Drill Hole 55 Intersects 0.55 Metres Grading 29.78 g/t Gold

Summer Program Initiated on Dubenski, Dogpaw and Angel Hill Targets

Sudbury, Ontario – May 20, 2009 – Houston Lake Mining Inc. (TSX.V: HLM), an advanced exploration company seeking gold, platinum group and rare metal deposits in Ontario, is pleased to announce results from the final 4 holes of an 18 hole, 2,000 metre (6,560 ft.) Phase III diamond drill program conducted on the Company’s 100 percent optioned Dubenski Property located near Kenora, Ontario (see Table 1). Phase II and III drill results successfully extended the Phase I drill program and NI 43-101 resource from 60 metres to 365 metres along strike. A new NI 43-101 report and gold resource calculation incorporating all three drill programs is expected to begin in the next few weeks. Technical crews have been mobilized to the project to commence summer programs of mapping, prospecting, mechanized stripping and channel sampling.

“We continue to receive excellent results from our systematic drilling of the Dubenski Mineralized Zone,” commented E. Grayme Anthony, President and Chief Executive Officer. “32 of 40 holes of the Phase II and III drill programs have intersected significant grades of 3.5 g/t gold or higher. Given the consistency of the gold tenor and widths encountered we feel confident that the new resource calculation will substantially upgrade the Phase I mineral resource at Dubenski. We have not yet closed off this resource and our drilling and IP surveys indicate that there is still much to discover at Dubenski.”

Table 1. 2009 Core Length Drill Hole Intercepts, Dubenski Mineralized Zone

Drill holes DB-09-51 and DB-09-54 targets the Central Zone while hole DB-09-55 evaluates the eastern extension of the Shaft Zone.  Drill holes DB-09-56 and DB-09-57 tests the Far East Zone. In all cases, the gold mineralization coincides with highly altered rocks strikingly similar to that encountered in Phase I and Phase II drilling of the Shaft Zone. Results from a total of 144 drill core samples were returned with values ranging from trace to 29.78 g/mt gold (0.869 oz/st Au). Drill hole DB-09-55 recorded the best core length intercept of 10.90 metres grading 2.28 g/mt gold (35.75 feet grading 0.067 oz/st Au) including 29.78 g/mt gold over 0.55 metres (0.869 oz/st Au over 1.80 feet).

Table 2. Collar Locations for 2009 Drill Holes, Dubenski Property.

The above table illustrates collar locations for the four drill holes. The holes were drilled at 45 and 60 degrees and the results are reported as core lengths. True widths are assumed to be respectively 70.7 and 50.0 percent of the reported core lengths. 

Houston Lake is currently funded for an extensive summer program of surface work at West Cedartree. At Dubenski an NI 43-101 resource calculation is planned to incorporate results of Phase II and III drilling into an upgraded Shaft Zone resource. Trenching and stripping is also scheduled to follow up to investigate geophysical and drill identified targets.  Further drilling is planned for later in the summer. At the Dogpaw property other historic vein systems are planned to be prospected and mechanically stripped. Results from downhole geophysical testing of Dogpaw are pending and will be utilized to guide future drilling. Further prospecting, geological mapping and mechanized stripping is planned for the Angel Hill trend. Results from IP geophysical surveys are pending and will guide this follow up work. Crews have been mobilized to the property to commence these surface programs.

About the Dubenski Property

The Dubenski property is one of eight contiguous properties comprising the Company’s 100% owned and optioned 1,674 hectare (4,135 acre) West Cedartree Gold Project located near Kenora, Ontario. The project area encompasses three zones hosting gold resources at Angel Hill (NI 43-101 compliant), Dogpaw Lake No. 1 Vein (historic) and Dubenski Shaft (NI 43-101 compliant).

The Dubenski property contains an historic resource which was reported to extend to a depth of 150m (492 ft.) and includes the Shaft, Central and East Zones. Consulting geologists Watts Griffis and McOuat (WGM) of Toronto were contracted to carry out a technical review of the Dubenski Property and design and supervise a definition drilling program in order to prepare a NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource estimate for the Dubenski Shaft Zone portion of the historic gold resource (see Company Press Release dated January 16, 2009).  The categorized Mineral Resources at a 1.0 g Au/t cutoff are:

Table 3. Summary of Shaft Zone Mineral Resource Estimate
(Cutoff of 1.0 g Au/t)

 Notes: Au is capped at 50 g/t, assumed gold price was US$650/ounce

The NI 43-101 report is now available at www.sedar.com and at the Company’s website at www.houstonlakemining.com .

Drilling by Houston Lake in winter of 2008 has defined the Shaft Zone for a strike length of 60 metres (197 feet) and to a depth of approximately 100 metres (328 feet). Phase II drilling has traced the gold mineralized rocks of the Shaft Zone for a total strike length of 170 metres (557 feet). Phase III drilling succeeded in extending this zone to 365 metres (1,197 ft.) along strike. A further 1,335 metres (4,379 feet) of strike length of the Dubenski Mineralized Zone (DMZ), a 1,700 metre (5,576 foot) long corridor of high IP chargeability, has yet to be tested. This chargeability response has been traced to depths of over 400 metres on the property.

Due Diligence

All samples reported were shipped to TSL Laboratories, an ISO accredited facility, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  Samples were analyzed by fire assay utilizing a 50 gram charge.  All samples were assayed with an AA finish and those samples assaying above 3 g/mt gold were retested utilizing a gravimetric finish.  The samples will also be re-checked at a second qualified laboratory in keeping with the Company’s standard due diligence procedures.

Bryan McKay, P. Geo. and Dean Cutting, P. Geo., Independent Consulting Geologists and E. Grayme Anthony, P. Geo., President of the Company, are the Qualified Persons under the guidelines of NI 43-101 for the technical aspects of this news release.

About Houston Lake Mining Inc.

Houston Lake is an advanced, vertically integrated resource exploration company.  The Company is actively exploring for gold, platinum group metal and rare metal deposits in northwestern Ontario with a strategic focus on the West Cedartree gold project.  Houston Lake’s objective is to become a gold producer by surface mining its West Cedartree gold project and developing its 100% owned and optioned properties.  The Company has a total of 34,257,638 common shares issued and outstanding.  For additional information, please visit us at www.houstonlakemining.com.

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Forward-looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company’s registered filings what are available at www.sedar.com.

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