Please do not destroy or throw away this publication. If you have no further use 

for it, write to the Geological Survey at Washington and ask for a frank to return it

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Harold L. Ickes, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. C. Mendenhall, Director

Bulletin 849 1

THE MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 

KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA

BY

RALPH TUCK

Investigations in Alaska Railroad belt, 1931 

(Pages 469-530)

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON : 1933

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. Price 15 cents
NOTE. Bulletin 849 will not be issued as a complete volume, but this chapter 

(the last) contains a volume title page and index for the use of those who may 

wish to bind together the separate chapters. 

n
CONTENTS

Foreword, by Philip S. Smith______--________-_-__---_-------_-.-__ vn

Abstract....... __ . __ . ___ .---.--.-------.-..--.--.. ..--. 469

Introduction ________-__.__-___-----___-_-_-_-.-_--_----.-_-__ 470

Location and area..--.--.-----. --_.---_--__-------_----------- 470

Previous investigations and acknowledgments. ____________________ 470

Present investigation -_________.__-___-______.-___-____-__-____ 47 1

Geography _____________________ __________________________________ 47 1

Transportation _________........_...._..-__-...-_-.________-.. 47 1

Topography and drainage________________--_____--____-_-_._-_- 472

Climate.. -..._. _ . _ .. _ .................................. 473

Timber.. .___.._......-.....-.....-.......-.......--.-....... 473

Water power. _______________-________.-___-___-___-.- ._.__ 473

Population and industries. ..._. ... ...... 474

Mining conditions. _________ __-.._._ ___.____________-.-_.__.___ 475

General geology __ _ _____-_--_----_-_--_.--__-__._-_--_-- _..- 476

Principal features -_____--___--___--__...--._-_-_-_-------__--__ 476

Stratigraphy __.......__._ __________ 476

Slate and graywacke __ _----___.___ -..__ . _. 476

Volcanic series... _ __-__---___-_-_.___._-_-_-_-___-_____- 478

Dikes.. _____ ___ . ______________ ... ______ 480

Unconsolidated deposits...-----..... ---_-_-_-_-_-_____._-_- 482

Principal features -___-_-__--_______-_____-____-____-__ 482

Glacial deposits.... __---_______-____.-_-_--__---_-_--_ 483

Glaciofluviatile or bench deposits . ..__.-.-_._-_-...-_- 483

Recent deposits... ...___._._...-.-__.__-.____.______-- 483

Structure... _ . 484

Folds.-.-....-......-.........-..............:........ 484

Cleavage _ ______--_.__._.-_-_-__.-__----.-_-__-____-. 485

Joints.. __ _ _.........-... 485

Faults. ____ ______ . _________ . _ .... ___ . 485

Geologic history _________....-.-___.___.....___..._._..___. 486

Pre-Tertiary _______ ._'._ __ . _ .-.._-.-_.- _ _____ 486

Tertiary.. ____ ...... _ ................... ________ 487

Quaternary _ _._ .___.-.-._..__. _______ _ 487

Economic geology -_______-_-_--__-----__-____-__--_-___--_________ 488

Production ___________ . _____ . _____ ... _____ . 488

Gold lode deposits ____ ._. _ .. _____ .._.__.--- ___ .. 489

History of lode mining _ ..._._.....__..-___._-.....____.._ 489

General character of the deposits.... __ _.__.-..________ _ _ 490

Fissure veins...... _.__.._._..__._..._._______..___... 490

Mineralized dikes.... _.._.__._....___.____.. __ ____.. 490

Mineralogy __ . _ _____._______.____..___..____-.________ 491

Paragenesis... . ._ _ _. ............. _ ._ 491

Structural features... _........____._.____..._..___________ 492

Enrichment.. ___.__.. _.___.....___.______.___.._______.-._ 492

Tenor of the ore.. _________________ _________ 493

in
IV CONTENTS

Economic geology Continued.

Gold lode deposits Continued. Page

Genesis of the ore deposits. ________________________________ 493

Future of the district._____________________________________ 493

Mines and prospects__._-_________-________________________ 494

Palmer Creek.________________________________________ 494

Hirshey..._ ______________________________________ 494

Sunshine._ _ _---___-_---_-_______________-________ 498

Teddy Bear_____________________.________________ 499

Downing.._______________________________________ 500

Kenai Star._____________________.____ 501

Robin Red Breast.____________________________ 503

Nearhouse & Smith.______________________________ 503

Robinson & Bowman______________________________ 505

Bear Creek.._____._._________________________ 505

Gold Stamp_____________________________ 506

Taylor...___________________________.__ 506

Coon....________________________________________ 506

Summit Creek._______________________________________ 507

Alaska Oracle........_____________________________ 507

Ronan__________._______________________________. 510

Johnson _________________________________________ 510

Slate Greek....._____________________________________ 512

Gilpatrick________________________________._______ 512

Swetmann. ________________________________________ 515

Unnamed prospect-_____________1________.________ 516

Colorado Creek.______________________________________ 516

Colorado..__-___-.______________________. 516

Independence__ _ ________________________________ 516

Mascot and Iron Mask.___________________ i __-____ 516

Fresno Creek.________________________________________ 517

Pass Creek___________________._____________________ 517

Frenchy Creek..______________________________________ 517

Donaldson Creek____________________________________ 517

Quartz Creek_________________________________-__-_.__ 518

McMillan____________....____..._...__ 518

Devils Creek..______________________________ 519

Afanasi Creek._______________________________________ 519

Johnson.________________________________________ 519

Groundhog Creek..___________________________________ 519

Brewster._ _ ______________________________________ 519

Seward Gold_____________.________-_..---_..-.... 519

Grant Lake_________.______._._._-._..______ 520

Case....__.._-_--_-_-__-_-_----_-_--_----_---__-. 520

Sollars_________.__....._________________-___-____ 520

Copper lode prospect......-__-._.______-__-_____-_-_-_-----.,___ 520

Ready Bullion Copper Co-________--____________----_-_____ 520

Gold placers.-.-.______-.__________._____._._________---__.___ 521

General features._________________________________________ 521

History of operations._____________________________________ 521

Origin of the placer deposits..______________________________ 522

Source of the gold....__________________ ___________________ 523

Mining methods and conditions..___________________________ 523
CONTENTS V

Economic geology Continued.

