In a regional exploration program for gold in an area west of Almaden’s Elk Gold Mine in southern British Columbia, Almaden detected several areas of elevated gold values in samples taken of stream sediment. After follow-up prospecting in these areas, Almaden identified and staked seven areas of clay-carbonate alteration and quartz veining, all representative of low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver vein systems.
These properties outline an exciting new gold belt - now known as Spence’s Bridge - which includes seven staked projects 100% owned by Almaden and totals an area of 42,570 hectares, roughly 426 square kilometres. Almaden's stacked projects:
Brookmere - optioned to Williams Creek Explorations
Merit - optioned to Williams Creek Explorations
Nicoamen River - optioned to Zenith Industries Corp
Ponderosa
Prospect Valley (PV) - Royalty Interest with Consolidated Spire Ventures
Skoonka Creek - Joint Ventured with Strongbow Explorations
Despite the proximity to Vancouver, the claims staked by Almaden are the first hardrock claims ever known to have been recorded in three of these areas.
During the Gold Rush of the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, placer gold was mined from the Fraser and Thompson Rivers and on many tributary streams in the area. In fact, it was a discovery of coarse gold in 1857 near the confluence of the Thompson and Nicoamen Rivers which initiated the Gold Rush in British Columbia. Almaden’s claim blocks cover large sections of this historic area.
