Some other fascinating gold mines that were officially discovered in the Matachewan area of Northern Ontario, Canada, became known as the Stairs Gold Mine. When the old legendary gold boom had occurred, several prospectors started their own long journey through the wilderness. Besides prospectors, the area was also filled with eager exploration companies who already had mines developed within the area. One of these companies had eventually discovered a small gold occurrence zone in 1944. Soon enough the Upper Canada Mines Limited had other ideas when a wack of prospecting and trenching had occurred. Much of this whole entire exploration phase was aimed to see how continuous this gold deposit was. After one full year of examining this property the mining company folded and the mine was acquired by the Sherwood Gold Mines Limited in 1947. Corporate officials who owned the property had started doing further exploration studies that included a geological survey. In several cases Geological Surveys are commonly known to provide information on any mineralization's that are found beneath the ground. Collecting this type of information lets a company observe how many potential deposits this area could hold. After not succeeding the mining company also decided to abandon all mining operations within the undeveloped claim. The mining zone soon experience another wave of prospectors who became encourage to try their luck on this zone. By 1956, Anderson and Clark had other ideas in mind that involved a huge massive diamond drilling program totalling 450 feet of core sample. Nevertheless, these samples didn't provide anything encouraging to develop a mine site so the claim was once again abandoned.
By 1959, the mining site was once again examined for any potential findings that was now claimed by I.C Stairs. Unlike the rest of the prospectors, I.C Stairs had eventually came across a vein which was discovered by diamond drilling. He started doing six more diamond drill holes that would obtain 550 feet of core sample from this vein zone. With heavy indications of gold being present, the prospector had formed his own company and would end up naming this claim the Stairs Gold Mine. The company was strongly known as the Stairs Exploration and Mining Company that was registered to I. C Stairs. He immediately commenced further exploration studies which included Airborne Geophysical Surveying and prospecting. Some more diamond drilling would end up transforming this claim into a small scale gold mine which discovered a gold filled fracture zone. Further explorations on this claim would continue to take place from 1959 to 1962.
By 1962, the Stairs Exploration and Mining Company had started up production once again on this gold mining claim. Almost all operations would continue to take place from October, 15 to December, 19, 1962. More development would continue in November of that same year when the company had driven an adit on claim No.26662. This Adit was reported to have been driven at an angle of 20 degree for a distance of 80 feet to intersect the vein zone at a 100 foot vertical depth. Besides developing this adit the company also place major exploration phases that include 300 feet of surface trenching that average depths of 2.5 and 3 feet. Some other things that became constructed was the much need structures that included a combined bunkhouse, and cookery, a diesel generator house, a compressor house, and machine shop, No other development had continued throughout 1962 as the mine was entering it's own development stages at the time.
Development in 1963 was mainly aimed at further expanding the incline adit as it was driven to a depth of 100 feet In addition to this development the company started on expanding this operation when headings became driven to the north, west, and east from the bottom of this adit. As more development continued the company would soon commence another major expansion when a vertical raise was slashed out in order to start on the three compartment No. 1 shaft. Before the shaft was officially started the Stairs Exploration and Mining Company had designed this shaft to reach the 700 foot level with plans on sinking it in 1964. By the end of 1963, the company was well of with this mining operation when 504 feet of drifting, and 493 feet of crosscutting became completed. Besides development the company also place major exploration stages when 91 diamond drill holes, totalling 46,353 feet from the surface, and 27 hole totalling 4,935 feet from underground had been completed. Further construction was also escalating on the much need structures that include another bunkhouse, staff house, drill core house, garage, storage buildings, head-frame, shaft service building, hoist-room, and assay office.