Gold placers Continued. Page

Mines and prospects..-______.__._-_____-___-__-_-_---.____ 524

Resurrection Creek.___________________________________ 525

Clark & Beiswanger._-_-______-_-__-____--_-___._- 525

St. Louis Mining Co_____________________________ 525

Pearson._________________________________________ 526

Bear Creek.__________________________________________ 526

Dark & Leach______________________________ 526

Gallagher____________________________________ 526

Palmer Creek_______________________________________ 526

Sixmile Creek_________________________________________ 526

Canyon Creek________________________________________ 527

Mills Creek___.___________________________.__________ 527

Lynx Creek_.________________________________________ 527

Index__________-.--_-__.__________.______._._______ 529

ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATE 36. Geologic and topographic map of the Moose Pass-Hope district

showing location of mines and prospects._________________ 490

FIGURE 1. Index map showing areas investigated in Alaska Railroad belt,

1931__..........----__--._......-..._________________. ix

57. Plan of underground workings and position of the vein at

Hirshey mine._________________________________________ 495

58. Plan of underground workings of the Oracle mine, showing

position of vein ________________________________________ 509

59. Longitudinal section of the Oracle vein, showing limits of the

ore shoot._____________________________________________ 509

60. Sketch map of the mineralized area between Slate and Summit

Creeks.___-__-_---________--__-______--_-___-____-__-- 511

61. Geologic map of mineralized dike in lower tunnel of the Gilpatrick property..._____________________________________ 513

INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

FOREWORD

By PHILIP S. SMITH

To help the mining industry of Alaska and to assist in the development of the mineral resources of the Territory have been the prime 

motives of the Geological Survey's investigations in Alaska during 

the past 35 years, in which nearly one half of the Territory has been 

covered by its reconnaissance and exploratory surveys. It was 

natural, therefore, that the Alaska Railroad, when it undertook intensive consideration of the problem of finding tonnage that would 

increase its revenues, should look to the Geological Survey to supply 

technical information as to the known mineral deposits along its 

route and to indicate what might be done to stimulate a larger 

production of minerals and induce further mining developments and 

prospecting that would utilize its service. Realization of the need for 

this information had long been felt by the officials responsible for the 

operation of the Alaska Railroad, and the need had been partly 

supplied by the Geological Survey, but funds to carry through an 

extensive inquiry of this sort had not been available until 1930, 

when a special committee of the Senate, composed of Senators Howell, 

Kendrick, and Thomas, visited Alaska, studied some of the railroad's 

problems, and successfully urged Congress to grant it $250,000 for 

investigations of this kind.

On the invitation of the Alaska Railroad the Geological Survey 

prepared various plans and estimates for the investigations that 

appeared to be most likely to contribute the desired information as to 

the mineral resources. Selection of the problems to be attacked 

proved difficult, because the choice necessarily was hedged about with 

many practical restrictions. For instance, each project recommended 

must give promise of disclosing valuable deposits a requirement 

that was impossible to satisfy fully in advance, as it involved prophecy 

as to the unknown and undeveloped resources. Then, too, it was 

desirable that the search should be directed mainly toward disclosing 

deposits which if found would attract private enterprises to undertake their development in the near future. Finally, some of the 

deposits that might be worked profitably did not appear likely to 

afford much tonnage to be hauled by the railroad. Under these

VII
VIII INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

limitations it should be evident that the projects that could be recommended as worth undertaking with the funds available by no means 

exhausted the mineral investigations that otherwise would be well 

justified. In a large sense, all of Alaska may properly be regarded as 

indirectly contributory to the welfare of the railroad, but even in 

that part of Alaska contiguous to its tracks there are large stretches 

of country that are entirely unexplored and large areas that have had 

only the most cursory examination. Although areas of this sort 

might well repay investigation, they were excluded from the list of 

projects recommended because they were not known to contain 

mineral deposits of value, and it therefore seemed better to make the 

selection from other areas that had been proved to hold promise. 

Furthermore, several areas within the railroad zone were excluded 

because their value was believed to lie mostly in their prospective 

placers, which would not yield much outgoing tonnage; others because 

their lodes carried mainly base metals, for which development and 

the recovery of their metallic content in a readily salable condition 

were relatively expensive; and still others because their resources 

consisted mainly of granite, building stone, or some other product 

for which at present there is only a small local demand.

After careful consideration ten projects were selected, and the 

funds required for undertaking them were made available. The 

projects that were selected involved the examination of two areas 

principally valuable for their coal (Anthracite Kidge and Moose 

Creek), five areas likely to be principally valuable for gold (Fairbanks, Willow Creek, Gird wood, Moose Pass, and Valdez Creek), 

and three areas whose lodes consisted mainly of mixed sulphides (the 

Eureka area in the Kantishna district, Mount Eielson, formerly 

known as Copper Mountain, and the head of West Fork of Chulitna 

River). The general position of these different areas is indicated on 

the accompanying diagram (fig. 1). A general study of the nonmetalliferous resources of the entire region traversed by the railroad 

was included in the projects to be undertaken, but the results obtained 

were not such as to permit adequate determination of their extent at 

this time.

Examinations were made in the field in each of the selected areas, 

all the known prospects and mines being critically examined and 

sampled so far as time and other conditions permitted. The records 

thus obtained, together with all other information bearing on the 

problems, were then subjected to further study in the laboratory and 

office, in the course of which other Geological Survey specialists whose 

knowledge and experience could be of assistance were freely consulted. 

The outcome of all these lines of analysis has been the reports which 

make up this volume. Although each chapter is presented as embodying the latest and most authoritative information available regarding 

the districts and properties described up to the time field work in them
FOEEWOBD IX

BO Miles

FIGURE 1. Index map showing areas investigated in Alaska Railroad belt, 1931. A, Anthracite Ridge 

B, Fairbanks; C, Willow Creek; D, Mount Eielson; E, West Fork of Chulitna River; F, Eureka and 

vicinity; Q, Qirdwood; H, Valdez Creek; I, Moose Pass and Hope.
X INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA BAIL110AD BELT, 1931

was finished, the authors make no claim that all the results they have 

presented are to be regarded as final nor as solving all the problems 

that have arisen. Actually none of the mines have been developed 

to such an extent as to furnish all of the evidence desired to solve the 

problems involved. At none of the properties is any considerable 

quantity of ore actually "blocked out" in the engineering sense of 

that term, so that instead of specific measurements as to the quantity 

and grade of ore the different camps will yield, the Survey geologists 

and engineers have necessarily had to make numerous assumptions 

and be content with estimates and generalizations as to the potential 

resources. Furthermore, the work was planned so as not to invade 

the proper field of the private mining engineer in the valuation of 

individual properties, but rather to occupy the open field of considering 

the districts as a whole.

In two of the districts, Anthracite Ridge and Moose Creek, whose 

value lay in their prospective coal resources, the examinations that 

could be made by ordinary geologic means were not adequate to arrive 

at a final judgment of the resources of the area but pointed to the 

desirability of further tests by drilling. As a consequence additional 

exploration of these districts by means of diamond drilling was 

authorized, and this work was undertaken in the season of 1932. The 

results of these tests were not available at the time the manuscripts 

of the other reports were completed, and rather than delay their 

publication until the later reports could be finished and incorporated 

in the volume these reports have been omitted here and will be 

published later elsewhere.

This is not the place to summarize the detailed findings of the 

geologists as to the merits of the different districts, as those, findings

are explained in detail and summarized in the respective chapters. 

