( Originally Published Early 1900's )
As already mentioned, lead occurs in British Columbia, mainly in the form of argentiferous galena or silver lead ores. These occur, and are mined in many districts : the most important of which is known as the Slocan district, on Slocan Lake and River, in the interior of British Columbia. Other silver lead deposits are found in the Ainsworth, Lardeau, Trout Lake, Revelstoke, Illicillewaet, and Goat River divisions, in West Kootenay; also in the Golden, Windermere, and Fort Steele divisions of East Kootenay. The famous St. Eugene Mine is situated in this last division. Owing to unfavourable market conditions, and difficulties in transportation, many of the lead deposits of British Columbia have been abandoned for the present, but, as in other cases, they constitute reserves which could be drawn on at very short notice.
In 1908 the total production of lead amounted to nearly 48,000,000 pounds, and was all derived from British Columbia. There are deposits of galena in Ontario and in Nova Scotia ; but they are not argentiferous, and the low price of lead did not warrant these being worked for the production of the base metal alone. Among the Ontario localities where lead ores occur, we may mention Garden River, near Sault Ste Marie ; Goulais Bay, in Algoma district ; Madoc, and Lake townships, both in Hastings county.
In Nova Scotia, lead ores, some of which are more or less argentiferous, are known to occur in Guysboro, Colchester, and Cape Breton county.