Grafter
The Grafter claim adjoins the Best Chance claim on that claim's southwest border, west of the Copper Haul Road and not far from the Empress of India area.
The survey plans for the Best Chance and Grafter claims show that there may have been some confusion when Grafter was staked because the location of the Best Chance southwest boundary was not well understood. The intent was probably to include the Grafter Mine in the Grafter claim. But when the surveys for the claims were formalized, the Grafter Mine was in the Best Chance claim area.
The Grafter Mine was the second-most productive after the Pueblo in the years before 1920.
Chronology
- 1899: 5 August, staked by William Woodney, excavation of shallow shaft started
- 1901: shaft reached 50 ft (15 m) with 137 ft (42 m) of drift from bottom
- 1902: first shipment of ore
- 1902: Grafter Road (7.3 mi, 12 km) built roughly along present MacLean Lake Road, across the current airport to Puckett's Gulch (location of Black Street stairs); ore was loaded on the railway in Whitehorse
- 1904: 200 ft (61 m) of sinking and drifting had taken place to that point
- 1904–1905: no work done at all due to low copper prices
- 1906: work resumed
- 1907: 190 ft (58 m) shaft with 137 ft (42 m) of drift extended to 1000 ft (305 m) of shaft, another semi-circular drift of 150 ft (46 m) at the 50 ft (15 m) level
- 1907: large building was built onsite over the winter to house workers
- 1907: 30–40 tons (27,000–36,000 kg) of ore per day were hoisted to the surface by steam winch, bagged, and transported to Whitehorse, or perhaps the railway spur at Ear Lake, to be loaded on flatcars
- 1912: belonged to Atlas Mining Company, who also owned LeRoi, War Eagle, Pueblo, Best Chance, and Valerie
- 1912: August, new equipment ordered: boiler, air compressor, sinking pump, four rock drills, hoist
- 1915: re-opened due to increasing copper prices after being closed for some time (since 1907?)
- 1915–1917: major producer with weekly shipments of about 225 tons (204,000 kg)
- 1916: employed 29 men
- 1917: struck new deposit of high-grade ore in area around main shaft
- 1917: employed 20 men with occasional shipments of ore
- 1990: magnetometer survey (magnetic readings every 25 ft [7.6 m] along lines 200 ft [61 m] apart) and drilling conducted by Aurora Gold Ltd who optioned the property from Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting
- 1991: induced polarization testing took place
Access
The Copper Haul Road runs right by this area. You can park anywhere along the road. In one trip, you might also consider visiting the Empress of India area, which is immediately to the north. POI 1 for this area is only a short walk from POI 1 for Empress of India and Best Chance is just across the road. Spring Creek is in the same area.
Points of interest
The map below shows some points of interest (POIs) in the Grafter area. The table that follows gives more info for each POI.
| POI | Description | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grafter access | 60.67378 -135.12277 493292 6726459 |
This point on the Copper Haul Road is just a short walk down from the Empress of India access point and even closer to Best Chance. The double-track trail that heads south from this point leads to the Grafter Mine. You can walk up or even drive. But you may want to hike up from POI 2 instead. |
| 2 | Grafter loadout | 60.67341 -135.12222 493322 6726417 |
This jumble of rocks and timbers in the side of the Copper Haul Road is the location of the Grafter loadout, the structure used for loading ore onto railcars. If you climb up here and look up the hill (or follow the road from POI 1 and look back to this point), you will see the remains of the ore chute (flat boards, metal lining) and its supports (round timbers). Ore would probably come down the road from the mine by horse-drawn wagon to the point on the road just above the loadout. Ore would then go into the ore cute and tumble down into an ore storage bin. When a train would come along, little ore cars running perpendicular to the railway on what is now the Copper Haul Road would carry ore from the bin out over the railway and dump it into waiting cars. The main line was on the west and there was a parallel 146 m (480 ft) siding (switch only at south end) on the east. The loadout was probably capable of dumping ore into cars on either track. You might want to follow the line of the ore chute on foot the short distance up to the road. If you do, watch for nails and sharp metal. |
| 3 | Grafter Mine area | 60.67078 -135.12400 493224 6726125 |
This is a large open area of waste rock. The mine shaft was here but has been filled in. Explore the area around the gravel pit. There are other interesting artifacts in the forest, some of which may date from relatively modern diamond drilling operations. |
| 4 | crooked cabin | 60.67086 -135.12469 493186 6726134 |
This interesting crooked cabin is just to the north of the main mine site. It is sheltered by an adjacent rock face. If you look down from that rock face, you will see a tree growing from the roof. The purpose of this cabin is unknown. The wide gap in the wall is probably due to a missing log, not a design feature. |
| 5 | tin can midden | 60.66973 -135.12475 493183 6726008 |
There are many old tin cans in this area, which is at the dead end of a trail. Was this the garbage area or was it the area of the cookshack? Check the surrounding forest for other artifacts. |
| 6 | structure remains with stone foundation | 60.67072 -135.12588 493121 6726118 |
These remains of a log structure are distinguished by the stone foundation. The purpose of this structure is unknown. | 7 | structure remains | 60.67105 -135.12508 493165 6726155 |
The purpose of this structure is unknown but the presence of what seems to be an adjacent fence suggests that it may have been a stable. Or not. |
| 8 | vertical shaft | 60.67025 -135.12558 493138 6726066 |
Because this vertical shaft is on uneven ground, construction of a headframe to lift out ore and access by wagon to transport that ore away would have been difficult. Perhaps this was a ventilation shaft for the mine. |
| 9 | trench | 60.67137 -135.12525 493156 6726190 |
This overgrown trench was probably for exploration with hopes of finding a location for new ore extraction close to the original mine. Or it may pre-date the mine. |
| 10 | Grafter pit 2 | 60.67170 -135.12668 493078 6726227 |
Exploration pit |
| 11 | Grafter pit 3 | 60.67185 -135.12792 493010 6726244 |
Exploration pit, significant work. Some evidence of diamond drilling. |
| 12 | Grafter pit 4 | 60.67312 -135.12780 493017 6726386 |
Exploration pit. This is slightly outside the Grafter claim area in the Little Johnnie claim. |
Downloads
| POIs for GPS | map for GPS |
|---|---|
| file of POIs in GPS format for this project and all others in the Whitehorse Copper Belt that you can download | GPS map for this project that you can download |
Photos and more info
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POI 2. Loadout platform for the Grafter Mine on the Copper Haul Road just south of POI 1. |
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Supports for ore chute leading to the loadout platform (previous photo) looking down toward POI 2. |
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Video of the Grafter loadout taken from the road near POI 2. This video © 2020 Elizabeth MacDonald. |
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POI 3. Waste rock in the area of the Grafter Mine shaft, now filled in. |
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POI 4. Crooked cabin |
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POI 4. Crooked cabin |
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Drill casing firmly anchored in ground between POI 4 and POI 5. Left over from 1970s diamond drilling. |
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Some of the many tin cans near POI 5. |
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POI 6. Structure with stone foundation. |
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POI 8. Vertical shaft, possibly for ventilation. |
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POI 8. Vertical shaft, blocked. |
TimmiT History Exploration Notebook