Mineral Hill Group

The Mineral Hill Group is a silver and lead mine located in Okanogan county, Washington at an elevation of 2,999 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Mineral Hill Group
Secondary: Frankie Boy
Secondary: Columbia
Secondary: Washington Consolidated
Secondary: Seven Devils
Secondary: Wheeler Mine

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Molybdenum

Location

State: Washington
County: Okanogan
District: Conconcully District; Mineral Hill Area

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Cypress Mines Corp.
Home Office: J.E. Worthington, Reg. Mgr., 902 Old National Bank Bldg., Spokane, Wa. 99201

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1896
Year Last Production: 1939
Discovery Year: 1886
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Cascade-Sierra Mountains
Physiographic Section: Northern Cascade Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: PINCH AND SWELL, LENSES

Structure

Type: L
Description: Post-Metallization Shearing In Wallrock

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Wallrock Adjacent To The Vein Has Been Hydrothermally Altered.

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Diorite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: FRANKIE BOY CLAIM: UP TO SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS PER TON IN AG, PB, AND AU
Analytical Data: UP TO: $5.60 AU/TON, 60 OZ AG/TON, 15 % PB/TON

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite

Comments

Comment (Location): EXTENDS FROM SW COR SEC 2 (035N-024E) TO N2 SEC 31 (036N-025E) UP MINERAL HILL. ELEVATION 2300 TO 3700 FT.

Comment (Commodity): PRODUCED FLOTATION CONCENTRATES 1938-1939 OF UNKNOWN QUANITY

Comment (Development): ADITS, DRIFTS, AND SHAFTS; DEVELOPMENT AND EXPLORATION IN 1957, 1959, 1969, AND 1970. IN 1896 A SHAFT WAS SUNK ON THE COLUMBIA CLAIM, AND SMALL SHIPMENTS OF HIGH-GRADE AG ORE WERE MADE; HOWEVER UCH OF THE ORE WAS ONLY MILLING GRADE AND COULD NOT BE SHIPPED TO DISTANT SMELTERS AT A PROFIT. IN 1902, MINERAL HILL MINING CO. WAS FORMED TO DEVELOP THE DEPOSITS. AN ADIT WAS STARTED ON THE COLUMBIA VEIN, AND BY 1906 THE VEIN HAD BEEN DRIFTED UPON FOR ABOUT 1000 FT. IN 1937 A 20 TON FLOTATION MILL WAS BUILT NEAR THE PORTAL OF THE COLUMBIA ADIT, AND DURING 1938-1939 SMALL AMOUNTS OF PB-AG CONCENTRATES WERE PRODUCED. SINCE 1940 SEVERAL COMPANIES HAVE UNDERTAKEN LIMITED DEVELOPMENT WORK AT THE WHEELER MINE.

Comment (Workings): UNDERGROUND WORKINGS CONSIST OF ALMOST 3000 FT OF DRIFTS, CROSSCUTS, AND SHAFTS. THE MAIN ADIT FOLLOWS THE COLUMBIA VEIN FOR 1200 FT. ABOUT 420 FT FROM THE PORTAL, A SHAFT HAS BEEN DRIVEN 135 FT TO THE SURFACE. ABOUT 700 FT FROM THE PORTAL A WINZE HAS BEEN SUNK TO AN UNDETERMINABLE DEPTH ON THE VEIN. AT 466 FT FROM THE PORTAL A CROSSCUT EXTENDS 1440 FT TO THE NW. MANY SPARSELY MINERALIZED QUARTZ VEINS ARE INTERSECTED BY THIS CROSSCUT; ONE OF THESE VEINS IS THE FRANKIE BOY VEIN; THIS VEIN HAS BEEN DRIFTED UPON FOR 165 FT, MAINLY IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION. ABOUT 140 FT BEYOND THE FRANKIE BOY VEIN, THE CROSSCUT ENCOUNTERS A PEGMATITE DIKE. THE CROSSCUT CONTINUES 350 FT BEYOND THE DIKE, BUT DOES NOT EXPOSE ANY VALUABLE VEINS. AT ELEVATION 2300 FT AN ADIT HAS BEEN DRIVEN WESTWARD AT LEAST 800 FT (IN 1917). TWO VEINS HAVE ALREADY BEEN INTERSECTED, AS OF 1917; ONE VEIN IS 88 FT FROM THE PORTAL AND IS 11 FT WIDE; THE OTHER VEIN OF EQUAL WIDTH IS 380 FT FROM THE PORTAL. DRIFTS HAVE BEEN

Comment (Workings): DRIVEN TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH ALONG THE SECOND VEIN, EACH DRIFT IS 100 FT LONG.

Comment (Geology): GEOL.DESC: WHITE, GRANULAR QUARTZ

Comment (Deposit): 13 PATENTED CLAIMS: NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, FRANKIE BOY, OREGON, CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, IDAHO, VIRGINIA, NEVADA, FLORIDA, COLUMBIA, THOMPSON, AND MONTANA. THE CLAIMS WERE PATENTED BY BRIDGEPORT MINING AND MILLING CO. IN 1896.

Comment (Deposit): ORE MINERALS CONCENTRATED INTO ORE SHOOTS TO 1 FT WIDE THAT PARALLEL THE VEIN WALLS; THE FRANKIE BOY VEIN IS THE RICHEST VEIN AND CONSISTS OF 1 FT OF WHITE GRANULAR QUARTZ, AND CONTAINS SCATTERED GRAINS AND LENSES OF ORE MINERALS. THE FRANKIE BOY VEIN STRIKES N35E AND DIPS 60NW. THE MO OCCURS IN A MO-BEARING PEGMATITE DIKE THAT IS 100 FT THICK. THE DIKE VARIES IN CHARACTER FROM PLACE TO PLACE. THE MO OCCURS AS THIN FLAKES AND RADIAL NODUALS ABOUT 0.25 IN. IN DIAMETER. IN THE LOWEST ADIT, ELEVATION 2300 FT, ONE VEIN IS 11 FT WIDE AND STRIKES N05W AND DIPS 46W; THE SECOND VEIN HAS A PARALLEL STRIKE, BUT DIPS MORE STEEPLY TO THE WEST THAN THE FIRST. AT THE FACE IN THE NORTH DRIFT, IN THE SECOND VEIN, THE VEIN IS ABOUT 5 FT WIDE.

References

Reference (Deposit): WASH. DMG BULL. 37, PART II, P. 303, 306.

Reference (Deposit): WASH. DMG IC 46, P. 15

Reference (Deposit): WASH. DMG IC 49, P. 20-24

Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 640, P. 27-28

Washington Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Washington" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Arizona. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Washington.