Suffice it to say here that on the whole the principal purpose of the 

investigations was carried through satisfactorily and that while the 

studies in some of the districts indicate that they hold little promise 

of extensive mineral development in the near future, others appear to 

encourage development under existing conditions, and still others 

seem to be worth development when some of the existing factors such 

as transportation or price of base metals are improved. That conditions which are now temporarily retarding the development of some 

of the deposits will become more favorable cannot be doubted. The 

entire region is becoming more accessible each year, and as a result 

costs are being lowered and experience is being gained as to the habit 

of the various types of deposits, so that the conclusions expressed in 

this volume as to the resources of the different districts should be 

reviewed from time to time in the light of the then current conditions.
THE MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT, KENAI PENINSULA

By EALPH TUCK

ABSTRACT

The Moose Pass-Hope district lies in the Chugach Mountains, in the northern 

part of the Kenai Peninsula, directly adjacent to the Alaska Railroad and to 

Turnagain Arm. More than 60 miles of well-constructed roads within the district make it one of the most accessible mining areas in the railroad belt. The 

topography is typical of the Chugach Mountains, the elevation ranging from 

sea level to more than 5,000 feet. Vegetation is heavy along the streams, and 

the timber line is around 2,000 feet above sea level.

The bedrock throughout most of the district consists of a series of interbedded slate and graywacke, probably of late Cretaceous age. The bedrock in 

the northwest corner of the district is a series of tuff and agglomerate whose 

age is not definitely known. The only intrusive rocks in the area are finegrained acidic dikes that are remarkable for their continuity across the country 

in spite of their small width. The region has been glaciated up to an elevation 

of about 4,000 feet, and glacial outwash sand and gravel cover the valley 

bottoms and walls.

The structure is highly complex, and the lack of any recognizable horizons 

makes interpretation difficult. Close folds with overturning are the rule. 

Numerous strike faults occur, and transverse faulting of unknown displacement 

has taken place.

Auriferous gravel was early discovered in this district, which was one of 

the first gold-producing districts in Alaska, but lode mining has never been very 

successful. Two types of lode deposits are recognized mineralized dikes and 

fissure veins. Both types are identical in mineralization and have the same 

origin. The mineralized dikes are the acidic dikes that in places have been 

fractured and the fractures subsequently filled with vein material. The gold 

content of the dikes is erratically distributed, and they have not yet been found 

to have sufficient value to be worked at a profit. The fissure veins have been 

worked profitably in a few places but only on a small scale. The veins have 

well-defined walls but are narrow and have not been found to be continuous for 

more than a few hundred feet The tenor of the ore in the veins is usually 

good.

In both the dikes and the veins the chief value lies in gold, which occurs free 

and also combined with the sulphides. The gangue is predominantly quartz, 

with small amounts of calcite. The sulphides present are arsenopyrite, pyrite, 

galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite, but the total forms only a small percentage 

of the vein material. The presence of galena and sphalerite is usually a good 

indication of a high gold content.

The genesis of the ores is closely associated with the origin of the dikes, as 

both ores and dikes were probably derived from the same parent magma. 

After the intrusion of the dikes the region was subjected to stresses that

469
470 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILROAD BELT, 1931

fractured the dikes and the country rock. Subsequently mineral-bearing solutions from an underlying source filled the fissures and deposited the present 

vein material.

Lode deposits of sufficient size for large-scale operations have not been 

found, but some of the veins can be worked successfully by careful operations 

on a small scale. Of the placer deposits only low-grade gravel remains.

INTRODUCTION

LOCATION AND ABEA

The district described in this report lies in the northern part of 

the Kenai Peninsula bordering Turnagain Arm. (See fig. 1.) It is 

approximately rectangular in shape and extends from latitude 

60°30' to 60°55' and longitude 149°10' to 149°50', with an area of 

about 600 square miles. The district is a part of what may be called 

the Chugach Mountain province and lies entirely within the boundaries of the Chugach National Forest. The town of Hope is m 

the northwest corner, and Moose Pass station (mile 29 on the Alaska 

Railroad) is in the southeast corner.

PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Previous reports which contain much information on the resources 

of this area are as follows:

Becker, G. F., Reconnaissance of the gold fields of southern Alaska: U.S. 

Geol. Survey Eighteenth Ann. Kept., pt. 3, pp. 7-86, 1898.

Mendenhall, W. C., A reconnaissance from Resurrection Bay to the Tanana 

River: U.S. Geol. Survey Twentieth Ann. Rept., pt. 7, pp. 265-340, 1900.

Moffit, F. H., Gold fields of the Turnagain Arm field: U.S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 277, pp. 7-52, 1906.

Johnson, B. L., Geology and mineral resources of Kenai Peninsula: U.S. Geol.

Survey Bull. 587, pp. 113-208, 1915.

Ellsworth, C. E., and Davenport, R. W., A water-power reconnaissance in 

south-central Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 372, 1915.

The annual bulletins " Mineral resources of Alaska, report on 

progress of investigations," published by the United States Geological Survey, contain notes on current developments. Many of the 

annual reports of the mine inspector for the Territory of Alaska 

contain information as to activity on individual properties at the 

time of publication. Private reports on some of the mines and 

prospects have been made by consulting geologists and engineers, 

but unfortunately very few of them are available to the Geological 

Survey or to the general public.

All the above sources of information have been drawn upon freely 

by the writer of this report, particularly for the record of early 

activity in the district. Grateful acknowledgment is here made to 

the earlier workers, particularly to B. L. Johnson, also to numerous 

individuals and operators in the Moose Pass-Hope area who have
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 471

contributed much information; to Mr. Paul Hopkins, of the Bureau 

of Mines, Fairbanks, Alaska, who assayed all the samples that were 

taken; and to the officials of the Alaska Railroad, who have cooperated in every way possible.

PRESENT INVESTIGATION

The present investigation was undertaken under the direction of 

the Geological Survey at the request of the Alaska Railroad to> 

determine the mineral potentialities of the Moose Pass-Hope district 

and to estimate the probable tonnage of minerals that might contribute to the general development of the area.

The active field work was conducted from June 6 to September 10, 

1931. It consisted of the examination of all properties that were 

being worked during the summer of 1931, as well as most of those 

that had been worked in the past but were dormant at the time of 

the investigation. Samples of the veins were taken wherever it 

was deemed necessary. In addition to the study of the individual 

prospects, much time was spent in traversing the region, in observing the general geology and the structure, and in attempting to 

find what relations they might have to the ore deposits and thus 

to determine if any guide for prospecting exists. Laboratory as 

well as field studies were undertaken to determine the genesis of the 

ore deposits and the probability of their continuation in depth.

In view of the small size of the veins, both in width and length, 

very little ore has been blocked out. It has therefore been impossible 

to form any trustworthy estimate of the probable tonnage of the 

district, and instead only the general dimensions of the ore bodies 

have been stated.

