Dankoe Mine (Utica Mine; Horn Silver Mine; Cawston), Keremeos, Osoyoos Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Dankoe Mine (Utica Mine; Horn Silver Mine; Cawston)	Mine
Keremeos	Village
Osoyoos Mining Division	Division
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

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An adit is just north of and can be seen from Highway 3, about 10 miles east of Keremeos.
It belongs to an area of low-temperature silver veins (N49.17127, W-119.78479) on the mountain overlooking the village of Cawston. The laumontite from this locality does not loose water and disintegrate.

A note from Dr. Giles Peatfield (August 4, 2021).

The Mindat site for the Horn Silver Mine near Keremeos, B.C. (Minfile No. 082ESW002).

A chronological listing of extracts from the Annual Reports of the British Columbia Minister of Mines. The references listing minerals said to be present are given.

1. The “Horn Silver” claim was Crown Granted on 05 October 1909. Minfile states that the claim was staked in 1901 by J. Hunter, but I cannot find an independent reference for this; the implication is that the claim was staked and worked prior to Crown Granting in 1909.

2. There was “some production” reported in 1915, and the mine was shipping ore in 1916 – presumably to a smelter or custom mill. The report speaks of transport to a railway siding, but provides no further information.

3. The mine was shipping ore in 1917. The report mentions “. . . native silver and argentite [acanthite], some iron [pyrite?] and small quantities of galena ”

4. There was minor production in 1918.

5. The mine was active in 1919. “The ores are pyrargyrite, argentite [acanthite], native silver, and gold in a gangue of quartz.”

6. There was some production in 1920 and 1921.

7. There was production in 1922. The ore was said to contain “. . . argentite [acanthite], native silver, pyrite, chalcopyrite, containing gold in a quartz gangue.”

8. There was very minor production in 1924 and development work in 1925.

9. The report for 1926 mentions that the ore “. . . contains argentite [acanthite], native silver, gold, galena sphalerite, pyrite and a trace of chalcopyrite”

10. There was some continued development in 1927.

11. In 1928 there was a report by Alfred R. Whitman, who described “The ore, which consists of native silver, silver sulphide [acanthite??], silver sulph-arsenide [proustite?? – not likely, might be the antimonide, pyrargyrite ??], lead sulphide [galena], and iron sulphide with gold, and sometimes a little copper sulphide [chalcopyrite?]”

12. There was minor development work in 1929, nothing in 1930, and the plant was dismantled in 1933.

13. In 1958, A.R.C. James stated “The silver-bearing minerals include native silver, argentite [acanthite] and cerargyrite [now chlorargyrite – note that this is the first mention of this mineral], also sparse pyrite, galena, sphalerite and minor grey copper [tetrahedrite?].” There was minor production in this year.

14. There was minor development work in in 1959.

15. In 1960, in a report by N.D. McKechnie, there is mention of “. . . galena, argentite [acanthite], tetrahedrite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite. Native silver, cerargyrite [chlorargyrite], and pyrargyrite are reported but were not seen by the writer”

16. The year 1963 saw minor diamond drilling, and there was development work in 1964, 1965 and 1966. In 1967, the mine was shipping ore and the mill was under construction. Later activity can be seen by referring to the Minfile listing.

The Geological Survey of Canada mentions the mine in at least three publications:

1. Hugh S. Bostock, in GSC Summary Report 1927 Part A reported that “Argentite [acanthite] and pyrargyrite are reported to occur, but no trace of either could be found in the specimens examined.” Note that there is no mention of cerargyrite [chlorargyrite].

2. C.E. Cairns in GSC Paper 37-21 stated that “. . . argentite [acanthite] and pyrargyrite are reported.” Perhaps this just refers back to Bostock?

3. R.J. Traill (1983) in GSC Paper 80-18 (“Catalogue of Canadian Minerals: Revised 1980) lists (on page 103) “acanthite, tetrahedrite, chlorargyrite, galena, sphalerite, pyrite and chalcopyrite [but not silver!] ”

He references Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia 1973, page 43. However, when one looks at this reference, one sees that the author is simply listing the minerals that were reported in earlier British Columbia Minister of Mines Annual Reports.

The Sutton-Thompson collection at the Pacific Museum of Earth (UBC) has specimens of the following minerals from the Horn Silver Mine: galena, sphalerite, silver, acanthite and laumontite. They have no listed specimens of: pyrite, tetrahedrite, chalcopyrite, pyrargyrite or chlorargyrite from the mine.

There are no confirmed data for the presence of either pyrargyrite or chlorargyrite; therefore these two minerals should be listed as reported but not confirmed.

The claim name “Horn Silver” implies, although it does not prove, that the original locator of the claim saw a mineral and interpreted it as “horn silver” (or cerargyrite as it was then known).


Refs.:
http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/cf/minfile/search/search.cfm?mode=capbib&minfilno=082ESW002
[contains Geology and Bibliography]

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

9 valid minerals.