3 m to the southeast at the same elevation and was driven 41 m on a poorly mineralized vein. No. 3 was 46 m lower in elevation and consisted of 137 m of cross-cut and 94 m of poorly mineralized vein.

Grades announced by Yukon Antimony included 4.8% Sb, 0.6% Pb and 30.9 g/t Ag over an average width of 1.5 m for a length of 107 m in No. 1 adit. Probable reserves of 20 866 tonnes grading 3.6% Sb across an average width of 1.95 m were calculated in 1966. A 331 kg selected bulk sample from a surface pit tested in 1984 by the Mineral Processing Division, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, assayed 11.21% Sb, 0.27% Zn, 0.024% Pb, 0.004% Cu, 0.12% Ni, 0.81% Fe, 5.64% S, 0.34 g/t Au, 1.02 g/t Ag and 73.7% insolubles. Single stage flotation produced a concentrate grading 60.7% Sb with a recovery of 92.8%.

In 1974, Belmoral estimated probable and possible reserves at 127,007 tonnes grading 4% Sb. The 1985 and later work was directed toward gold the gold potential of the occurrence. A few widely scattered soil values up to 1,500 ppb Au were obtained but assays from rocks and drill core were generally low.