As this report is primarily concerned with the mineral resources, 

only such general description of the area and its geology as appears 

to be directly pertinent to the availability and ultimate development of the mineral deposits is included.

GEOGRAPHY

TRANSPORTATION

The Moose Pass-Hope district is one of the most accessible in 

Alaska, as the Kenai Peninsula is practically surrounded by water 

and is traversed by the Alaska Railroad. The area also has over 60 

miles of roads built and maintained by the United States Bureau 

of Public Roads.

The easiest route into the district is by way of the Alaska Railroad, through Moose Pass station, which is 29 miles from SewardFrom Moose Pass station there is a well-surfaced road 45 miles to 

Hope, by way of Moose Pass, Canyon Creek, Sixmile Creek, Sunrise,
472 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILEOAD BELT, 1931

and Turnagain Arm. (See pi. 36.) From Hope 12 miles of graveled road, called the Palmer Creek road, leads to the head of Palmer 

Creek. There is also a 3-mile wagon road from Hope up Kesurreo 

tion Creek that can be traversed during dry weather by automobiles. 

Several years ago a road, called the Johnson Pass road, ran from 

mile 34 on the Alaska Kailroad to Sunrise. At the present time this 

road can be traveled during dry weather by automobile from mile 

29 on the Moose Pass-Hope highway to Lynx Creek, a distance of 7 

miles. During 1931 2 miles of this road was surfaced, and it is the 

plan of the Bureau of Public Roads to complete a small portion each 

year. From Lynx Creek to mile 34 on the railroad only a trail 

remains from the old road.

 At the present time there is a surfaced road from Seward to the 

south end of Kenai Lake, a distance of 20 miles. A plan has been 

projected by the Bureau of Public Roads to close the gap of 9 miles 

between Moose Pass and the south end of Kenai Lake and make the 

whole Moose Pass-Hope district accessible by car from Seward. In 

addition to the roads, many trails exist throughout the region (see 

pi. 36), several of which were built and are maintained by the United 

States Forest Service.

As the railroad runs along the north side of Turnagain Arm, Hope 

and Sunrise can be reached directly from the railroad by water, 

although navigation is difficult, owing to the 30- to 40-foot tides. 

Small boats can be obtained, one of which maintains a regular service from Hope and Sunrise to Anchorage (mile 114, Alaska Railroad), Rainbow (mile 93), and Girdwood (mile 74).

TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE

The district is rough and rugged, as it is geographically and geologically a part of and continuous with the Chugach Mountains. The 

relief is over 5,000 feet, but there are no outstanding peaks; instead, 

a number of the ridges attain an elevation that is close to the maximum of the region, and many of the crests culminate in a high point 

by a long, gradual slope. The ridges are rounded and smooth up to 

an elevation of 4,000 feet, probably the limit of glaciation, and above 

that they are mdre rugged. The slopes are usually steep, ranging 

from 25° to 45°. As a rule the valleys of the tributary streams are 

narrow, except at the headwaters, where they invariably terminate 

in rounded, amphitheaterlike basins. On account of the steep slopes 

and the narrow valleys, landslides and snowslides are frequent in 

the spring, necessitating the careful selection of sites for development work on mining properties and for all mining buildings.

The greater part of the district is drained by two major streams, 

Resurrection Creek and Sixmile Creek. (See pi. 36.) These major
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 473

streams flow to the north, and their course is probably dependent on 

the general structure of the region; but their tributary streams have 

irregular courses and show no relation to the structure. U-shaped 

valleys resulting from glaciation are the rule, although in the lower 

courses of the major streams these valleys have been partly filled 

with gravel that forms benches 1 to'2 miles across. Many of the 

tributary streams also show gravel benches, and the benches on 

both the major and tributary streams slope toward the center of the 

valley and downstream.

CLIMATE

The summers are characteristic of the Pacific coast country, being 

cool and rainy, but the winters are more severe, as the area lies on 

the north side of the Kenai Mountains. The only recorded temperature and precipitation records 1 are for the period 1902-10 and were 

taken at Sunrise. The average annual precipitation during this 

period was 34.5 inches. June was the warmest month, with an average temperature of 53.34°, and January the coldest, with an average 

temperature of 8.7°. The snowfall is heavy, particularly on the 

mountains.

TIMBER

The fact that the entire district lies within the Chugach National 

Forest does not signify that timber is distributed uniformly. The 

timber line lies around 2,000 feet, and in this mountainous region 

much of the surface is above this elevation; consequently, only a 

small portion of the region, along the lakes and streams, is forested. 

Spruce is the most abundant timber, but there are also growths of 

hemlock, cottonwood, birch, poplar, willow, and alder. In the 

burned areas much of the second growth is poplar and birch, with 

occasional spruce and hemlock. Although there is sufficient timber 

for mining operations for some time to come, most of it is small, 

a tree 2 feet in diameter being rare.

There are several small sawmills that supply the local market and 

are also engaged in cutting ties and piles for the railroad. The 

supply of timber for fuel is plentiful for local use. Tracts of timber 

suitable for use in construction are found on Resurrection, Palmer, 

and Sixmile Creeks and at Trail and Grant Lakes.

WATER POWER

Water power sufficient for small operations is abundant throughout the district, and usually an operator would not have to go any 

great distance from his property to obtain adequate power. Many

1 Martin, G. C., Johnson, B. L., and Grant, U. S., Geology and mineral resources of 

Kenal Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 587, p. 27, 1915.
474 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILBOAD BELT, 1931

of the streams with small drainage basins lose much of their volume 

in late summer, and others freeze early in the fall, so that for yearround operations the selection would have to be made with more 

care. Usually the streams from the east are more reliable, having 

larger drainage basins that contain more snow. If the smaller and 

more accessible streams would not be sufficient, the larger streams 

with a more constant flow could be utilized.

At Grant Creek,2 the outlet of Grant Lake, it is estimated that at 

least 1,500 horsepower could be developed throughout the year by 

utilizing storage; without storage, the low-water flow would not 

be sufficient to produce more than 300 to 400 horsepower.

From Juneau Creek, which flows south into the Kenai River, it 

is estimated that 500 to 1,000 horsepower could be developed from 

May until October, but the minimum flow in winter would not produce more than 100 to 200 horsepower. Other favorable sites are 

Lost Lake and S.ixmile., East Fork, Palmer, and Canyon Creeks.

Measurements of stream discharge, 1913

Locality

Do.-.- 

Do... 

Do...- 

Do... ...

Do....... 

Do... 

Do.. 

Do... 

Do...... ................................................ ... ... 

Date

Oct. 9

Oct. 18

Oct. 18

Oct. 17

Aug. 27

Sept. 6

Sept. 25

Oct. 15

Sept. 5

Aug. 25

Sept. 4

Oct. 14

Aug. 25

Qage 

height 

(feet)

3.43

3.19

3.09

' 5. 75

4.86

6.95

4.64

3.48

3.02

Discharge 

(sec.-ft.)