Far more expansions to the mining operation had continued to take place in 1964, when the three compartment No. 1 vertical shaft was reaching a new depth of 683 feet. Much of this development would end up opening new mining levels that became determined as the 200, 350, 500, and 650 foot levels as they we're cut, and station at vertical depths of 201, 354, 491, and 641 feet. By this time the company's workforce would continue constructing far more lateral development towards this mining operation. In all development the company soon had constructed 1,478 feet of drifting, 1,747 feet of crosscutting, and 375 feet of raising. This newly constructed area soon made the mine have its own development footage of 1,982 feet of drifting, 2,240 feet of crosscutting, and 375 feet of raising. It was also determined that the company would start on stoping procedures within this mining project. Some more work also commence when a diamond drilling campaign was started on the surface, and it's underground workings. Diamond drilling from the surface had consisted of two holes that totalled 504 feet, and ten holes became drilled from underground which totalled 7,647 feet. As the mining operation continued to expand the company had other ideas when they decided to commence excavations towards an underground mill site, and a total of 13,000 cubic feet of rock was removed. Even hoisting was now taking place as the company soon had hoisted a total of 4,137 feet of ore from the mine that year.
Mining operations in 1965, had been mainly confined to further developing the levels, and some diamond drilling procedures. After coming to an agreement the company decided to fully built a 75 tonne underground milling facility that was constructed on the 80 foot level. Even lateral development was now comprising ir's own total development footage of 3,191 feet of drifting, 2,947 feet of crosscutting, and 1,145 feet of raising. With the mine becoming very extensive the company would also conduct more diamond drilling when 22 underground holes, totalling 4,419 feet were completed, and 10 holes, totalling 3,673 feet became establish on the surface. Besides only diamond drilling the company had other ideas when it started on more surface trenching, that totalled 1,200 feet, and was reported to have a depth of 4 feet. More structures would also become developed when the company added a cold storage warehouse, and another assay office.
All mining operations on the Stairs Gold Prospect was officially taking place from January, 1 to April 30, 1966, when the company abandoned mining operation. Even milling operations became short lived during 1966 when the mill was only operating from January, 1, to May, 15 of that year. But before the mine became abandoned it was rather developed very extensively as the service adit was 149 feet long that was constructed by a crosscut. Another level known as the 80 foot level was also expanding within this adit zone as it consisted of 682 feet of drifting, 952 feet of crosscutting, and 136 feet of raising. Further extraction procedures we're also escalating on the mines 200 foot level, which now included 695 feet of drifting, 236 feet of crosscutting, and 425 feet of raising. Some more extensive lateral development was also done on the 350 foot level that comprise of 452 feet of drifting, 237 feet of crosscutting, and 152 feet of raising. The second last production level that was located on the mines 500 foot level was opened up by 782 feet of drifting, 1,126 feet of crosscutting, and 237 feet of raising. Even more development would also continue on the mines 650 foot level that totalled 580 feet of drifting, 335 feet of crosscutting, and 195 feet of raising. Soon enough the mine was once again closed in 1966 as company officials started once again investigating several conductive zones. These newly design explorations however did not come across anything big so all the mining equipment was sold in 1968, and the mine was officially abandoned. Production from 1965 and 1966 had obtained 3,573 ounces of gold and 1,767 ounces of silver from 15,835 tons of milled ore.
By 1987, Goldteck Mines, Limited was progressing with rapid explorations on the Stair Gold Mine Property. This resulted in trenching by the use of blast caps, and back hoe in order to conduct sampling. One of these trenches is rather located at a distance of 500 m on the western edge of the Stair Gold Mine, and in between Frank, and Mule Lakes. The following stratigraphy is present within the area which is indicated below: Extensive exploratory work consisted of a preliminary program of line cutting, geophysical reconnaissance, and test survey was carried out during February, 1987. Much of the purpose in doing this work was to establish a base for evaluation of previous work on the property, and to delineate major magnetic and electrically conductive zone that may be associated with gold-bearing zones. Line cutting that was completed had totalled 76.7 kilometers, all which was surveyed magnetically at 20 meters stations with a line spacing of 40 to 80 meters. This resulted in the completion of a Test AC restivitiy survey that was completed over 27.5 kilometers in the western portion of the grid. Most of these surveys were aimed at locating conductors and other geological and structural features that may be associated with gold-bearing zones. For the most part, the grid would allow geological and engineering data to be examined from previous work to be tied in to the present work. Each of the surveys were manage by the Greater Temagami Mines, Limited that was the main contractor at the time. It was also at this point in time when the stair property had consisted of 124 claims located in the northwestern portion of Midlothian Township, and the Northeastern Portion of Holiday Township.
