Location: This is a well known mine on central Woewodski Island. It is about 0.5 mile north-northeast of the center of the east end of Harvey Lake and about 0.4 mile south-southeast of the center of section 23, T 61 S, R. 79E. In 1996, a trail was still passable from the center of the north shore of Harvey Lake, north to the mine, but in later years it was difficult to follow in the heavy timber and vegetation. The location is accurate.

Geology: The Maid of Mexico vein was discovered about 1902 and explored by more than 1000 feet of underground workings from several adits prior to World War II (Still and others, 2002) . A small mill was built on the property about 1920 and some production resulted, probably about 1,200 ounces from 1915 to 1938. Roppel (2005) recounts much historical detail about the early history of the Maid of Mexico, the personalities involved in it, and its changes in ownership until World War II.

The property was active in 1979 and the owners had cleaned out the drifts in anticipation of production; apparently little has been done done. However, it was still held privately in 2002 according to Still and others. Williams(1953) noted that the Alaska Department of Mines had seven confidential maps dating from 1933 to 1935 of the underground workings in their files. He noted 130 feet of crosscut from 3 adits, 260 feet of drifting on the vein, and several raises and winzes.

The Maid of Mexico vein is about 2-6 feet thick, averaging about 4 feet. It can be traced for at least 1,000 feet on the surface but the underground working expose only a small portion of it (Still and others, 2002). The vein consists mainly of white quartz with sparse sphalerite, pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, and free gold. It is mostly in black carbonaceous argillite associated with pyrite-bearing, calcareous felsic metatuff, felsic dikes, and minor limestone and mudstone. The black carbonaceous unit is overlain(?) by greenstone, greenschist, and marble. Several faults are known in the underground workings. Brew (1997) correlates the country rock with the Triassic Hyd Group, which in the Duncan Canal area typically consists of felsic and intermediate flows and breccia, argillite, and minor limestone. Nine samples of the vein collected by Williams (1953) assayed trace to 0.64 ounces of gold per ton, a trace of silver, 0.20-0.68 percent lead, and 0.30 to 0.77 percent Zn. Using several old unpublished maps that date to the 1930's when the property was active, Still and others (2002) compiled a map of the surface workings, the three adits,and at least some of the underground workings. They also sampled a cut at the surface that exposes a quartz vein up to 1.8 feet thick. It contained from 5 to 1,351 parts per billion (ppb) gold. As reconstructed from the old maps, 69 samples taken underground along a 250-foot drift averaged 0.2 ounce of gold per ton across a widths of 1 to 4 feet; two of the raises averaged 0.3 ounce of gold per ton across a width of 1 to 4 feet. Another raise 80 feet long averaged 0.16 ounce of gold per ton, and a sample from raise another contained 2.80 ounce of gold per ton. Still and other also noted that the samples collected by Williams were considerably less rich than those cited on the old maps and the average grade of the ore that was being mined as noted by Buddington (1923 was about 1 ounce of gold per ton.

Workings: The deposit was explored by more than 1000 feet of underground workings from three adits prior to World War II. The property was active in 1979 and the owners had cleaned out the drifts in anticipation of production but apparently little has been done since (D.J. Grybeck, unpublished field notes). The mine was still held privately in 2002 according to Still and others. Williams(1953) noted that the Alaska Department of Mines had seven confidential maps dating from 1933 to 1935 of the underground workings in their files. He cited 130 feet of crosscut from the portal of the mine and 260 feet of drifting on the vein; also several raises and winzes. Using several old unpublished maps that date to the 1930's when the property was active, Still and others (2002) compiled a map of the surface workings, the three adits on the property, and at least some of the nearly thousand feet of underground workings.

Age: Triassic or younger based on age of the host rock.

Alteration: None specifically noted.

Production: Small test shipments were made as early as 1917 and the property produced ore during the 1930's. The remains of a small mill are still present on the property. Detailed production records are not available but Still and others (2002) indicate that about 1,200 ounces of gold was produced from 1915 to 1936.

Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn

Development Status: Yes

Deposit Model: Gold quartz vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a).

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	PE031

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References