^ 155

84

83.6

58.1

46.2

61

1,600

597

6,150

503

140

76.7

90

60

44

23

120

Jurisdiction over the development of the water power in this district is in the hands of the officials of the Chugach National Forest.

POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES

The normal year-round population in the district between Moose 

Pass and Hope is from 60 to 70 people. This number is increased 

during the summer by about 25 miners and prospectors. During the 

last several years the Bureau of Public Roads has had a crew of 

20 to 40 men engaged in road construction, but this will not be 

permanent.

2 Ellsworth, C. E., and Davenport, R. W., A water-power reconnaissance in southcentral Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 372, pp. 121-125, 1915.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTKICT 475

The chief means of gaining a livelihood is through mining, and 

about 25 people earn their living in this manner. Maintenance of 

the roads employs about a dozen people. As both of these operations are conducted only in the summer, it is necessary to gain from 

them enough income to last through the winter or else to augment 

the summer income by some other means. The only winter occupations are trapping and small logging operations, such as the cutting 

of ties and piles for the railroad. A few of the inhabitants have 

small fur farms, and one or two serve as guides for hunting 

expeditions..

Fortunately, living conditions are good. Fuel can be obtained 

from the neighboring woods; fishing and hunting are excellent; and 

garden produce grows luxuriantly, particularly at Hope and Sunrise.

In 1931 the average wage for unskilled labor was $5 a day.

Skilled labor was proportionately higher, The cost of board averaged about $1.50 a day.

MINING CONDITIONS

Most of the mines and prospects are located at considerable elevations above sea level and high above the streams. This is because 

the valleys are filled with great thicknesses of gravel, slide material, 

and heavy vegetation. Only on the crests of the ridges and in a 

few of the stream valleys is bedrock sufficiently exposed for prospecting. It is certain that as many veins exist under the overburden as 

are exposed, and many of them will never be found. In only about 

a third of the area is bedrock exposed or prospectable.

As the veins are exposed on the high ridges or steep slopes, very 

heavy ground is often encountered, and much timbering is necessary. 

Mechanical disintegration, due to the great range in temperature, 

and downward creep on the steep slopes have been effective in breaking the surface rock. The fractured zone usually extends down 

about 100 feet, and where it is penetrated good walls are usually 

obtained.

The active working season for placer mining extends from June 

to October. On the present, lode properties surface prospecting and 

development can be conducted only between June and October. At 

the Hirshey mine, which lies at an elevation of 2,000 feet, water 

power is not available during the other months. This makes an 

extremely short working season, but with proper equipment and the 

careful location of mine buildings it would be pfbssible to continue 

lode-mining operations throughout the year, regardless of weather 

conditions.

179397 33 2
476 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA B.AILKOAD BELT, 1931

GENERAL GEOLOGY

PRINCIPAL FEATURES

The rocks of the area are predominantly interbedded slate and 

graywacke, which Mendenhall 3 originally termed the " Sunrise series." They comprise over 95 percent of the bedrock exposed (see 

pi. 36) and everywhere are highly folded and faulted. Attempts 

to subdivide them and work out the structure and stratigraphy in 

detail have proved unsuccessful because of their lithologic similarity.

In the northwestern part of the district, west of Hope, there is a 

series of volcanic rocks, principally tuff and agglomerate, but with a 

few interbedded flows. This formation is also highly folded and 

faulted, but whether it is younger or older than the slate and graywacke is not definitely known. Deposits of economic value have 

not yet been found in the district underlain by the volcanic series.

The only intrusive igneous rocks in the district are fine-grained 

feldspar dikes, which are exposed at a number of localities. They 

are younger than the interbedded slate and graywacke, which they 

cut; they are probably also younger than the volcanic series, although 

their relation to that series is unknown. Many of the dikes, though 

narrow, are remarkable for their length.

The only other noteworthy formations are the unconsolidated postglacial gravel deposits, which are widespread, occupying the bottoms 

of all the valleys and at many places occurring on the valley walls 

as terraces or benches.

STRATIGRAPHY 

SLATE AND GRAYWACKE

DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER

The interbedded slate and graywacke are almost everywhere abundantly exposed except in the northwest corner of the district. As 

a whole the unit consists of almost equal amounts of slate and graywacke, although locally one type may predominate over the other. 

The upper part of the drainage basin of Palmer Creek is dominantly slate, and there are also large exposures of slate on Slate 

and Summit Creeks. Areas in which graywacke is abundant are 

near the head of Bear Creek, on Sixmile Creek about 4 miles above 

its mouth, and north of mile 7 on the road between Moose Pass 

and Hope. At most of the other localities the two are interbedded 

in almost equal amounts.

The slate is gray to black, is fine grained, and usually shows 

cleavage, though the cleavage is rarely so good that the slate could

8 Mendenhall, W. C., A reconnaissance from Resurrection Bay to the Tanana River, 

Alaska, in 1898: U.S. Geol. Survey Twentieth Ann. Kept., pt. 7, pp. 305-307, 1900.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 477

serve as roofing material. Locally the slate may be foliated, either 

owing to greater pressure or to a larger proportion of impurities, 

so that it might more properly be termed a schist. The more massive 

portion of the slate should be termed argillite. The slate occurs in 

beds and lenses from 1 inch to over 100 feet thick. Microscopically 

the slate is very fine grained and is composed of small rounded 

quartz grains, oriented sericite flakes, and kaolin. Accessory minerals are rounded feldspar grains, irregular masses of calcite, and 

chlorite. Cleavage, folding, and faulting are conspicuous in the' 

thin sections.

The graywacke differs from the slate in that it is coarser grained 

and contains more quartz. It occurs in varying shades of gray 

and gray-green, and in only a few localities is it clean enough to be 

called quartzite. The texture ranges from fine to coarse. Individual 

beds are lenticular and cannot be traced far along the strike without

varying in thickness or pinching out. The range in thickness may 

be from a few inches to several hundred feet. They occur interbedded with the slate or in massive bodies and show schistosity, 

cleavage, and joints, but not in the same degree as the slate. Under 

the microscope the graywacke is seen to be composed chiefly of 

subangular grains of quartz and orthoclase and plagioclase feldspar. 

Accessory minerals are calcite, hornblende, chlorite, sericite, kaolin, 

and pyrite.

Interbedded with the slate and graywacke and of only local extent 

are lenses of conglomerate, limestone, and greenstone. It is doubtful whether they comprise more than 1 percent of the slate and graywacke mass. Locally the conglomerate may be sheared and the 

pebbles stretched out, but usually it is massive. On Mills Creek 

above its confluence with Juneau Creek large boulders of conglomerate are abundant. The pebbles in the conglomerate are as much 

as 5 inches in diameter and consist of slate, graywacke, chert, and 

granite. In this area bedrock exposures were not found, but they 

no doubt occur within the drainage basin.

