#116

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Geology The Towser occurrence is on the east side of Cup Creek, which drains to the north into Lardeau Creek. The Towser (L.1565) claim is between 1675 and 1750 metres elevation. It is down slope from the Sunshine (L.1564) claim, which is part of the Silver Cup mine property [082KNW027]. The Towser vein is on the projection of the Silver Cup vein system and the tenure is crossed by the mine's tramway and straddles its access road. The Towser claim was originally part of the Silver Cup Group and it was extensively explored on surface and underground by means of adits and raises in the late 1890s. At that time, the Towser and neighbouring Sunshine claims were bonded to the Lillooet, Fraser River and Cariboo Gold Fields Company Limited, and Sunshine Mining Limited was established to carry out the development work. In 1899, the ground was acquired by J.M. Skeoff on behalf of Chicago interests. Later, in about 1915, C.T. Porter and Associates of Spokane acquired the property and a small amount of ore was shipped in 1917. By then, most of the early workings, which amounted to approximately 152 metres of drifting and cross-cutting on one level, were in place. The partnership still owned the property in 1929. Silver Cup Mining and Milling Company Limited installed a 32 tonne per day flotation mill in 1937 and proceeded to mill low-grade, sphalerite-rich ore from the Silver Cup and Towser dumps. In 1972, True Blue Explorations Limited owned the Towser, Yuill [082KNW120] and Silver Cup [082KNW029] properties and conducted a limited work program. At that time the adits were open and some bulldozer trenching was done. Pandora Management Limited set up a jig and processed low-grade ore from the main dump the following year, however concentration proved to be difficult. By 1976, the Towser and Yuill properties where part of its Silver Chalice Group, owned by C.T. Exploranda Limited. The company drove a crosscut from the Yuill to intersect the Towser vein 75 metres below the Towser adit level. At the same time, C.T. Exploranda also cleaned out the Towser adit and described it as having 54.8 metres of crosscut, and 53.3 metres of drift "on a vein that is 1.52 metres wide but mineralized over widths of from 0.61 to 1.52 metres wide". The company suggested that the original workings had "wrongly" followed the schistocity, rather than the vein, for 30.5 metres. In the late 1970s, it drifted on the vein, conducted an underground diamond drill programme, drove a raise to surface and stoped some ore. Most of its later effort was on the Yuill vein on the Y 1500 level. In 1980, the company continued with further underground development work on the Yuill crosscut and the Towser vein. The crosscut was driven towards the Silver Cup vein, which was projected to lie to the southwest. There is a map of the underground workings in GCNL #51, March 13, 1985. It shows three, parallel, northwest trending veins approximately 60 metres apart. They are, from northeast to southwest, the Yuill, Towser and Silver Cup. Goldfever Resources Limited took over exploration in 1985 and continued to work underground on five, high-grade, lead-zinc-gold oreshoots. However, it too focused most of its effort on the development and mining of the Yuill vein. The Trout Lake area is underlain by a thick succession of sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Badshot Formation and Lardeau Group near the northern end of the Kootenay arc, an arcuate, north to northwest trending belt of Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata that is now classified as a distinct, pericratonic, terrane. The arc rocks are bordered by Precambrian quartzite in the east and they young to the west, where they are bounded by Jurassic-age intrusive complexes. They were deformed during the Antler orogeny in Devonian-Mississippian time and were refolded and faulted during the Columbian orogeny, in the Middle Jurassic. A large panel, the "Selkirk allochthon", was later offset to the northeast by dip-slip motion along the Columbia River Fault. The Badshot Formation is composed of a thick Cambrian limestone that is a distinctive marker horizon in the Trout Lake area. It is underlain by Hamill Group quartzite and it is overlain by a younger assemblage of limestone, calcareous, graphitic and siliceous argillite and siltstone, sandstone, quartzite and conglomerate, and also mafic volcanic flows, tuffs and breccias, all of which belong to the Lardeau Group. The rocks are isoclinally folded and intensely deformed, but only weakly metamorphosed. They occur as intercalated beds of marble, quartzite and grey, green and black phyllite and schist. Fyles and Eastwood (EMPR BULL 45) subdivided the group into six formations (Index, Triune, Ajax, Sharon Creek, Jowett and Broadview) of which the lowermost (Index) and uppermost (Broadview) are the most widespread. The Triune (siliceous argillite), Ajax (quartzite) and Sharon Creek (siliceous argillite) are restricted to the Trout Lake area. The Jowett is a mafic volcanic unit. The Towser claim is underlain by black siliceous argillite and phyllite of the Triune Formation which is in two panels on either side of a major northwesterly trending fault. All the rocks are highly folded, deformed and schistose. The foliation displays the regional northwest strike and has a moderate to steep dip to the northeast. The vein is weakly discordant and cuts siliceous slate. In 1899, it was described as "a strong vein of high-grade grey copper (tetrahedrite) and galena ore very similar to that found at Silver Cup". Later, in 1929, it was described as having well defined walls that strike at 163 degrees and dips steeply (approximately 70 degrees) to the northeast. The width varies considerably, but averages between 1.22 and 1.52 metres. The mineralization consists of pyrite, sphalerite, galena and some tetrahedrite and chalcopyrite in a gangue of quartz, carbonate and rock fragments. The quartz is white and generally coarsely crystalline; however, it locally contains vugs with finer-grained quartz. The sulphides occur in bunches and streaks. On surface, the vein has been exposed for 53 metres and is, on average, 1.52 metres wide. However, it is only mineralized over 0.61 to 1.52 metres widths.

