Resource World Magazine

40 www.resourceworld.com D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 RED LAKE RED LAKE ROUNDUP MORE EXPLORERS ARE TARGETING THE PROLIFIC, GOLD-RICH RED LAKE CAMP OF NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO. by Ellsworth Dickson D iamonds may be a girl's best friend; however, during the 1920s, dogs were a prospector's best friend in the flourishing Red Lake Gold Camp northwest of Lake Superior, northwestern Ontario. It seems unbeliev- able today but there were some 3,000 dogs supporting prospecting activities before there were roads, helicopters and ATVs. Things were quite primitive – even the mining recorder's office was a tent as were restaurants, stores and living quarters. With the railhead about 200 miles from the gold camp, in 1925, famed mine developer Jack Hammel brought in seven aircraft to bring in supplies to the Red Lake mining community – a huge advance- ment. All of these efforts paid off and, to date, the Red Lake Gold Camp has been home to some 29 gold mines. The Red Lake Gold Camp is spread out and also encompasses the neighbouring communities of Balmertown, Cochenour, Madsen, McKenzie Island and Starrat-Olsen. Although gold was first discovered in this remote region in 1897, it wasn't until the 1920s that the first mines began production. Some of the camp's famous mines include the Howey, Hasaga, Madsen, McKenzie Red Lake, Cochenour-Willans, Campbell Red Lake, Dickenson Red Lake, Red Lake Gold Shore and the Red Lake Mine. The Red Lake Gold District is host to some of the richest gold deposits in the world and has produced some 30 million ounces of gold from high-grade zones, including about 18 million ounces from the Red Lake Mine and Campbell Mine oper- ated by Newmont Goldcorp Corp. With such an illustrious history and a recent rise in the price of gold, it is no wonder the area has been attracting newcomers. Below are profiles of the various explo- ration and mining companies active in the Red Lake Gold Camp. Bounty Gold Corp. [private], based out of Red Lake, has some 17,000 hect- ares of mining claims within the Red Lake Greenstone Belt, making it one of the largest property holders in the area. With numerous gold showings, company geolo- gists are of the view that the flagship Laird Lake property has some of the most com- pelling geology in the area. Nine surface gold showings greater than 5 g/t Au have been identified over 5.4 km of strike length, spatially associated with the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage con- tact which is traced for ~11 km through the Laird Lake property. The most significant discovery of the 2019 field season was the SHGX showing, which was mechanically stripped to expose the showing along 75 metres of strike length and channel sampled. Significant channel sampling assays included 5.29 g/t gold over 2.25 metres within 2.13 g/t over 6.67 metres and 4.84 g/t gold over 1.67 metres within 2.53 g/t over 3.78 metres. BTU Metals Corp. [BTU-TSXV] reported that during its current drill campaign towards the southern portion of the Dixie Halo property, the company discovered compelling indications sug- gestive of a notable volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) target. Partial results have been received to date for hole 13 showing Bazooka drilling underground at Pure Gold Mining's Madsen gold project in the Red Lake Gold Camp of northwestern Ontario. Photo courtesy Pure Gold Mining Inc.

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