The Cariboo-Amelia property at consists of 8 Crown granted claims – the Emma, Alice, Cariboo, Amelia, Maple Leaf, Sawtooth, Okanagan and Wiarton. Placer gold was recovered from Rock Creek and its tributaries as early as 1860. However it wasn’t until 1884 that lode gold was found on the area, followed 3 years later by the discovery of the Cariboo vein.

Camp McKinney is located in south-central British Columbia approximately 22.5 km (14 miles) northeast of Osoyoos, 14.5 km (9 miles) northwest of Rock Creek and 9.3 km (5.8 miles) due north of Bridesville. Access from B.C. Highway //3 is on the Mt. Baldy ski road, 3 km (1.9 miles) east of Bridesville. Camp McKinney is approximately 11 km (6.8 miles) along this well maintained gravel road.

In 1917, the property was held by the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company, who conducted assessment work and exploration. Numerous trenches and shallow shafts were sunk. The property was optioned by Bralorne and by Pioneer Gold Mines during the late1930’s. Some exploration and development were performed but no production was reported.

With the exception of minor leasing operations (approximately 2000 tons at an average grade of 0.65 oz./ton gold), the property remained idle until the late I950’s. Exploration by W.E. McArthur resulted in the discovery of an easterly faulted segment of the vein offset to the south of the old workings. This was developed and mined by McKinney Gold Mines Limited during 1960 to 1962. Production was 11,292 tons containing 12,001 ounces of gold and 14,261 ounces of silver using a 0.5 oz./ton gold cutoff. The average grade was 1.06 oz./ton gold and 1.26 oz./ton silver. Trenching and surface diamond drilling carried out at this time were unsuccessful in locating further ore. The mine was allowed to flood in 1962.

From 1983 to 1986 the property was under option to Zuni Energy Corp. Work completed consisted of magnetic and VLF-E M surveys, geochemical soil sampling (copper, zinc, arsenic) over the central part of the claims covering the Cariboo vein and its known extensions. Follow-up consisted of backhoe trenching (18 trenches totalling 675 metres) and sampling of the bedrock exposed.

Past production has been from quartz veins carrying free gold and auriferous pyrite. The known strike length of the Cariboo-Amelia vein is about 2500 feet with a vertical extent on the order of 500 feet.

The main mine in the district, the Cariboo-Amelia, which is included in the Crown Grants, produced 69,500 ounces of gold from ore grading 0.56 oz./t in the period 1894 to 1903. From 1960 to 1962 a further 13,000 ounces of gold and 14,000 ounces of silver were produced from approximately 13,000 tons of ore. All of this past production was based on a cutoff grade of 0.5 oz./t. The Cariboo-Amelia mine was reportedly the first gold mine in B.C. to pay a dividend to its shareholders.

In total, the mine produced 82,500 ounces of gold which today would be worth approximately $185.6 million.