showed a substantial improvement in the season of 1946,
when about 36,000 ounces were recovered.

The unglaciated areas of Yukon contain by far the most
important known placer ground in Canada. Modern
methods of exploration and development have shown that
the Klondike possesses much larger reserves of placer
gravels than was formerly thought probable. Extensive
areas in the district and many of the formerly prominent
creeks outside the district remain to be investigated by
the newest methods. Recent experience indicates that
placer gold mining in the unglaciated area of Yukon will
be an important industry for many years to come.

Lode Mining

Placer gold was discovered in the Cariboo in 1860,
and production from this source reached its peak in 1863.
Between that date and 1880, placer prospecting gradually
gave way to lode prospecting, and, before the end of the
century, discoveries of valuable lode deposits were made
in the southern and central sections of British Columbia.
Considerable prospecting was carried out around the inlets
of the Pacific Coast, and, by 1900, exploration along the
main routes of travel had pushed as far north as Atlin
and into Yukon.

The difficulties of transportation limited prospecting
for lode mineral, so that no large developments were initiated
until 1910, when the Portland Canal area to the north
became an important mining centre. From 1914 to 1936,
copper was produced from a large deposit at Anyox. In
1919, production was started from the rich gold-silver
deposits of the Silbak Premier. During the 1930's, sub-
stantial tonnages of silver-lead concentrate were shipped
from the Mayo district of Yukon. Since the war, pro-
duction of mercury has come from the cinnabar deposit
at Pinchi Lake in the Omineca mining division of British
Columbia. During the past ten years, the pitchblende-
silver deposit on the east shore of Great Bear Lake, North-
west Territories, has been a valuable source of radium and
uranium. Recent interest in the Region has been centred
in the Yellowknife district, where promising and frequently
spectacular results are being obtained from diamond drill
exploration of gold deposits.

Northern British Columbia-——The Queen Charlotte
Islands have the distinction of being the site of the first
recorded discovery of gold in the Province of British
Columbia. In 1852, the Hudson’s Bay Company recovered
about $20,000 worth of gold from open cuts in a small
vein at Mitchell Inlet on the west coast of Moresby Island.
In recent times, the deposit has been mined spasmodically
and some gold recovered. Other occurrences of gold are
known on the islands but none of them has given rise to
any important development.

The Silbak Premier Mine, a subsidiary of Premier
Gold Mining Company, in the Portland Canal area, pro-
duces an ore in which silver amounts to about one-fifth

[ 30 }

of the gold value, and is among the three largest producers
of silver in British Columbia. The company has an
operating agreement with the adjoining Premier Border
property, which has been under development since early
1941, and the ore produced is treated in the Silbak Premier
mill. By the end of 1944, the company had produced
1,695,300 ounces of gold, 38,109,600 ounces of silver,
and 24,094,600 pounds of lead. Owing to the shortage
of labour, operations have latterly been curtailed. At
the end of 1944, ore reserves were 92,800 tons, averaging
0-26 ounce of gold and 2-59 ounces of silver per ton.

The Surf Inlet Consolidated Gold Mines, Ltd. owns
Pugsley and Surf Inlet Mines on Princess Royal Island in
the Skeena mining division. Since 1916, these two mines.
have produced 385,000 ounces of gold and 6,300,000 pounds
of copper. Because of labour shortage, higher costs,
inability to obtain equipment, and transportation difficulties,
operations ceased in December, 1942. During 1945, the
company was formulating plans to resume production.

The PolarisTaku mine on Tulsequah River began
operations in 1937, and conditions brought about by the
war suspended operations in 1943. Mining was at the
rate of 200 tons per day and the annual production of gold
was roughly 23,000 ounces.

In the Atlin Lake area, several gold showings occur
within the aureole of the Atlin batholith. Lode gold
deposits include Granite Basin, Jupiter, Pluto, and Polaris
mines. These properties are owned by Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Ltd., and are

awaiting more settled conditions for further testing and
development.

The Hidden Creek mine of the Granby Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Company, Ltd. began operation in
1914 and was closed in 1936 after producing 750,000,000
pounds of copper. The property is now owned by the
Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company and is under
lease and option to Ventures, Limited. When operations
ceased, ore reserves were estimated at 2,200,000 tons of
low-grade copper ore.

The Pinchi Lake property of the Consolidated Mining
and Smelting Company near Fort St. James in the Omineca
mining division is the largest mercury mine in the British
Empire. Production was started in June, 1940, but as a
result of labour shortage and of cancellation by the Metals
Reserve Board of its contract with the parent company,
operations were suspended in July, 1944. Ore reserves
were reported to be substantial. Production to the end
of 1943 was 3,435,000 pounds of mercury.

Takla Mercury Mines, controlled by Bralorne Mines
Ltd., is a new property situated at the headwaters of Silver
Creek in the Omineca mining division. It was placed in
Operation in November, 1943, with a 50-ton rotary kiln.
Production was small and ceased in September, 1944,
when the Metals Reserve Board cancelled its quicksilver

contract. Reserves were stated to be sufficient for several