ORIGIN

The slate and graywacke beds were originally laid down as clay, 

sand, limy sediments, and gravel in a basin of deposition comparable 

to that of many of our present shallow seas. Proof of their sedimentary origin is plainly apparent in the bedding or stratification, 

the composition, and the occurrence here and there of fossils in similar formations in adjacent districts. Subsequent to deposition the 

beds were consolidated and uplifted, as a result of great pressure, 

which metamorphosed the graywacke into its present indurated con-
478 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA BAILED AD BELT, 1931

dition and produced cleavage and foliation in the more clayey rocks. 

The metamorphism, however, was not so great as to destroy their 

original sedimentary characteristics. To give the present repeated 

alternation of slate and graywacke, conditions during their deposition must have been such that there were almost rhythmic recurring 

cycles of sedimentation. As the sediments are probably at least 

5,000 feet thick, the basin of deposition must have been graduallysinking, although with minor fluctuations.

AGE AND CORRELATION

Although the slate and graywacke of the Moose Pass-Hope district is part of a series that is regional in extent, their age is difficult to determine, as fossils are scarce. Mendenhall,4 Johnson,& 

Capps,8 and Landes 7 have shown the similarity of this series of 

rocks from Resurrection Bay to the Matanuska Valley. Mendenhall, in calling it the " Sunrise series ", placed it as pre-Cretaceous 

and, tentatively, as Paleozoic, in view of its association with the 

Cretaceous of the Matanuska Valley. He also suggested that it may 

be a part of the Valdez group of Prince William Sound, which had 

been placed tentatively in the Paleozoic. Johnson and Martin,* 

from a few fossils collected at the head of Crow Creek, in the Girdwood district, considered its age to be Jurassic or Cretaceous, 

Reeside, through his identification of fossils collected by Park 9 in 

the Girdwood district, believes it to be definitely Cretaceous and 

probably Upper Cretaceous. Stratigraphically and lithologically 

the metamorphic rocks of the Moose Pass-Hope district are similar 

to those of the Girdwood district, and there is no reason to think 

that their age is different, or other than Cretaceous.

VOLCANIC SERIES

DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER

In the northwest corner of the district is exposed a series of 

massive tuff and agglomerate of volcanic origin. This formation is 

exposed about 1% miles west of Hope on the shore of Turnagain 

Arm. From that point it extends to Gull Rock, 6 miles west of 

Hope. No geologic work was done west of Gull Rock, but it is 

probable that this formation continues to the lowland that forms the

4 Mendenhall, W. C., op. cit., pp. 305-307.

5 Martin, G. C., Johnson, B. L., and Grant, U. S., op. cit., pp. 113-119.

6 Capps, S. R., The Turnagain-Knik region, Alaska : U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 642, pp. 

155-161, 1916.

7 Landes, K. K., Geology of the Knik-Matanuska district, Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 792, pp. 56-57, 1927.

8 Martin, G. C., Johnson, B. L., and Grant, U. S., op. cit., p. 118. 

0 Park, C. P., U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 849-G, p. 393, 1933.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 479

northwestern part of Kenai Peninsula. The same formation also 

-occurs on Cripple Creek and on the divide between Big Indian 

.Kiver and Kesurrection Creek. As shown on plate 36 it is exposed 

as a wedge-shaped mass lying west of the slate and graywacke. 

Still farther west it is overlain by the Kenai formation (Eocene).

Outcrops of the agglomerate and tuff show a massive, dense rock 

that ranges in color from gray to green to red. Hand specimens of 

the agglomerate contain angular fragments of graywacke and slate 

.as much as half an inch across. The tuff is usually fine-grained and 

similar to the graywacke in appearance.

Under the microscope the tuff is seen to be composed of angular 

.grains of quartz, altered feldspar, hornblende, and kaolin material; 

the agglomerate contains angular fragments of argillite, slate, graywacke, quartzite, and fine-grained volcanic rocks, embedded in a 

fine-grained groundmass of quartz, orthoclase and plagioclase feldspar, sericite, hornblende, chlorite, and kaolin. All the feldspars 

Lave been altered to sericite and paragonite.

ORIGIN

The tuff and agglomerate represent a period of volcanic activity 

during which ash and large amounts of the fragments of the underlying rock were thrown out by volcanoes whose locations are not 

known. The general appearance of the groundmass suggests the 

possibility that the tuff was water-laid. Subsequently this material 

was cemented and has undergone practically the same metamorphism and deformation as the slate and graywacke.

AGE AND CORRELATION

Precise information as to the age of the volcanic series is lacking, 

as no fossils have been found in these rocks. The included fragments of slate and graywacke might suggest that it is a part of or 

younger than the slate and graywacke, but on the north side of 

Turnagain Arm this same volcanic series is known to contain interbedded slate, graywacke, and limestone. Near Gull Rock small sections of slate and graywacke have been faulted into the volcanic 

series. Structurally, the volcanic series seems to be identical with 

the slate and graywacke, as in this area it apparently has undergone 

the same amount of deformation; this would suggest that it is close 

in age to the slate and graywacke. If it is younger, it would still 

be older than the Kenai formation and therefore late Cretaceous.

A similar formation has been recognized at several localities. 

This volcanic series probably extends from this district north to 

the Matanuska Valley. To the south it has not been traced to its
480 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA KAILKOAD BELT, 1931

limit, but it may extend to the Kenai River in the vicinity of Skilak 

Lake, as Martin 10 mentions some apparently igneous rocks that 

are intimately associated with the slate and graywacke.

The rocks on the north side of Turnagain Arm west of Indian 

Creek, believed to be a continuation of this belt, are described by 

Capps 11 as undifferentiated metamorphic rocks. Capps considers 

this series older than the slate and graywacke and finds it a very 

complex assemblage of andesite, andesite porphyry, peridotite, 

dunite, serpentine, pyroxenite, altered gabbro, tuff, and agglomerate 

of igneous origin, with argillite, graywacke, chert, and limestone 

of sedimentary origin. Farther north, in the vicinity of the Eagle 

River, Capps 12 was able to differentiate another formation of volcanic tuff, which he believes to be younger than the slate and 

graywacke. Landes 13 found in the region between the Knik and 

Matanuska Rivers an assemblage similar to that which Capps found, 

except that greenstone is more abundant; he describes this as a 

greenstone formation and on structural grounds considers it younger 

than the slate and graywacke.

The volcanic series in the Moose Pass-Hope district is structurally 

continuous with and probably a part of the general assemblage 

of predominantly volcanic formations of the region. Detailed work 

will no doubt make subdivision possible, but at present all that 

can be said is that the age of the volcanic series is probably close 

to that of the slate and graywacke.

