Unnamed Mines (ARDF - PE017; ?), Petersburg Mining District, Wrangell City and Bourough, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Unnamed Mines (ARDF - PE017; ?)	- not defined -
Petersburg Mining District	Mining District
Wrangell City and Bourough	Borough
Alaska	State
USA	Country

In view of the many generations of prospectors and others who for more than 140 years have passed along the natural corridor of the Stikine River into the interior of Canada without any further mention of placer gold on the Stikine River in Alaska, this site should now be considered to be little more than a historic point of interest.
Location: Fine placer gold was mined on bars of the Stikine River in the 1860's but it is unclear if any gold was produced along the Alaskan portion of the Stikine and if so, there are several opinions where in Alaska that might have taken place. Roppel (2005) concluded that most if not all of this early mining on the Stikine took place across the border in Canada. The only reference she could find to gold mining along the Alaskan portion of the Stikine River in the 1860's was to passing interest in fine flour gold near the mouth of what is now called 'Dry Wash' below the Popof Glacier. ('Dry Wash' is identified on the USGS 1:250,000-scale topographic map but not on the more detailed 1:63,360-scale topographic map. ) Roppel's location in about the middle of the north side of section 3, T. 60 S., R.85 E. is considered the most likely site of this early mining in Alaska, even if it is uncertain. (But see the Geologic Description for addition information.)
Geology: Fine placer gold was found on bars of the Stikine River in the 1860's when Russia still owned Alaska. However, the boundary between Russian America and Canada was not delineated then and the location of this placer mining is uncertain (Blake, 1868; Spurr, 1898). Still and others (2002) conclude that this early placer mining was at 'Buck Bar' and place it between Shakes Slough and the mouth of the Ketili River in about the middle of section 31, T. 59 S., R.85 E. Roppel (2005), however, in her considerable research into early gold mining in southeastern Alaska found little evidence that Bucks Bar and the other auriferous bars being mining on the Stikine River or its tributaries were in Alaska but instead were probably across the border in Canada. The only reference she could find to gold mining on the Alaskan portion of Stikine River in the 1860's was to passing interest in fine flour gold near the mouth of what is now called 'Dry Wash' below the Popof Glacier. ('Dry Wash' is labeled on the USGS 1:250,000-scale topographic map but not on the more detailed 1:63,360-scale topographic map. ) Roppel's location is used here. In any event, the amount of gold that was mined along the Stikine in Alaska was probably small at best. Brooks (1923) noted that this may have been the first gold mined in Alaska.
Workings: Fine placer gold was found on bars of the Stikine River in the 1860's during early exploration for gold; some of it may have been mined in Alaska, although most was probably mined in Canada.
Production: Probably trivial.
Reserves: None.

Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer gold (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	PE017

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References