HARDSCRABBLE CREEK Past Producer, Placer Gold Claim $4,000

Located 4 kilometres west of Wells, British Columbia. The property may be accessed year round from Highway 26 (Barkerville Hwy.) to Hardscrabble Road and north, then west for approximately 7 kilometres to the southmost foot of Hardscrabble Mountain.  From here, turning right at a fork in the the road takes you up to the property, approx. 1 km. by road.

Minfile 093H111 - Hardscrabble Creek, Past Producer describes work and production to 1991:

“The claim is situated to the west of Hardscrabble Mountain, approx. 1700 metres north of the confluence of Hardscrabble Creek and Willow River at an elevation of 1280 metres to 1449 metres.

At least part of the placer mining done on Hardscrabble Creek involved underground work. The area is mainly underlain by Snowshoe Group rocks but the contact with Slide Mountain Group rocks is near-by.

Historically the property has been worked since the 1880s with the main project being the drifting of a drainage tunnel along bed rock from a point just NE of the confluence of Hardscrabble Creek, and the Willow River. This adit extended north for a distance of some 625 meters terminating very near the northend of placer claim 1711 (Assessment Report 21199). Considerable drifting was done in and around the north end following the sinking of a 19 meter shaft as well as at the south end where a shaft was sunk to the 28 meter level.

From 1879 to 1895 the estimated combined production of Hardscrabble and Sugar Creeks totalled about 5,180 ounces (161,098 grams).

In 1991, Dragon Mountain Placers prospected and sampled their placer claims on Hardscrabble Creek. It was thought that the previous old-time" high-graded the gutter of the creek, leaving most of the valley fill in place.”

In 1992, Harold Cohen, P.Geo for Cottonwood Resources, evaluated claims on Hardscrabble Creek and its confluence with Willow River, reporting assessment work filed under ARIS 21199, where 3 assays were completed at the confluence of Hardscrabble Creek and Willow with gold values ranging from 4.069 to 11.472 ounces per ton:

“A surface evaluation was made of the claims through several traverses of the area. Samples were collected from a number of well exposed gravel outcrops. Assays of a number of these samples are includes in the report. Locations of the samples assayed are shown on the data map.

A large tailings pile is located immediately east of Hardscrabble Creek near a production shaft dug for the exploitation of the gutter of Hardscrabble Creek. The tailings pile and shaft are located just north of a trappers cabin.

Abundant gravel outcrops are present on all these claims. They are present on both sides of Hardscrabble Creek within the borders of (former) PC 1711, in a narrow band lying between the Creek, and the steeply dipping hills which flank the creek. The assayed samples were taken from the gravel outcrop which is located on the west bank of the creek opposite the house and tailings pile described above.

Occurring on the north side of Willow Creek and adjacent to it are several gravel benches, developed on the creek flat which attains a width of up to 500 metres, north of the intersection with Hardscrabble Creek. The south side of the Willow also has a well developed bench, however it is limited in width due to the close proximity of the steeply dipping hills which border the creek on the south side.

The dominant rock type in the area are sedimentary rocks of the Cariboo group of Middle Cambrian age, however the primary objective are the Tertiary sediments, consisting of gravel, sand and silt, which comprise the valley fill of both the Hardscrabble Creek and Willow River. Old reports indicate the valley fill to be roughly 28 metres thick along the Willow River, decreasing to 18 metres near the northern end of PC 1711 on Hardscrabble Creek. On the flanks of the Creek are several gravel terraces which extend out into the river flat, and widen as the Willow River is approached. These terraces are very prospective and require further evaluation.

Historically the property has been worked since the 1880’s with the main project being the drifting of the drainage tunnel along bed rock from a joint just NE of the confluence of Hardscrabble Creek, and the Willow River. This adit extended north for a distance of some 625 metres terminating very near the northend of PC 1711. Considering drifting was done in and around the northend following the sinking of a 19 metre shaft as well as at the south end where a shaft was sunk to the 28 metre level.”

In the 1997 publication Goldpanning in the Cariboo, pp. 77-83, double-PhD author Dr. Jim Lewis (Mining Engineering, Geology) describes the depth and quality of the Willow River section of the Cariboo Gold Fields:

“The Willow River, renowned for deep ground and buries channels, drains the largest area of rich placer ground in the Cariboo”, further stating “The Willow River has immense gravel banks and almost every tributary prospected has produced paying gold, especially the creeks entering from the east side.”

The following Minfile reports account for some of the reported work in the vicinity:

- Minfile 093H023 - Hardscrabble, Past Producer, Past Producer and Minfile 093H111 Hardscrabble Creek, Past Producer

- Minfile 093H076 - Mystery, Showing, is 2200 metres south

- Minfile 093H116 - Mosquito Creek Placer, Past Producer  , is 3 km. southeast along with Minfile 093H010 - Mosquito Creek, Past Producer (hardrock) and Minfile 093H115 - Red Gulch, Past Producer

- Island Mountain - Minfile 093H006, Past Producer,, is 5.5 km. southeast and the Minfile 093H019 - Cariboo Gold Quartz, Past Producer is 8.7 km. southeast and Minfile 093H140 - Bonanza Ledge, Developed Prospect is a further 3.5 km. south-southeast of the Hardscrabble claim. These properties are operated by Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. (formerly International Wayside Gold Mines) Barkerville Gold Mines operations may be viewed here.

The Willow River/Hardscrabble Creek area caters to those seeking mineable deposits with minimal interference with fishways and residential activity while still in proximity to Wells and Quesnel to provide the necessary supplies and infrastructure. The property is situated in a known mining area with a rich history of active and past operations.

BCgold.com’s 2012 appraisal of the property is $15,000. Priced at only $4,000 for 100%.

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