0 - 7 m : The area is covered by polymictic conglomerate in which some of the matrix and pebbles are composed of rust stained carbonate. This formost similar rusty conglomerate unit is known to extend from the site of Midlothian Lake for several kilometers east along the road to the United Asbestos Mine. Much of the pebbles in conglomerate include green carbonate muscovite bearing, carbonate rock, in which is fuchsite, or mariposite, to greywacke (quartz feldspar Sandstone, black, white, and clear chert, and mudstone.
7 to 95 m - Much of the top of this unit is known to contain boulder of the overlying polymictic conglormerate that have been so depressed to which the underlying fine grained detrital and chemical sediments are present. Each of the latter sediments are known to have been reworked as exhibited by crossbedding. This leaves a thin bedded carbonate with a layer averaging 1 cm thick, and is more resistant dark grey siltstone, averaging a thickness of 3 mm on the northern side of thicker rusty brown fine. This rather suggest that the tops are known for facing north, and strike 0290 degrees, and dip 080 degrees north. Some of these bedding are also known to be siliceous cherty, and broken apart by the possibility of shrinkage coinciding with dewatering, and accommodate fluidized rusty carbonate material from above, and below to now filled spaces resulting from the shrinkage.
9.5 - 13 m - Most of this interval is composed of leached out beds of presumed carbonate leaving residual ladder vein stockworks of silica and carbonate. It the carbonate, and silica that may have migrated upward into a rectangular shaped network of open fractures or shrinkage cracks. Each long dimension of a rectangle is subvertical and parallel to the bedding. This also one example of conical concretion which resembles an Archean pseudofossil that was obtained from this site, Much of the beds between the ladder vein are beds of massive chert.
78 - 98 m - The units are commonly known for consisting of black carbonaceous schist interbedded with fairly massive rusty brown carbonate rock, and grey slaty mudstone. At 90 m, the beds are known to be black carbonaceous with a strike of 0290 degrees, and a dip of 080 degrees south.
98 - 106 m - For the most part, polymictic conglomerate rather contains lesnes of black schist, which overlies a dark chocolate brown carbonate rock. This is also followed by almost pure marcasite along the fractures of which are pyrite cubes and in turn overlies pale rusty buff coloured sericite schist. The Marcasite layer is rather believed to be the source of numerous nodule shaped pebbles of iron sulphide in polymictic conglomerate found to extend across most of Halliday, and Midlothian Townships.
By 1988, Goldteck Mines, Limited was well off with the project when diamond drilling consisted of nearly 65,000 feet. This also resulted in dewatering the workings to the mines 350 foot horizon, in which drilling had confirmed the extension of the Pope Vein below the mine workings.
By 1959, the mining site was once again examined for any potential findings that was now claimed by I.C Stairs. Unlike the rest of the prospectors, I.C Stairs had eventually came across a vein which was discovered by diamond drilling. He started doing six more diamond drill holes that would obtain 550 feet of core sample from this vein zone. With heavy indications of gold being present, the prospector had formed his own company and would end up naming this claim the Stairs Gold Mine. The company was strongly known as the Stairs Exploration and Mining Company that was registered to I. C Stairs. He immediately commenced further exploration studies which included Airborne Geophysical Surveying and prospecting. Some more diamond drilling would end up transforming this claim into a small scale gold mine which discovered a gold filled fracture zone. Further explorations on this claim would continue to take place from 1959 to 1962.
By 1962, the Stairs Exploration and Mining Company had started up production once again on this gold mining claim. Almost all operations would continue to take place from October, 15 to December, 19, 1962. More development would continue in November of that same year when the company had driven an adit on claim No.26662. This Adit was reported to have been driven at an angle of 20 degree for a distance of 80 feet to intersect the vein zone at a 100 foot vertical depth. Besides developing this adit the company also place major exploration phases that include 300 feet of surface trenching that average depths of 2.5 and 3 feet. Some other things that became constructed was the much need structures that included a combined bunkhouse, and cookery, a diesel generator house, a compressor house, and machine shop, No other development had continued throughout 1962 as the mine was entering it's own development stages at the time.