[@aaronkeeth651]

epic description

[@risingtides3196]

‘Gotta have some balls to ride a dirt bike along here’, says the guy who explores forgotten tunnels in remote areas alone.. ‘Oh, it’s just a bear’... You are a legend, your videos have peaked my interest in all things mining. Thanks!

[@twinturbohenry]

"... I've never really had any trouble with bears, except that time I got bit by one." Hahaha, you are awesome Frank!!!! I can't get enough.

[@krehkreh8961]

Great video as always! I believe the funny looking plant is bear grass. Which is fitting because you spotted a bear soon after. The hole with crystals is called a vug.

[@danielbarrows7144]

Loved all the quartz crystals! 👍🏻💠✅ great video

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Glad you enjoyed

[@johnizitchiforalongtime]

Glad you had fun in this area. I'm out of shape and old, thanks for the adventures.

[@DaleDuffy]

That is really beautiful country, fantastic video, Frank..!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It really is!

[@gimiesome]

Thanks for sharing your adventures, Frank. That is some awesome country.

[@thescarlettbandit5542]

Yes! Hi Frank, from the uk... love these drone shots, such a beautiful area... thank you so much for all you do, always enjoy getting notifications from your channel. I watch you because your videos are interesting, informative and I get to see the great outdoors over there, and I have an interest in subterranean areas and ancient architecture. I’ve learned a lot over the years from you, and I appreciate it greatly, thank you 😊 stay safe man!

[@Dwendele]

My God, those views! It would take me forever to tear myself away from that, to explore the mine.

[@chuffer3d564]

So many incredible views... I could happily sit there all day looking off into the distance. Thanks for hiking all that way up Frank and showing us that abundant crystal deposit and remote mine.

[@dalton6439]

Those looks more like moutain bike trails. Great videos man, cant stop watching!

[@alvinosullivan2804]

Great video! Yes,i love the drone footage as well! That countryside is magnificent! Great to see the Bear! I love these old mine videos! I can really see the addiction,and I am constantly wating for my next fix,when you upload another one! Thank you!

[@OdySlim]

Nice job again Frank! As a kid I learned how sharp rocks can be digging up obsidian in California. About logging, my uncle owns a logging company in Oregon. As you mentioned, the mature trees need to be cut. What some dont know about is re-forestation. He re-plants after clearing out a property. Regards Ody

[@richardbethell2243]

Hi Frank, love your videos, been watching all day today, you should come to england and see the mines in wales, old roman gold mines etc regards rich

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Maybe one day!

