129

NICOLA MINING DIVISION
(32 a) Iron Mountain and Vicinity, near Merritt

Sources of Information. Dawson, G. M.: “Preliminary Report on the Physical and Geological
Features of the Southern Portion of the Interior of British Columbia, 1877’’; Geol. Surv.
Canada, Rept. of Prog. 1877-78, p. 122 B. :

Ann. Rept., Minister of Mines, B.C., 1896, p. 573.
Ells, R. W.: ‘‘Nicola Coal-basin’’; Geol. Surv., Canada, Sum. Rept. 1904, p. 49.
Johnston, R. A. A.: “The Copper Claims of Aspen Grove and Aberdeen Camp, B.C.”’; Geol.
_ Surv., Canada, Sum. Rept. 1904, p. 80.
Lindeman, E., and Bolton, L. L.: “Iron Ore Occurrences in Canada’’; Mines Branch, Dept. of
Mines, Canada, vol. 2, p. 24 (1917).

The contained description is drawn from above listed, earlier reports.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

According to Dawson . . . . “In the southeastern angle formed
by . . . . (Nicola and Coldwater rivers) Iron mountain... .
forms a prominent object. The greater part . . . . (is) of much
altered voleanic rocks . . . . (thought possible to be Tertiary rather
than Triassic, but) the summit shows the remnants of a covering of vol-
canic rocks of much newer aspect. . . . Veins of specular iron ore
traverse the summit. . . . . Several were seen of a few inches in
thickness but . . . . (a vein reported to be several feet wide, was
not found). Theoreappearstobe . . . . of good quality.” .. .

At one time the mineral occurrence was staked for the iron ore and
was held by a Vancouver company. Johnston writes that the strata
are .. . . “traversed by veins of white quartz . . . . some-
times seen to carry trifling amounts of specular iron, chalcopyrite, and
pyrite. . . . In no instance, however, were any of these minerals
noted in any appreciable amount.” Ells concurs in this estimate of the
value of the occurrence and also states that . . . . “on the summit of
the range northeast of Coutlee (i.e. north of Iron mountain and north
of Nicola river), a small deposit of specular ore was opened several years
ago, but found to be irregular and of but small extent. . . . . A
small and irregular deposit was also seen on the north flank of the hill

south of Coutlee.”

(32 b) Iron Queen and Iron King, South of Nicola Lake

Source of Information. Brewer, W.M.: Ann. Rept., Minister of Mines, B.C., 1915, p. 231. et:
Whittier, W. H.: ‘An Investigation of the Iron Ore Resources of the Northwest’’; Univ. of
Washington, Bureau of Industrial Research, Bull. No. 2, p. 75 (1917).

The contained account is derived from the account by Brewer.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This deposit of limonite lies several miles south of Nicola lake. Accord-
ing to Brewer, a gulch extends nearly through both claims. Its width is
Zo a “some 300 or 400 feet, and, to a greater or less degree, a large
proportion of the surface is covered with the ore. . . . A series of
long trenches (have been dug) across the gulch, the longest saya
fully 300 feet by about 3 feet deep and about the same width. In all of
these trenches the iron ore is exposed on the sides and bottom.

The trenches . . . . crosscut the deposit . . . . and demon-
strate that it has an approximate length of about 2,000 feet and a width
from about 50 up to 200 feet.” . . . In one open-cut, the limonite

shows in a face 10 feet high and 15 feet long.