DIKES

DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER

The only intrusive rocks in this area are fine-grained dikes which

cut the slate and graywacke. These dikes are widespread over the 

district, although they form only a small fraction of 1 percent of 

the total bedrock exposures. They are found on Devils, Slate, Summit, Colorado, Fresno, Pass, Frenchy, Donaldson, Palmer, Bear, 

Cub, Resurrection, and Groundhog Creeks. They may be even more 

numerous than indicated (see pi. 36), but on account of their small 

size they are difficult to locate. They are characteristically narrow the maximum is about 15 feet and the average about 4 feet 

but some are very long. The so-called " Gilpatrick dike " can be 

traced a distance of 11 miles, from Slate to Donaldson Creek; another dike can be traced from a point south of the Palmer Creek 

Glacier northward along the east wall of Palmer Creek for 3 miles; 

the dike on the Kenai Star property extends from a point near the

10 Martin, G. C., Johnson, B. L., and Grant, U. S., op. cit., pp. 50-51.

u Capps, S. R., op. cit., pp. 154-155.

M Idem, pp. 162-165.

13 Landes, K. K., op. cit., pp. 58-62.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 481

Palmer Creek Glacier to the headwaters of Cub Creek, a distance of 

6 miles. These three dikes trend almost south, following closely the 

general structural trend of the slate and graywacke, and are usually 

vertical but may flatten out to 30°. Only the long continuous dikes 

follow this structural trend; the shorter dikes, such as those on Bear 

Creek, strike irregularly across the formation.

The dike rock in fresh hand specimens has a slightly greenish, 

translucent appearance. In texture it is very fine grained. Upon 

weathering it assumes a creamy-white hue, although where sulphides 

are present it is stained brown by iron oxide.

Under the microscope all the dike rocks are seen to be essentially 

the same texturally and mineralogically. They are very fine grained 

and in places microporphyritic, with well-formed phenocrysts of 

albite, although the rock is usually so highly altered that the feldspar is difficult to recognize. Plagioclase feldspar, probably albite, 

forms the greater part of the groundmass. Quartz occurs as an 

original constituent of the rock but has also been introduced later 

as veins and replacement masses. A few specimens show unaltered 

albite as small veins cutting the altered dike rock. Fine-grained 

mica and a kaolinic mineral are common as a result of the alteration 

of the feldspar. Calcite occurs in irregular masses and veins 

throughout the rock. Chlorite is common in small flakes and is the 

cause of the greenish color of the rock in the hand specimens. Certain parts of the dikes contain disseminated crystals of arsenopyrite, 

which near the surface have weathered to limonite.

In the past these dikes have been termed " acidic dikes ", and in 

view of the acid nature of the feldspar and the presence of quartz 

the term is used in this paper. The origin of these acidic dikes is 

similar to that of other igneous intrusions, as they have solidified 

from a liquid state. Small fragments of slate are included in some 

of the dike rock, but for the most part the evidence indicates that 

the liquid rock entered and solidified in open fractures without 

having materially absorbed and assimilated the enclosing country 

rock. The actual mechanics of the process is difficult to explain, as 

it is difficult to understand how such long, narrow, continuous 

fractures, the size of the present dikes, could have stayed open for 

a sufficient length of time to permit the entrance of the liquid rock.

After its solidification, portions of the dike rock were fractured, 

and the fractures were filled with solutions bearing quartz, calcite, 

feldspar, and a few metallic minerals. Locally within the dikes the 

fractures are parallel and the quartz veinlets strike uniformly across 

the trend of the dike. These fracture-filling solutions did not materially alter the dike rock, as both the fractured and unfractured 

portions exhibit the same altered condition. It is probable that the 

alteration is regional and that the mineralization is only scattered.
482 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

AGE AND CORRELATION

Similar acidic intrusions occur in the vicinity of Kenai Lake, on 

the north shore of Turnagain Arm, and in the Girdwood and Port 

Wells districts, although they vary in size and shape of intrusion and 

in texture.

Lithologically all these dikes are similar, and it is probable that 

they are from the same magmatic source and of the same period 

of intrusion. In the Moose Pass-Hope district they cut the folded 

slate and graywacke, but they themselves are not folded; therefore 

they must have been intruded after the deformation of the slate 

and graywacke. As the slate and graywacke are regarded as Cretaceous, the dikes are late Cretaceous or post-Cretaceous. Of the intrusions in the Girdwood district Johnson 14 says:

The best evidence available as to the age of the quartz diorite and diorite 

porphyry intrusions is furnished at a locality on Crow Creek, where they cut 

folded sedimentary beds containing Jurassic or Cretaceous fossils. It appears 

probable that the intrusions were also pre-Tertiary.

As there are no recognized Tertiary deposits in the district, and as 

the Kenai formation to the west is only slightly consolidated and no 

dikes have been found cutting it, these dikes are probably preTertiary.

ITNCONSOLIDATED DEPOSITS

PRINCIPAL FEATTTRES

The unconsolidated or only partly consolidated deposits consist 

of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders and constitute over one third of 

the surface exposures. They directly overlie the interbedded slate 

and graywacke and the volcanic series in the valleys and on the valley slopes. No unconsolidated deposits of preglacial origin are

known to exist, and probably the glaciers that occupied the valleys 

during Quaternary time eroded and transported the earlier stream 

deposits. The unconsolidated deposits may be classified into three 

groups (1) glacial deposits consisting of unstratified clay, sand, 

pebble, and boulders deposited directly by the melting glaciers; (2) 

glaciofluviatile or bench deposits, consisting of stratified and unstratified clay, sand, gravel, and boulders deposited by water from 

the melting ice and made up mostly of reworked glacial material; 

(3) recent deposits, consisting of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders 

deposited by the present streams. In addition to these three types 

there are some small lake deposits, but as they are of slight areal extent and of no economic importance, no further mention of them 

will be made.

"Martin, G. C., Johnson, B. L., and Grant, U. S., op. cit., p. 120.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 483 

GLACIAL DEPOSITS

Few extensive glacial deposits remain in this district. Glacial till 

consisting of a dense clay in which angular pebbles and boulders are 

embedded is present in some of the stream valleys and rests directly 

on the grooved and polished bedrock. Johnson 15 observed a terminal-moraine deposit on Canyon Creek. The lack of glacial deposits in this highly glaciated region is due to the tremendous 

amounts of water released from the melting glaciers, which, having 

been concentrated in the glaciated valleys, reworked all the previous 

unconsolidated deposits.

GLACIOFLUVIATILE OR BENCH DEPOSITS

The glaciofluviatile deposits constitute the greater part of the unconsolidated material in the district. They consist of clay, sand, 

gravel, and boulders, usually stratified, although in places only 

partly so. Locally they may be slightly cemented by iron oxide or 

calcium carbonate. Their distribution over the region is widespread. 

