PenandPaddle and I love this old mine site. She had brought me here a couple of times last year. On our last visit, I couldn't leave without marking this historical site with a few caches. There is an ATV trail (K&S) that you can follow and see some of the 'footprints' left behind by the working of the mine. The K&S ATV trail runs across Hwy 31A to the mine from old Bear Lake Rd. and runs right through the mine site. Stay on this easy trail to get all three caches.
The Lucky Jim Mine is located just off Hwy 31A between New Denver and Zincton, B.C. Zincton is a ghost town located in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, near Sandon. The town of Zincton was built to support the mining efforts in the area and was founded around 1892. The ore predominantly found in the area was zinc. Other commodities were silver,lead,cadmium,gold,and tin.
After more than six good years, the mine site was leveled by a disastrous forest fire in 1910. After the fire, the mine and camp were rebuilt and the name Zincton was being used for the site. In 1915, the town site opened a post office. Zincton’s population grew to 200, and the town site included two large bunkhouses, a cookhouse, a recreation hall and several houses for families.
The mine had many good years but was also shut down several times. In the fifties, when it was determined ore reserves had run out, the mine was shut down permanently. The mine was active 1883 – 1959. The town site was quickly abandoned. For several years, the site’s mine and residential buildings sat derelict, until a fire destroyed most of the relics in the 1980s. Although the site has long been abandoned and now taken over by nature, there are still many cement ruins at Zincton to remind explorers of a once unique venture in the Valley of Ghosts.