[@oxskirra]

Frank you found drier mmines this time and a excellent spaot for crystals with the most spectacular views. That oven was a pretty cool artifact to find too.

[@barbararobinson7980]

All the drone footage from this show was absolutely spectacular, so clear and the landscape looks amazing, so, so beautiful. Loved the shot of the bear, happy that they moved away from the trail you were following especially as you don’t carry any kind of deterrent. The explore into the mine was interesting, although those timbers looked like they were about ready to crumble, but at least most of the water had drained away. The old wood stove with pans still sat on it was pretty cool. And wow, another crystal hoard, definitely awesome. Thank you Frank for another excellent show. Take care now.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Bears are a lot like people. They generally don't cause any problems but every now and again you run into a grumpy one!

[@williamfox4041]

Awsom quartz crystals and the towsand mine - where you found that first ore cart there was what looked a large hand operated crusher (morter and pestle). Don't know if you looked at it. They are as rare as hens teeth. Ones that size even rarer. Next time you're down here in southern california make sure to come up to the ridgecrest area. I will take you into the Kelly silver mine. Around 27 miles of tunnels I've been told. 12 above water. I have been thru 9 miles of it . There are two levels that had glory holes that are football field wide and two football fields long and 90 foot high. You should enjoy the trip. Getting ready to start my own KZbin channel called Desert Fox Adventures. Hope to hear from you. You have a great channel. Love it. You be safe and have fun. Bill Fox

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Wow that sounds like some big mines!

[@harrycolby2302]

Beautiful country Frank.... Let's go in the spring Frank...… It's like watching the Discovery Channel.... When it was the Discovery Channel.... Remember that?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The show might be on Discovery next year.

[@jamesmiller5655]

beautifull scenery man !! love it

[@CornishMineExplorer]

I am really blown away by the stunning scenery up there, I wouldn't want to leave! The crystals were nice finds, pretty mad how they were all loose like that. Shame that mine never went further, but possible higher adit going in I would think? Thanks for sharing this amazing place!

[@Buck1954]

I used to ride my dirt bike along mule fire trails to check on hikers in the Sangre De Cristo range. I was a teenager though. Some pretty sketchy trails, I admit. Carried a radio, emergency gear, big rope, and water. Only had to grab the rope and jump off after a guy tumbling down a mountain once. I was escorting trail bikers and one guy didn't know what he was doing. Beautiful country you are exploring.

[@rgp8038]

Awesome videos Frank.

[@rdamp2374]

Hi FrankGreat video again. Like the quartz crystals you found.I mine Quartz crystal in old coal mine striping's where I live.Stay Safe.

[@spencerhulme1203]

It is amazing scenery i bet the air was fresh - thank you again!

[@dalealyea6019]

You must have legs like a mountain goat to hike in this area. Good for you. I love your videos. Continue sharing your knowledge, be safe, and live live a long time in good health.

[@jburritt426]

How beautiful! Thanks for the video. Pretty. Very nice crystals.

[@willyfuder3056]

Great find, Frank! I would love to see those crystal pockets and collect some to make an Orgone Accumulator. That interesting plant looks like Queen Annes Lace to me. The settlers called it Wild Carrot and the Indians used a decoction of it for contraception. I gotta get up to Trout Lake looks like.

[@daveshrum1749]

Awesome video Frank. That is an extraordinary beautiful area. Stay safe rank can't wait to next video.

[@hike2]

Beautiful hike up there! Love the crystals!

[@CutthroatMcRage]

TY Frank … GREAT VIDEO REALLY ENJOYED IT !

[@Mister510]

That's a pretty good swath of quartz. I know a couple places in the Cascades in Washington where there are whole hillsides of quartz crystals. When I was a teenager you could fill your truck bed with them in one spot, just using a shovel.

[@philwellsify]

Your voice sounds like you aren't feeling well! Hope you get to feeling better and STOP CRASHING YOUR PLANES!!!!! Hahahahaha Love ya Frank and keep up the fantastic work!

