Exhibit 10.17


                              TREND MINING COMPANY
                                401 Front Avenue
                                     Suite 1
                           Coeur D'Alene, Idaho 83814

December 18, 2001

Mr. Larry Buchanan
720 Faith Street
Ashland, OR 97520


         Re:      Loan Facility


To Whom It May Concern:

1)   By this letter agreement, you hereby agree to loan to Trend Mining Company
     ("Trend") an aggregate amount of THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($30,000) (the
     "Loan").

2)   Trend, for value received, hereby unconditionally promises to pay to you in
     U.S. dollars and immediately available funds the entire outstanding
     principal amount of the remitted Loan immediately after completion of a
     private placement of any shares of Trend and concurrently with any amounts
     repaid to Electrum LLC of its loans to trend and others having provided
     loan facilities of this type to Trend. Trend further promises to pay
     interest on such outstanding principal amount at a rate equal to EIGHT
     PERCENT (8%) per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears. All computations
     of interest shall be based on a 365-day year and actual days elapsed. (The
     monies loaned to Trend under the Loan plus the interest provided for in
     this paragraph 2 are sometimes referred to herein as the "Loan Amount").

3)   In consideration for you providing the Loan to Trend, concurrent with the
     execution of this letter agreement, Trend agrees to issue you warrants to
     purchase 30,000 shares of common stock of Trend at $1.50 per share
     exercisable until January 9, 2004.

4)   Notwithstanding Trend's unconditional obligation to pay the Loan Amount
     when due instead of receiving repayment of the Loan Amount in U.S. dollars,
     you may elect in a notice sent to Trend on or before the Loan Repayment
     Date to require Trend to issue to you one "unit" of Trend securities for
     each $1.25 of the Loan Amount being converted (inclusive of interest
     thereon). Each "unit" will consist of one (1) share of Trend common stock
     and one (1) warrant to acquire a share of Trend common stock at a purchase
     price of $1.50 per share exercisable by you (and/or his assignee(s)) at any
     time on or before September 30, 2006. You may make the election described
     in this paragraph 4 with respect to all or any part of the Loan Amount.
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5)   Trend hereby agrees that it will cause the shares of common stock described
     herein and the warrants and the shares of common stock receivable upon
     exercise of the warrants described in paragraphs 3 and 4 hereof, to be
     registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and the "Blue Sky" laws of
     appropriate jurisdictions at the same time as the shares received by
     Electrum LLC and others who having provided loan facilities of this type to
     Trend and received shares of common stock, warrants and common stock
     receivable upon exercise of those warrants are registered under the
     Securities Act of 1933 and the "Blue Sky" laws of appropriate
     jurisdictions.

6)   The provisions of this letter agreement and the rights and obligations of
     the parties hereunder shall be governed by, and construed and interpreted
     in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without reference to
     conflicts or choice of law provisions thereof, and may not be amended or
     waived without the express written consent of the parties hereto.

7)   Trend hereby agrees that all costs for obtaining this Loan Facility,
     including for the preparation of this letter agreement and the side letter
     agreements and the legal costs thereof, shall be borne by Trend.

8)   This letter agreement may be signed in counterparts, each of which shall be
     deemed an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the
     same instrument.

                                                 Sincerely,

                                                 TREND MINING COMPANY


                                                 By: /s/ Kurt Hoffman
                                                     Name:  Kurt J. Hoffman
                                                     Title: President


                                                 AGREED TO:
                                                     Larry Buchanan


                                                 By: /s/ Larry Buchanan
                                                     Name:
                                                     Title: