Work History

First staked as the Rambler cl (2346) and seven other claims in Apr/15 by J. Alverson, etc. In 1918, A. Martin, J. Alverson and partners sank a 24 m shaft with a 3 m cross-cut and later collared an adit 91 m lower on the vein.
Restaked as Rouyn cl (56507) in Dec/47. Restaked as Ann cl (56587) in Aug/48 by R.A. McCann, who sank a 17 m shaft and trenched in 1949, when the showing was examined by Mayo Mines Ltd (Noranda). The claims were sold in 1951 to Whitemetal Yukon Mines Ltd
Restaked as Ted cl (80180) in Jun/57 by T. Skonseng and as Merry, etc cl (80418) in Jan/60 by J.B. O'Neill, R. McKamey and P. Versluce. Claims were held or examined nearby during this period by Rambler Enterprises Ltd and Dualco Syndicate (Highland Bell Ltd, Leitch Mines Ltd, Area Mines Ltd, Dome Mines Ltd, Lake Expanse Gold Mines Ltd).
Restaked as Dog cl 1-56 (83307) in May/66 by Early Bird Mines Ltd which explored by trenching; and as Irene cl 1-4 (Y33743) in Dec/70 by J. Strebchuk. Optioned from 1971 to 1975 by Silver Spring Mines Ltd. Which, in joint venture with Canadian Reserve Oil & Gas Ltd, performed geochem sampling and trenching in 1971, a geophysical survey and 662.3 m of drilling (12 holes) in 1972, and mapping and geochem surveys and 1 329.8 m of rotary drilling (46 holes) in 1975.
Optioned in 1976 by C.T. Exploranda which explored by trenching in 1978, restaked portions as Helen cl 1-2 (YA38163) in Sep/78 and Helen cl 3-4 (YA41342) in Oct/79, and sold part of its interest to Rambler Exploration Company Ltd in Oct/79, and trenched in 1980-81. In 1982, Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Ltd acquired the Silver Spring interest and trenched on the Dog claims. Strebchuk shipped about 23 tonnes of ore from the Irene claims to the Trail Smelter in 1981 and optioned the property in May/83 to Romex Resources Inc, which drilled 8 percussion holes (365.8 m) in 1984.
The claims were transferred to Julian Mining Corporation, which explored with 2 holes (88.4 m) in 1985 and added Irene cl 9-14 (YA83281) and JSK cl 8-12 (YA83287) in Sep/86 and Jul/87. The claims were transferred back to Strebchuk in Jul/89 who performed trenching and road work and staked more claims in Sep/89, and added the Cash claims 1-6 (YB03855) in Sep/90.

Capsule Geology

The area has not yet been remapped by the Yukon Geological Survey however C. Roots (1997) of the Geological Survey of Canada under contract with the Exploration and Geological Services Division (now part of the Yukon Geological Survey) remapped topographic map sheet 105M located directly to the south in the mid-1990's. In addition Gordey, Abbott and Roots (1990) remapped topographic map sheets 105M/16, 106D/01 and 106D/07East & 08 respectively in the late 1980's. In 2003 Gordey and Makepeace released a geological compilation of the Yukon which covered this area.
According to Gordey and Makepeace the area is underlain by a sequence of Devonian to Mississippian metasedimentary rocks which have been deformed by metamorphism, folding, thrusting and other forces. Numerous Triassic gabbroic sills intrude the sequence. The occurrence is located at the contact between Devonian to Mississippian metasedimentary rocks and a Triassic gabbroic sill. Cockfield (1918) reported that the country rock consists of mica schist cut by large dykes of greenstone approaching a diabase in composition.
The occurrence consists of a silver-lead vein, called No. 1 by early workers. It was reportedly mineralized with galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite to a depth of 11.3 m in the shaft, beneath which the vein narrowed and consisted only of weakly mineralized siderite gangue. The vein strikes north, dips steeply east, and cuts Earn Group schist intruded by Triassic greenstone sills. Samples from the shaft showed a silver-lead ratio of less than 24 g/t silver to 1% lead. Width of the vein was 0.9 to 1.2 m in the adit and up to 3.7 m in the shaft, where several lenses of waste were reported. In 1969, Early Bird Mines Ltd collected two bulk samples which assayed 713.1 g/t silver, 68.7% lead and 0.4% copper; and 1 729.6 g/t silver, 68.7% lead, and 0.7% copper (source is believed to be a company prospectus which is unavailable).
Trenching in 1971 and 1972 traced the vein for a length of 381 m. On surface, its width is said to vary from 1.2 to 5.5 m and surface grades range from 4.1 g/t silver and trace lead to 3 600 g/t silver and 75% lead. Four drill holes, said to define a length of 122 m and depth of 27 to 50 m, returned vein widths ranging from 0.9 to 2.9 m. The best core assay was 1.2 m grading 1 474.2 g/t silver and 32% lead. The best assay from the 1975 rotary drilling was 239.9 g/t silver, 9.8% lead and 0.1% zinc across 1.5 m.

References

ABBOTT, J.G. 1990. Geological map of Mt. Westman map area (106D/1); Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada, Open File 1990-1.

CANADIAN RESERVE OIL AND GAS LTD AND SILVER SPRING MINES LTD, Jun/76. Assessment Report *#091696 by A.W. Goring and F.W. Plut.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Memoir 357, p. 63.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Summary Report 1918, Part B, p. 6-7; 1921, Part A, p. 4-5.

GORDEY, S.P. 1990. Geological map of the Tiny Island map area (105M16); Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada, Open File 1990-2.

GORDEY, S.P. AND MAKEPEACE, A.J. 2003: Yukon Digital Geology, version 2.0, S.P. Gordey and A.J. Makepeace (comp); Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 1749 and Yukon Geological Survey, Open File 2003-9 (D).

ROOTS, C. 1990. Geology of 106D/8 and 106D/7 (east half) map area; Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada, Open File 1990-3.

ROOTS, C.F., 1997. Bedrock geology of Mayo area, central Yukon (105M0. Exploration and Geological Services Division, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Geoscience Map 1997-1, 1:50 000 scale.

ROOTS, C.F., 1997. Geology of the Mayo Map Area, Yukon Territory (105M). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Bulletin 7, 82p.

SILVER SPRING MINES LTD, Oct/71. Assessment Report *#060787 by R.G. Hilker.

SILVER SPRING MINES LTD, Sep/72. Assessment Report *#091304 by anonymous.

THE MINING LETTER, 9 Jul/84; 19 Oct/84

WESTERN MINER, Oct/52, p. 74.

YUKON EXPLORATION 1987, p. 212.