Development in 1963 was mainly aimed at further expanding the incline adit as it was driven to a depth of 100 feet In addition to this development the company started on expanding this operation when headings became driven to the north, west, and east from the bottom of this adit. As more development continued the company would soon commence another major expansion when a vertical raise was slashed out in order to start on the three compartment No. 1 shaft. Before the shaft was officially started the Stairs Exploration and Mining Company had designed this shaft to reach the 700 foot level with plans on sinking it in 1964. By the end of 1963, the company was well of with this mining operation when 504 feet of drifting, and 493 feet of crosscutting became completed. Besides development the company also place major exploration stages when 91 diamond drill holes, totalling 46,353 feet from the surface, and 27 hole totalling 4,935 feet from underground had been completed. Further construction was also escalating on the much need structures that include another bunkhouse, staff house, drill core house, garage, storage buildings, head-frame, shaft service building, hoist-room, and assay office.
Far more expansions to the mining operation had continued to take place in 1964, when the three compartment No. 1 vertical shaft was reaching a new depth of 683 feet. Much of this development would end up opening new mining levels that became determined as the 200, 350, 500, and 650 foot levels as they we're cut, and station at vertical depths of 201, 354, 491, and 641 feet. By this time the company's workforce would continue constructing far more lateral development towards this mining operation. In all development the company soon had constructed 1,478 feet of drifting, 1,747 feet of crosscutting, and 375 feet of raising. This newly constructed area soon made the mine have its own development footage of 1,982 feet of drifting, 2,240 feet of crosscutting, and 375 feet of raising. It was also determined that the company would start on stoping procedures within this mining project. Some more work also commence when a diamond drilling campaign was started on the surface, and it's underground workings. Diamond drilling from the surface had consisted of two holes that totalled 504 feet, and ten holes became drilled from underground which totalled 7,647 feet. As the mining operation continued to expand the company had other ideas when they decided to commence excavations towards an underground mill site, and a total of 13,000 cubic feet of rock was removed. Even hoisting was now taking place as the company soon had hoisted a total of 4,137 feet of ore from the mine that year.
Mining operations in 1965, had been mainly confined to further developing the levels, and some diamond drilling procedures. After coming to an agreement the company decided to fully built a 75 tonne underground milling facility that was constructed on the 80 foot level. Even lateral development was now comprising ir's own total development footage of 3,191 feet of drifting, 2,947 feet of crosscutting, and 1,145 feet of raising. With the mine becoming very extensive the company would also conduct more diamond drilling when 22 underground holes, totalling 4,419 feet were completed, and 10 holes, totalling 3,673 feet became establish on the surface. Besides only diamond drilling the company had other ideas when it started on more surface trenching, that totalled 1,200 feet, and was reported to have a depth of 4 feet. More structures would also become developed when the company added a cold storage warehouse, and another assay office.
All mining operations on the Stairs Gold Prospect was officially taking place from January, 1 to April 30, 1966, when the company abandoned mining operation. Even milling operations became short lived during 1966 when the mill was only operating from January, 1, to May, 15 of that year. But before the mine became abandoned it was rather developed very extensively as the service adit was 149 feet long that was constructed by a crosscut. Another level known as the 80 foot level was also expanding within this adit zone as it consisted of 682 feet of drifting, 952 feet of crosscutting, and 136 feet of raising. Further extraction procedures we're also escalating on the mines 200 foot level, which now included 695 feet of drifting, 236 feet of crosscutting, and 425 feet of raising. Some more extensive lateral development was also done on the 350 foot level that comprise of 452 feet of drifting, 237 feet of crosscutting, and 152 feet of raising. The second last production level that was located on the mines 500 foot level was opened up by 782 feet of drifting, 1,126 feet of crosscutting, and 237 feet of raising. Even more development would also continue on the mines 650 foot level that totalled 580 feet of drifting, 335 feet of crosscutting, and 195 feet of raising. Soon enough the mine was once again closed in 1966 as company officials started once again investigating several conductive zones. These newly design explorations however did not come across anything big so all the mining equipment was sold in 1968, and the mine was officially abandoned. Production from 1965 and 1966 had obtained 3,573 ounces of gold and 1,767 ounces of silver from 15,835 tons of milled ore.