[@gunnyu.s.m.c8606]

beautiful country, my compliments sir

[@demagmusic]

Cool crystals Frank! Soak the rusty ones in "Iron Out" and they'll brighten right up!

[@cobrasvt347]

Lol. When you said you parked the machine, I immediately had an image in my head of ya coming up the mountain riding a loky or a mucker. Hahahaaaha. What a sight that would make.

[@robertclarkguitar]

Killer work. One show that will grow huge. Keep it up Frank. Stay safe brother. I want to join one day. Lol

[@hairygriffon4151]

Having that drone fly around and get some awesome vids is schweet! Get some bear spray though haha ya crazy bearded canadian

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I have some.......just have to remember to bring it!

[@kylespraysammili9108]

Beautiful white patch on that bear

[@thecritic3710]

looks like that crystal area could be one giant geode! lol!

[@hookysprospecting3874]

that is one awesome place frank

[@ardeneques]

A lot of that regrowth looks like weeds though Frank, and that's not so good. Be fine if just a few people were clearing just small areas, but it's gone a long way from that around the world! But hey don't have to agree on everything... Love your videos, thanks for showing us the insides of mountains and such amazing and beautiful places.

[@patdenney7046]

Used to be places in Nevada the Holt Hilltop should be covered with crystals you could take Parker pickup in one spot Take 5 gallon buckets and you wouldn't even have to move your pickup and you could completely fill it up they were steam vents very high-quality crystals Crystal Hunters have pic most of the surface ones up many tons. Crystal Hunters have picked them all up on the surface and started to dig good size pits I was absolutely amazed Crystal fever must be like Gold Fever it's amazing the amount of work that this disease will cause.

[@buradholla1206]

another great video! thanks!

[@seanbelhumeur3840]

Awesome find

[@DFDuck55]

I have seen quartz crystals like that here in Northern California. I used to collect them and had hundreds on my front porch along with lots of other rocks and minerals. But some people seem to think it's okay to steal them, so now I have no (not even one) quartz crystal. -- Your drone footage is a perfect example of why Pilot Unions have been lobbying to ban drones. And why there are so many bogus "drone hit a plane" reports. Used to be to get that kind of footage you needed to pay many thousands of dollars to have a helicopter take you up. Now you can spend $1,200 or so on a drone and get that footage yourself. Helicopter and small plane pilots have lost a lot of work to drones. Between pilot unions and companies like Amazon that want to "own" the lower 400' airspace so they can make deliveries by drone, our hobby is under attack.

[@oxtuckian]

new subscriber today after watching the series of the last 2 weeks. Hooked me right in! Just wanted to thank you for the gorgeous views of a part of God's country, wow..just beautiful! Do you sell any of the crystals or stones on your adventures?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

No I have givin a few away.........mostly to women though!

[@oxtuckian]

[@exploringabandonedmines]

@@oxtuckian Well mostly 95% are men......out of the 5% they are mostly men on the ol ladies You Tube account! Hey but any hints on attracting more good looking women to watch me would be much appreciated!

[@paigelee6321]

Beautiful area

[@GoldenNorway1]

Nice video as always! Those crystals looked like citrin to me, but that might just be staining..? Either way, the matrix was mich whiter than the termination itself. Awesome find.

[@jeffd6540]

Yeah, Lets make some lazers from them crystals, LOL They'd have to be large and clear I think though.

[@RailPreserver2K]

Nice find frank

[@jizmoglass4202]

love your videos.

[@abettertomorrow5928]

Great video and I love the music choice aswell.

[@ukrulesall1]

Not sure which is more impressive, getting to ore out or putting in wood in!

[@shawnt8891]

Hey frank ever see and Sasquatch out in those woods?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

No ghosts either!

