43856 Granite Hill Hwy, Sumpter, OR

Open Public Inspections:
10:00 AM Friday Oct 20 & 27 Meet: There is a small gas station/ convenience store on the main highway through Sumpter (around 120 Sumpter Highway) “Stage Stop Station” The tour group will be leaving promptly at 10:00am. It is recommended that you bring a sack lunch.

Resource estimates in 1987 by ACNC by computerized methods are 749,100 tons grading 0.26 oz/ton gold and 2.31 oz/ton silver, containing nearly 200,000 ounces of gold and 1,730,000 ounces of silver; proven diluted mineable reserves accessible within existing mine openings were shown to be 197,000 tons grading 0.22 oz/ton gold and 2.95 oz/ton silver. In 2014, the current owners performed work to access to the full extent of over 5000 feet of underground mine workings.

Development began during the late 1890' s at the Ibex and Bald Mountain mines on the same vein, in very close proximity to each other, although never under the same ownership. The Bald Mountain mine included a stamp mill, while the Ibex reportedly made direct shipment to smelters. Minor production continued until about 1902 with exploration occurring until 1912.

Mining of high grade stopes at Bald Mountain started in 1948 and continued for several years. Activity at Ibex during 1960 was conducted by Gordon Cammack.

At Bald Mountain, NEDCO did exploration and development from 1970-1975, then relinquished the property to Anderson Brandenthaler. Work on the Bald Mountain property continued by three organizations: NEDCO; a Canadian company; and Anderson Brandenthaler, who produced a total of 4,400 tons of ore shipped with grades of 0.359 opt Au and 4.86 opt Ag.

In 1980, NERCO purchased the Ibex-Bald Mountain and Grand Trunk properties from the Brandenthaler estate and carried out a major underground drilling program from drill stations on 3 levels. A total of 51 drill holes totaling 9,444 feet were completed by Jan. 22, 1981. From Jan. 1981 to early 1983, NERCO completed 4,000 feet of drifting, rehabilitated 2,300 feet of drift, established 15 drill stations and drilled 231 diamond drill holes totaling 52,760 feet.

In March, 1983, American Copper and Nickel, Inc. (ACNC) became interested in the Ibex-Bald Mountain property. An agreement was concluded on December 15, 1983 which created the Bald Mountain Joint venture whereby ACNC assumed management of the property.

During 1984, ACNC established grids, carried out geophysical orientation surveys and aerial photo interpretations, and completed 12,686 feet of diamond drilling on 3 targets:
1) The west strike extension of the Bald Mountain-Ibex vein. Fourteen holes were drilled between 18900E and 19700E, adding 150,000 tons grading 0,265 oz/ton gold equiv. to the probable mineral inventory.
2) Four holes were drilled along the eastern strike extension of the established reserves on the Ibex-Bald Mountain vein.
3) Fifteen holes were drilled on the Grand Trunk Vein along a 4,000 ft. strike length. The drilling failed to define significant mineralization. Three targets were left untested.

In 1985, ACNC evaluated 3 targets by drilling 11,012 feet. Eight holes plus 2 wedged holes were drilled down-dip on the Ibex·Bald Mountain vein system. The holes demonstrated that additional gold potential exists down-dip of the measured resource inventory on the Ibex-Bald Mountain vein. Eight holes were drilled on the Grand Trunk vein where drilling on the Gold Hill claim identified a shallow resource of 80,000 tons grading 0.13 oz/ton gold.

In 1986, drilling was aimed at testing the down-dip extension of the established reserve on the Ibex-Bald Mountain vein. A total of 5,750 feet of drilling confirmed the vein extends to depth but no additional reserves were outlined.

In 1987 ACNC generated a computer data base and estimated a mineral resource inventory for the Ibex-Bald Mountain vein of 750,000 tons grading 0.26 oz/ton gold and 2.31 oz/ton silver for a contained resource of 195,000 oz. gold and 1,724,000 oz silver.

In 1988 Antilles Resources carried out repairs to adits, bulk sampling for metallurgical testing, engineering studies for the design of underground mining methods, surface and underground surveying and surface bulk sampling from outcropping veins.

In 1989 NERCO completed soil sampling over the eastern portion of the Ibex-Bald Mountain vein, drilled 1 hole to test the vein structure under glacial moraine cover, and carried out general maintenance work including access road repairs.

• OVER $9,000,000 INVESTED in 1980 to 1989 The project has a rich history of gold and silver mining beginning in the 1800’s.
• The Bald Mountain mine operated independently of the Ibex mine for many years.
• Mined from 1900 – 1912, in the 1940s, and in the 1970’s. NERCO Minerals, a Canadian public corporation, together with their operating partner, American Copper and Nickel Corporation, owned the property from 1980 to 1989. NERCO conducted a major underground and surface exploration drilling program with $9 million documented expenditures carried out on the Ibex-Bald Mountain and surrounding vein systems.
• Over 70,000 feet of diamond core drilling, from both surface and underground.
• Over 3,200 feet of underground workings were reopened.
• Over 2,000 feet of new underground work was completed.
• The Company has full access to the substantial volume of records from the NERCO work.
• The Ibex-Bald Mountain gold-silver vein system is located in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. The mineralization occurs in northeast-striking, steeply dipping fissure veins, hosted by the Elkhorn Ridge argillite within several miles of the Bald Mountain batholith. The vein material consists of gouge, quartz argillite breccia and quartz veined argillite. Mineralization consists of visible gold and electrum, tetrahedrite (freibergite), pyrargyrite, pyrite, and other minor silver minerals.

• Drill Proven Resources 200,000 ounces of gold and 1.7 million ounces of silver.
• High Potential to Prove Additional Resources v Fully Developed Diluted Minable Reserves over 43,000 ounces of gold and 580,000 ounces of silver identified in feasibility study.
• Historical resource of 750,000 tons at 0.26 ounces gold per ton = nearly 200,000 ounces of gold.
• Computerized 3D Model.
• Outstanding Potential to Prove Additional Minable Reserves.
• 100% owned by Seller.
• 180+ acres of patented mining claims in Grant and Baker Counties, Oregon.
• 6 miles from Sumpter, 30 miles from Baker City.
• Good infrastructure – roads, cell coverage, power grid, railways.
• Five existing mine adits with over 5000 feet of accessible development drift.