“This could turn out to be one of the biggest finds in the whole Kootenay, by far.”

Digging for gold (and actually finding it)

by Kyle Born — October 21, 2016

Darrel Davis has discovered a “staggering” gold deposit near Trout Lake, B.C. — Photo courtesy Darrel Davis

Life is good for Darrel Davis. He’s discovered a gold deposit near Trout Lake, B.C. which he is calling “one of the richest finds in the last hundred years.” He’s not rolling in dough just yet, but the potential is there. “I was surprised how rich it was,” he said. “I knew the gold was there, I just didn’t know how much. As it turns out, it’s an amazing find.”

To fully understand how significant Davis’s discovery is, let’s talk numbers. His first assessment of the gold deposit he found was 6.2 ounces per tonne. “An ounce per tonne is staggering,” said Davis. “Six ounces per tonne is unheard of. The second assay I got back had it at 19 ounces per tonne!” Not only is the gold even higher in quality than originally thought, there’s more of it than anticipated too. “The original vein we thought was 2.5 metres wide,” he said. “It turned out to be 24 metres wide. It went from a significant deposit to a major deposit.”

“In 1982 two geologists wrote in their report that they couldn’t see any mineralization, and they walked all over it.”

Davis isn’t cashing in his golden goose just yet though. As you might imagine, a man sitting on a pile of gold has options, with plenty of takers wanting a piece of the action. He’s already met with a few mining companies but hasn’t decided what to do yet. Davis’ plan is to mull over his decision throughout the winter and do some diamond drilling in the spring to outline how big the deposit really is. He’s been mining and exploring for 37 years and owns his own company—Davis Mining and Exploration Corporation—so he could do the work himself if he so chooses. “Everyone wants to have controlling interest and I really don’t like giving that up,” Davis said. “I don’t want to make a mistake on doing the wrong thing, ’cause it could be millions of dollars.”

What makes this find even more remarkable is that it should have been discovered over 30 years ago. “Back in 1982 there were two geologists that missed it by about six feet,” Davis said. “They walked all over it and didn’t even know it!”

Yup, life is good for Darrel Davis as he sits perched on his mountain of gold.