[@natedion8112]

Does that pound on the left hand side, does it have anything to do with the mines there??. Good morning y’all shout out from Oregon!!😎

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Not much

[@foxywhitetip7387]

Doesn’t look like they were too gentle on the area ..looks like a huge operation

[@thewolf3889]

As always you have the Best video's to watch. Also a great plug for Canada's beauty. 1 What Drone do you use ? The shots are amazing. 2 I'am glad you found more mines to explore. Thanks Frank.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I have a phantom 4

[@oldschoolmoto]

thumbs up great views. do you carry more than one gps incase one goes down to get back to the side by side or the truck

[@_MikeJon_]

It's crazy to think about how long those fish have been in that lake

[@paigelee6321]

Very.cool love crystals

[@aaronkeeth651]

these mines are massive, eclipsing any in California

[@deekrenn9953]

I have zero mining experience or knowlage, but this shit is such a hoot to watch. Whats the coolest thing you've found in a mine?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The stash of denim

[@packhorsetriumph5319]

this is a great channel

[@mstank121]

new drinking game , every time he says "up there"

[@JPVideos81]

Curious as to what camera you use?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Panasonic AGAC-30

[@VE6JMB]

Another great vid stay safe :)

[@caseywatkins4353]

I got a question for you. I go ATV riding in west virginia and we go near and sometimes on coal mine areas. There is a big pond that's called goldfish pond and it is a turquoise water unlike any other pond and I was wondering if you know of any runoff that could be from a mine. It is right next to a coal mine. People have built a big rope swing into it along with a small high dock to jump from.

[@caseywatkins4353]

Also it man made. They made a damn in between 2 hillsides and filled it up

[@robertrobinson2649]

Casey more than likely that is a sludge or sediment pond, it is built so mine drainage can settle out any heavy metal or chemical waste. Mine companies place fish in these ponds to easily to test for toxicity as required by reclamation laws, or so we have been told. The mine also use the water from the ponds for the machines that require it at the face.

[@caseywatkins4353]

@@robertrobinson2649 they have 2 of these blue ponds that I have seen, they are fairly smaller but they have 1 huge mini lake/ pond that is black filled with like paste. Is that a sludge pond? Also the small blue ponds drain into creeks and so on. We swam in it once hope we are okay lol. I gues there used to be a lot of goldfish but we didnt see any when we went

[@jonesfactor9]

Amazing view at 15:10!

[@maxpower755]

Another great video. How bad are the bugs? Can see and hear them buzzing around

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Horseflies were nasty there!

[@TheSWolfe]

I noticed the bear had it's own insect halo. No wonder they're always doing the bear-back tree scratch! They've no cow or horsetail for swatting.

[@qmmo]

Any correlation between the camera image stabilisation packing up and the bear sighting by any chance? 😂😂 Great vids by the way, takes me back a lot of years . . . . 😉

[@farvisions3871]

Light works pretty good. Better viewing.

[@Lalunabreeze]

Yikes, a bear.

[@johnfairsgoldpanningschool.]

The bad thing about fires is that they make the Hyalite opals turn white which makes them worthless.

[@lindadiesslin9613]

I would love to find crystals like that. How lucky. Is this in Canada.? I've watched your videos for a few years>

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Yes British Columbia Canada South of Revelstoke.

[@hopedraves9639]

That's how i found a lot of my quartz crystals i didn't get the chance to this year though.

[@hopedraves9639]

Next year it's on my to do list for sure!

[@patdenney7046]

Oh yeah easy to ride a dirt bike from that kind of ground. You could trip and fall down the side of the mountain I'm sure and places dirt bikes don't trip you got the centrifical force of the two wheels chain the motor centrifugal force wants to run straight up and down or or horizontal like your Gyro in a plane. Beautiful country I want to hear the story of how the bear bit you were you petting it okay you were just scratching it behind the ear.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I wasn't petting him......he was chasing me!

[@chrischerry6017]

Hey Frank what are the batt monitors for a

[@exploringabandonedmines]

They are doing base line research to find out how many times they wake from hibernation and how much energy they burn when they wake up.

[@kevinbrennan2004]

Interesting editing on that one Frank. Did you get some water in your mike?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Dirt or mud I think.

