Shuswap History – Mount Ida Mines – Anyone interested in old treasures and valuable commodities can find their fortune on Mount Ida, in the Shuswap near the city of Salmon Arm. The mountain has a rich history of mining explorations and plenty of old claims are present to this day. The history of mining on Mount Ida dates back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when high grade silver boulders were discovered a short distance south of Salmon Arm. The Mount Ida group of mineral claims were prospected and developed intermittently around the years 1905, 1913-14, 1926, 1930 and well into the 1990’s. Exploration work on the claims consisted of underground cross cutting and drifting, mostly on the Everglade claim of the Mount Ida group.
The location of the mineral showing was not clear but several gold-silver, galena and sphalerite occurrences in quartz-filled shear zones were indicated in the record. The precious metal, platinum, was of interest and was mentioned at three different claim locations, the Everglade, White Cliff and the Mountain View, by separate authors. However, ultrabasic rock was not mentioned in the literature covering the claim area. A geochemical soil sampling survey was done over the claim area in July, 1980. The results showed anomalous values for silver, lead and zinc in northeast and east-central sectors of the property.
Bonnie Brae (Lobo, John) Claims
Most of the mining explorations took place at the Bonnie Brae claim (just above the town of Salmon Arm) which consisted of twenty claim units covering an area of 500 hectares. Some adits were located just above the old Foothill Road Cemetery. In 1904, a Mr. F.A. McLeod staked the Mount Ida mineral claim over high grade silver boulders found some four miles (7 km) south of Salmon Arm on the northwest slope of Mount Ida.
This event is described in the Minister of Mines report for the year 1905. Exploratory adits driven on quartz veins bearing argentiferous galena on the north face of Mt. Ida, were first reported by Brewer (1913) and subsequently by Ferrie (1920) who also reported values in gold and platinum. Some work at the foot of Hobson Creek was reported in the BCDM annual report 1930 (p.183) after which the properties were abandoned until 1967 when Annmar Mining financed a program of trenching (Mitchell, 1976). Photo below: The “Rock Piles” below the cliffs, between western and eastern ridges in 2013.
The Bonnie Brae property was a gold-platinum and base-metal prospect that dated back to the early 1900’s. This property was developed intermittently circa the years 1905, I913-14, I926 and 1930 when exploration work on the claims consisted of underground cross-cutting and drifting. From 1980 to 1982, Ware Resources Ltd. carried out geochemical surveying in the area immediately to the east of the Bonnie Brae claim. Best Resources Inc. carried out a program of geophysical and geochemical survey work during April and May, 1983. During 1984 the survey grid and the geochemical survey were extended to the north to fulfil part of the Phase 1 exploration program as was recommended in the 1983 report by Don Tully Engineering Ltd, West Vancouver BC.
Ministry of Energy, Mines and petroleum Resourses, MINFILE Record Summary MINFILE No 082LNNW007
Name: BONNIE BRAE, LOBO, JOHN
https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=082LNW007
Platinum Giant Claims
The Platinum Giant Property was located 6 kilometres south-west of Salmon Arm on the northern slopes of Mount Ida in the Kamloops Mining Division. The property covered the steep northern slopes of Mount Ida. Elevations ranged from 600 to 1450 metres and deep valleys/gullies occurred along the north-westerly trending drainages, notably Rumball, Hobson and Leonard Creeks. The property was accessible by road from Salmon Arm, then by paved road to Rumball Creek, and up the Rumball Creek Logging Road for 1.5 km to the northern boundary of Platinum Giant 3. From here the logging road crossed the property and exited near its southeastern corner. A branch to this road gave access to Platinum Giant 2 at the headwaters of Hobson Creek.
The Platinum Giant Property consisted of three claims totalling 40 units. During 1989, Corona Corporation conducted a regional property generation program in this part of the Omineca Belt. The Platinum Giant Property was examined as part of this program. The targets for exploration on this property were: 1) polymetallic mineralization associated with greisen alteration in the roof zone to a leuco granitic intrusion and 2) gold quartz veins. Gold values had been previously reported from a number of old workings o n the claims. The program by Corona was conducted between June and August 1990 under the direction of R.C. Wells B.Sc, F.G.A.C. The cost of this program was $4,500 and was being applied for assessment credit on the property. The Platinum Giant Property consisted of three claims with a total of 40 units. All three claims were 100% owned by Mr. L.D. Lutjen, of Chase B.C.
Miller Tunnel (Platinum Giant Claims)
A number of old workings occurred on sulphide bearing quartz veins in the property area. The Miller Tunnel (adit) on Platinum Giant 3 followed a quartz vein zone within a shear (north-easterly) cutting granite. Sampling of the vein by Ferrier (1920) reported values of 8. 23 g/t Au and .0 69 g/t Pt across a 4.75 foot width. The Miller Adit was in strongly fractured and silicified, micaceous sedimentary rocks less than 20 metres north of a granitic intrusion. For much of its length the adit followed a north easterly trending system of quartz veins with local galena and sphalerite. Samples from the veins produced low Pb, Ag and Zn values with no gold. Silicified granite south of the Miller adit was sampled but did not yield any values. Photo below: Miller Tunnel in 2013.