By 1987, Goldteck Mines, Limited was progressing with rapid explorations on the Stair Gold Mine Property. This resulted in trenching by the use of blast caps, and back hoe in order to conduct sampling. One of these trenches is rather located at a distance of 500 m on the western edge of the Stair Gold Mine, and in between Frank, and Mule Lakes. The following stratigraphy is present within the area which is indicated below: Extensive exploratory work consisted of a preliminary program of line cutting, geophysical reconnaissance, and test survey was carried out during February, 1987. Much of the purpose in doing this work was to establish a base for evaluation of previous work on the property, and to delineate major magnetic and electrically conductive zone that may be associated with gold-bearing zones. Line cutting that was completed had totalled 76.7 kilometers, all which was surveyed magnetically at 20 meters stations with a line spacing of 40 to 80 meters. This resulted in the completion of a Test AC restivitiy survey that was completed over 27.5 kilometers in the western portion of the grid. Most of these surveys were aimed at locating conductors and other geological and structural features that may be associated with gold-bearing zones. For the most part, the grid would allow geological and engineering data to be examined from previous work to be tied in to the present work. Each of the surveys were manage by the Greater Temagami Mines, Limited that was the main contractor at the time. It was also at this point in time when the stair property had consisted of 124 claims located in the northwestern portion of Midlothian Township, and the Northeastern Portion of Holiday Township.
0 - 7 m : The area is covered by polymictic conglomerate in which some of the matrix and pebbles are composed of rust stained carbonate. This formost similar rusty conglomerate unit is known to extend from the site of Midlothian Lake for several kilometers east along the road to the United Asbestos Mine. Much of the pebbles in conglomerate include green carbonate muscovite bearing, carbonate rock, in which is fuchsite, or mariposite, to greywacke (quartz feldspar Sandstone, black, white, and clear chert, and mudstone.
7 to 95 m - Much of the top of this unit is known to contain boulder of the overlying polymictic conglormerate that have been so depressed to which the underlying fine grained detrital and chemical sediments are present. Each of the latter sediments are known to have been reworked as exhibited by crossbedding. This leaves a thin bedded carbonate with a layer averaging 1 cm thick, and is more resistant dark grey siltstone, averaging a thickness of 3 mm on the northern side of thicker rusty brown fine. This rather suggest that the tops are known for facing north, and strike 0290 degrees, and dip 080 degrees north. Some of these bedding are also known to be siliceous cherty, and broken apart by the possibility of shrinkage coinciding with dewatering, and accommodate fluidized rusty carbonate material from above, and below to now filled spaces resulting from the shrinkage.
9.5 - 13 m - Most of this interval is composed of leached out beds of presumed carbonate leaving residual ladder vein stockworks of silica and carbonate. It the carbonate, and silica that may have migrated upward into a rectangular shaped network of open fractures or shrinkage cracks. Each long dimension of a rectangle is subvertical and parallel to the bedding. This also one example of conical concretion which resembles an Archean pseudofossil that was obtained from this site, Much of the beds between the ladder vein are beds of massive chert.
78 - 98 m - The units are commonly known for consisting of black carbonaceous schist interbedded with fairly massive rusty brown carbonate rock, and grey slaty mudstone. At 90 m, the beds are known to be black carbonaceous with a strike of 0290 degrees, and a dip of 080 degrees south.
98 - 106 m - For the most part, polymictic conglomerate rather contains lesnes of black schist, which overlies a dark chocolate brown carbonate rock. This is also followed by almost pure marcasite along the fractures of which are pyrite cubes and in turn overlies pale rusty buff coloured sericite schist. The Marcasite layer is rather believed to be the source of numerous nodule shaped pebbles of iron sulphide in polymictic conglomerate found to extend across most of Halliday, and Midlothian Townships.
By 1988, Goldteck Mines, Limited was well off with the project when diamond drilling consisted of nearly 65,000 feet. This also resulted in dewatering the workings to the mines 350 foot horizon, in which drilling had confirmed the extension of the Pope Vein below the mine workings.
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