The Bralorne area is steeped in a rich history of gold exploration, discovery and production dating back to 1828. The area has not been fully explored and with improving gold prices the interest in this area has increased significantly. Mill Bay Ventures is one of the companies interested in continuing the exploration of the Bralorne area.

A Rich Tradition Continues
* The original claims that would eventually make up the Pioneer and Bralorne mines were first staked along Cadwallader Creek in 1897. Production was limited to small-scale operations until around 1916, when new owners sank the first incline shaft and extracted about $135,000 worth of gold from the Pioneer claims. Their first real "gold brick" wasn't poured until 1922. Several years later, they encountered richer veins and sank new shafts to follow the discoveries. The Bralorne mine opened in 1932, and the combined operations began a legendary "golden era" of mining.

* Old timers who worked at Bralorne and Pioneer during this period still talk excitedly about the clumps of gold as big as a man's fist. Ore grades, which averaged more than half-an-ounce per ton, were occasionally measured in many ounces per ton. The Pioneer was considered one of the world's richest gold mines. In 1935, it operated at 550 tons per day with an average grade of one ounce per ton.

* In its glory days, Bralorne Pioneer supported a town of 10,000 residents and provided hundreds of good jobs, even at the height of the great depression. Low gold prices forced the operation to shut down in 1971, but not before it had produced an astounding 4.1 million ounces of gold (worth US$1.6 billion at today's gold prices). Further interesting information is available on the Bralorne (BPN - V) web site. www.bralorne.com including "The New Discoveries" and the Matt Ball 87 page Technical Report.