The Torres past-producing gold-silver mine is located about 3 kilometres south-southeast of Orofino Mountain, about 12 kilometres east of Keremeos, in the Osoyoos Mining Division.

The deposit and surrounding geology are described on the British Columbia Minfile page, current to November 1996; selected parts of the description are quoted, as follows:

“The Torres occurrence is located within Middle Jurassic diorite and dioritic feldspar porphyry that has been subsequently intruded by granite and granodiorite of the Jurassic Oliver plutonic complex. To the immediate south of the occurrence lies metasediments and metavolcanics of the Carboniferous to Permian Kobau Group. Chloritic schist with intercalated limestone, greenstone and serpentinite comprise lithologies of the Kobau Group. Younger aplite and lamprophyre dikes are found crosscutting all older rock units.

The old workings were restaked on [as?] the Mars 1 claim, which is underlain by diorite. The quartz veins occupy a shear zone in diorite. The veins contain lenses and disseminations of pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, gold and silver. Cross faults have displaced some of these veins about a metre.”

Giles Peatfield comments:

The Torres ‘Mine’ is a minor gold vein deposit, from which there has been a very small amount of production. British Columbia Government records state that there was a 2 tonne shipment of ore in 1935, to an unstated smelter, from which a total of 187 grams (6 troy ounces) of silver were recovered. In 1973, a total of 42 tonnes of direct shipping ore yielded 622 grams (20 troy ounces) of silver, 62 grams (2 troy ounces) of gold, 80 kilograms of lead and 40 kilograms of zinc. Again the destination mill or smelter was not stated.

Comments on the minerals reported:
The minerals listed have been reported by several workers, most notably by Allen, although he may have been listing some of them based on earlier reports.

Of some interest is the apparent absence of reports of native gold. Notwithstanding reports of high gold assays – Freeland (1934) reported that “A picked sample assayed: Gold, 8 oz. per ton; silver, 80 oz. per ton.”, and next year (Freeland, 1935) reported that “About December 23 [1934] a 3 inch vein was struck in the foot-wall face of the adit, two samples of which assayed: Gold, 2.92 oz. per ton; silver, 24.5 oz. per ton; and 6 oz. gold per ton.” Cairnes (1937) wrote regarding “. . . several claims on Oro Fino [sic] mountain, a few miles northwest of Fairview camp, where quartz veins carrying free gold were found.” This would presumably include the Torres veins, although Cairnes does not specifically list these as having free gold. Cairnes (1937) wrote extensively on the subject of “free gold” (native gold) in the veins of the Oro Fino [sic] mountain area and the nearby Fairview camp. His general conclusion was that for the most part free gold was extremely fine in the quartz veins, and that at least some of the gold was in the sulfide minerals. In conclusion, it seems reasonable to assume that there is native gold in the Torres veins, but as it has not been specifically reported, it is not listed here.

Cockfield (1935), describing the Torres vein occurrence, wrote that “The showings consist of quartz veins of fair width in the Oliver granite. The lowest showing is on a quartz vein striking approximately east and west and dipping north at 40 degrees. A short adit has been driven on this vein, which is from 6 to 8 feet wide at the portal, narrowing down to 2 feet at the face. The vein consists of glassy quartz with many vugs. In the quartz in places along the adit very little sulphide mineralization was seen, but it is reported that galena, pyrite, and zinc blende were encountered in driving the adit. Above the adit the vein has been traced for 175 feet up the moderately steep hillside by means of open-cuts. At about 75 feet the vein is slightly faulted, but appears again in the open-cuts beyond, where its dip is about 60 degrees. At the end of the line of open-cuts the vein is again faulted. In this section of the vein, considerable pyrite appears in the quartz. There are no open-cuts above this point, but outcrops are reported on the top of the hill. These were not seen.”

Research by Giles Peatfield, Courtenay, British Columbia.
Posting prepared 04 April, 2026.

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Link to British Columbia Minfile:	082ESW108

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References