[@canastasiou68]

I've never seen so many pockets of crystals

[@resinartistry73]

Nice crystals! Hey what fps (frames per second) you filming in? For what your doing 30fps would be good. Not sure if your camera does 60fps but filming in that high of rate is for slow motion/speeding up filming but if you do that your lights in your video will start to flicker so no point trying that unless you wanna get artsy fartsy with some outside (natural light) shots and editing. Plus 60fps makes the filming more darty and less smooth unless you have a really good stabalizer. So for what your doing I suggest 30fps if your not using that already. If clarity is what you want it's all about lighting, manual settings on your camera (if you know how to work those) and a good lens that works in low light. Keep up the good work!

[@DFDuck55]

For artsy fartsy I like 25fps, the same as Hollywood films are done in. It's very pleasing to the eye and you get nice motion blur. Not a good frame rate for what Frank is doing, but if you want artsy cinematic footage 25fps can be nice.

[@resinartistry73]

@@DFDuck55 Definitely agree. I meant artsy fartsy with slow motions or speeding up footage. But I don't feel this type of filming isn't necessary for his style of movies. More just educating him on what a higher frame rate does, because I noticed he said a higher frame rate gives a clearer image so I wanted him to know 30fps is probably best for him and he probably shouldn't use 60fps unless he's looking at playing with the speed of his clips.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The camera is set at 60 frames per second but it if it doesn't have enough light it slows the frames per second down. It can go down to as low as 7 frames per second.

[@resinartistry73]

@@exploringabandonedmines 60fps will make your your filming more shaky. Have you tried 30fps? I recommend that will be the best setting for the type of filming you do. If you want a clear image a good quality lens that specializes in low light would work wonders for you.

[@aprilgoetz9590]

Hey look a bear! Better climb a tree 😂 you should get a bear bell for your pack.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

That is like a diner bell for hungry bears........plus who wants to hear that all day?

[@aprilgoetz9590]

Exploring Abandoned Mines well let’s see. I carry bear bells and I have never been bitten. You do not but you have been bitten. Soooo you do the math 🙃

[@scotturquhart4311]

What are the Bat moniters for?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

To count the bats.

[@martyjackson4806]

Only been bit by a bear once.... There must be more to that story.

[@aprilgoetz9590]

Marty Jackson it’s a good one

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I told the story on one of my live broadcasts. April can tell you which one....

[@GTGibbs]

Hey Frank! What about Aniox

[@Rambogner]

When you go up the hills, Frank, do you normally take a 12 gauge for bears?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

No it is too heavy.......and I have only ever been attacked by a bear once, probably won't happen again!

[@1cuttymore]

Timber the most renewable resource on the planet. Eco friendly.

[@edd6113]

You need a bigger drone with a seat underneath!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I just bought one!

[@e.7.2521]

Love to get ahold of you, to come explore. How can I reach you.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

join Exploring Abandoned Mines on Facebook ar call 250-444-0183

[@amandaprimorac]

Do you guys ever see anything you cannot explain? "Ghosts"?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Weird noises but I doubt they are ghosts!

[@GTGibbs]

Aniox a visit into the Past. For a Title for the video?

[@SuperMika70]

😎

[@rainbruce7788]

is there anyone who worksed in mining before？how to use resin capsule anchors？who can tell me best wishes！

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I have not worked in a mine.

[@carnivoreRon]

I cringed when the metal started scraping out crystals...

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Yeah they are pretty fragile.

[@BestBuddies.]

Frank get a gold panning licence and then you can pack around a pistol and shoot the bears if you have to. or just buy a defender but they weigh a lot

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I have a defender but it is too heavy to pack. I was only ever attacked by a bear once.......it won't happen again!

[@christysteen2989]

hey I saw that you found a bunch of crystals..... can you send me some... please. I'll give you my info privately.

[@7curiogeo]

Come on do you really know what a awesome quarts xtl looks like I think not.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I thought it was awesome.......sorry if you were disappointed!