Miller & Sunset Tunnels Mount Ida
UTM WGS84 11U 335888E 5614674N
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Corona Corporation conducted a regional property generation program in the Salmon Arm area in 1989. A thorough investigation was made of the Platinum Giant Property as part of this program. Thick sandy to clayey over burden covered large areas on the property. Good exposures do however occurred along Hobson and Leonard Creeks, in old workings and along the road system. During June 1989, three days were spent sampling and prospecting in the Miller adit area on the Platinum Giant 3 claim. The area between the Miller and Bonnie Brae adits had been trenched by Annmar Mining in 1967 exposing greisen style, polymetallic mineralization.
Sunset Claim
This group of eight claims was located close to the Miller Tunnel. It was reported to have featured two veins of silver, gold, lead and platinum, but no further information was available in regard to this occurrence than was furnished earlier in an account given by W.F. Ferrier and published in the final report of the Munition Resources Commission in the year of 1920. The property was later owned by Sunset MInes Ltd. with head office in Salmon Arm.
Photo below: Sunset claim in 2013.
Gertrude Claims
Information on the Gertrude Group of Mineral Claims was believed to have been the former Mount Ida property and the information obtained in the reports by Brewer and Ferrier appeared to be relevant. A geochemical soil sampling survey was carried out over the claim area in July 1980. A tunnel was dug and opened up in August-September 1980.
Arm #1, 2 & Ida #1, 2, 3 & 4 Claims Group
The Ida-Arm property was gold-silver and base-metal prospect. There were also indications that platinum may have been present in the claim area. The property group consisted of six mineral claims comprising 112 units, covering an area of 2,800 hectares located immediately south of the town of Salmon Arm and north of its industrial area.
Mineral Exploration & Development of British Columbia
Assessment Report Database
https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/pub/aris/Search
John (Jack) R. Thornton Mine
An easily accessible mine claim is that of J.R. Thornton. He prospected and mined in an area above Salmon Arm’s industrial area. A hiking trail leads up from 40th Street (Boutwell). Vehicles can park near the gate and the mine trail starts behind the concrete water tank on the power line and winding steeply up the mountain to about 800 feet elevation. In early summer, hundreds of Fairyslippers, rare orchids grow along the trail. Photo below: Fairyslippers.
The claim features four mine shafts, two at the bottom and two more at the top where Thornton’s grave marker is situated and where once his cabin stood. The trail between the mine sites is moderately steep, the top site completely flat. Photo below: Trail from lower mine shafts to Thornton cabin site at the top in 2013.
Thornton Mine History – In the early 1930 and 1940’s, a prospector by the name of J.R. Thornton was roaming the slopes of Mount Ida above Salmon Arm. Born in 1870, Thornton was known as antisocial in his days as he spent most of his time away from towns except for when he needed to get supplies or have some ore samples tested. At Mount Ida, he built a cabin and worked in two shafts of an older abandoned claim which had been staked there earlier in 1899 by a C. Bain and Alphonse Eiman. The photo below shows remnants of Thornton’s cabin, ten years earlier in in 2003.
During the summers Thornton prospected on the Adams Plateau and in the Cotton belt country in North Shuswap, above Seymour Arm. When in 1943 locals noticed an extended absence of him, they sent up a search party to his claim and found him dead in his bed. Parts of his cabin appeared charred by fire and it was speculated what faith Thornton had met. The photo below shows what the cabin’s leftovers looked like in 2007.
His body was placed into one of the shafts which was then blasted shut with dynamite. Locals recalled a loud explosion and a massive dust plume on Mount Ida. The following year, a grave marker was brought up placed in front of the mine shaft. Two partially caved-in shafts are now heavily overgrown by vegetation. In 2003, remnants of Thornton’s dilapidated cabin were still present at the site. The same year, hikers discovered a marker in an area above the cabin bearing ‘… claim 1988 Jardine’ (UTM WGS84 340385E 5614921N). Photo below: Thornton mine grave marker at his mine on Mount Ida in 2007.
Thornton Mine Mount Ida
UTM WGS84 11U 341022E 5614897N
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Photo below: J.R. Thornton grave marker in 2007
Photo below: J.R. Thornton grave marker in 2013.
As time goes by, nature takes its toll. Trees fall down in snowstorms and vegetation grows wild in summer, eventually covering up all tracks from the past. Some time between 2003 and 2007, a local business man who wanted to organise tours to the mines, removed all debris of the damaged cabin. Some stuff went into a pile and other items such as old rusty cans were thrown over the edge down into a nearby ravine. Unfortunately, like many other mine sites in this country, none of them were protected as historic sites. Photos below: Upper and Lower mine shafts in 2013.
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