Some form benches or terraces that are as much as 2 miles wide 

and extend the entire length of the stream. The benches slope toward the middle of the valley and downstream. Their formation 

began at the end of the active glacial epoch, when enormous quantities of water from the melting ice reworked and deposited the 

material that had been left by the glaciers. At that time the sea 

was at a higher level than now. Benches at several different levels 

in the valleys and along Turn again Arm indicate that there were 

several fluctuations of the sea level. Many of the bench deposits 

originated as deltas and alluvial fans and are particularly conspicuous at the points where the tributary streams emerge into the valleys of the main streams. These postglacial deposits range in thickness from a few feet to several hundred feet, the thickness depending 

on the topography of the valley prior to their deposition.

RECENT DEPOSITS

The Recent unconsolidated deposits are found in the channels 

and flood plains of the present streams wherever they are aggrading. 

This material consists of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders, and the 

greater part of it represents reworked bench gravel, as the most of 

the main streams are still actively cutting in the glaciofluviatile 

deposits.

Gravel, sand, and silt are being deposited in deltas at the mouths 

of the present streams, as on Turnagain Arm, which has been a 

gradually filling basin of sedimentation since the end of the Pleisto15 Martin, G. C., Johnson, B. L., and Grant, U. S., op. cit., p. 121.
184 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILKOAD BELT, 1931

cene epoch. Owing to the high tides, which are sometimes as great 

as 40 feet and are often accompanied by a bore, this material is 

spread out as mud flats across almost the entire Turnagain Arm and 

eventually Will completely fill it.

The deposits along the present streams are usually not more than 

10 feet thick, but the deposits in Turnagain Arm must be hundreds 

of feet thick in places, the depth depending on the topography of 

the old Turnagain Arm Valley.

STRUCTURE

The consolidated rocks exhibit a highly complex structure, as they 

are everywhere intricately folded, and the lack of any conspicuous or 

recognizable formation makes interpretation difficult. The monotonous character of the interbedded slate and graywacke succession 

prevents easy recognition of the broader aspects of the structure,

and only small details can be gathered and pieced together.

The general structural trend is N. 10° E.16 The dip is usually 

steep, ranging from vertical to 20° or 30° either east or west. It is 

difficult to account for this large area of steep dips by thickness of 

formation alone, as this would call for an incredible thickness of 

almost identical formations. A more plausible assumption is that 

there is repetition of beds, caused either by isoclinal folding or by 

a large number of strike faults. °Both folding and faulting have 

caused this apparent great thickness of formation, as in small outcrops isoclinal folds are common as well as small strike faults. The 

axes of these isoclinal folds may be steeply inclined either to the west 

or to the east. On Slate Creek seven small strike faults were exposed 

in an 8-foot section of a crosscut.

FOLDS

A few broad folds were recognized. One anticline strikes down 

Palmer Creek, and the headward part of the creek is flowing on the 

crest of the fold. The axis of this fold strikes a little east of north, 

continuing along the divide between Bear and Cub Creeks, and probably passes into Turnagain Arm about 2 miles west of Sunrise. At 

this location on Turnagain Arm the fold appears to be plunging 

north at an angle of about 10°.

It is probable that another anticline, striking north, cuts across 

Slate, Summit, and Colorado Creeks in the vicinity of the dike, but 

dips are so steep, except on what appears to be the crest of the fold, 

that satisfactory recognition of this fold is difficult.

The folds are difficult to identify, not only because of the lack of 

a marker bed but also because of their complexity, as folding was

18All compass readings are given with reference to true north.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 485

not the only expression of the relief from stress. Intense faulting, 

crumpling, and mashing accompanied the folding. Many of the 

faults occur on and parallel to the axes of the folds. In the cliff 

at the head of Palmer Creek, which is probably at the crest of a 

fold, a large mass of graywacke has been squeezed into the slate 

and is entirely isolated from any other graywacke bed.

Drag folds, which occur in the less competent rocks, such as the 

slates, are common throughout the region. In the best exposures, 

as along Turnagain Arm and in the railroad cuts along Trail Lake, 

the plunge of these small folds is from 10° to 50° N., indicating a 

general structural plunge in that direction. One observed exception 

to this northward plunge is in the vicinity of Slate and Summit 

Creeks, where observations on slate indicate a 20° to 30° plunge to 

the south, and in this same locality the Oracle vein, which trends 

with the formation, has a similar plunge.

CLEAVAGE

Kock cleavage is widespread throughout the slate and graywacke. 

The effect of the competency of the rock on the development of the 

cleavage is strikingly shown, not only by its better development 

in the slate, which is less competent than the graywacke, but also 

by the fact that in the slate the cleavage is closely parallel to the 

bedding, whereas in the graywacke it is widely spaced and at larger 

angles with the bedding. As a whole, the cleavage closely parallels 

the strike of the beds. The effect of the relative competency of the 

rock on the structural features produced is apparent on a small scale 

where slate and graywacke are exposed side by side; the slate is 

folded and the graywacke is faulted. This suggests that the same 

effects might be produced on a regional scale.

JOINTS

Well-developed joints are found at localities scattered throughout 

the region. The best-developed set has a general east-west strike 

and a vertical dip. They are smooth, clean-cut, typical shear joints, 

usually spaced at intervals of 6 inches to 2 feet. A poorly developed 

set striking northeast is represented in a few places. The well-developed set of joints may show minor horizontal movement, causing 

a cellular structure in quartz that apparently had been deposited 

in the joints prior to the movement.

FAULTS

Faults are one of the most common structural features of the district. No large faults of regional extent were recognized, and it is 

believed that their absence is explainable by the presence of numer-
486 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILEOAD BELT, 1931

ous faults of small displacement. It is probable that much of the 

relief from stress was accomplished through the small faults. The 

aggregate displacement of these small faults would be sufficient to 

account for the apparent repetition of formations.

The major faulting occurred along north-south lines, and most of 

it took place prior to the mineralization. Premineral transverse 

faults are present, and some of them probably represent the existing vein systems, as most of the veins occur in fissures along which 

movement took place prior to ore deposition.

Postmineral faults of small displacement, probably not more than 

100 feet as a maximum, are numerous. In one set the faults that 

offset the veins and dikes have a general strike of N. 60° E. and are 

chiefly vertical. The movement along these faults has usually been 

such that the block on the northwest side has been relatively displaced to the northeast. A rule generally applicable is that if a fault 

is encountered in drifting on a vein or mineralized dike, a crosscut 

should be made to the right along the fault plane until the faulted 

portion is intercepted.

Other types of postmineral movement occur, but usually the displacement is slight, so that it is manifested only in fracturing, 

brecciation, pinching, swelling, or lensing of the vein. It is probable 

that this movement has been so slight that locally the quartz veins 

control the resulting strain.

GEOLOGIC HISTORY

The geologic history of this district is probably similar to that of 

the Chugach Mountain province, of which it is a part, and will be 

given here only briefly.

PRE-TBKTIARY

Of the pre-Cretaceous history nothing is known, as there are no 

rocks of probable pre-Cretaceous age in the district, unless the volcanic series west of Hope should prove to be pre-Cretaceous, which 

seems unlikely. However, as their age is not known at present, it 

will be sufficient to say that the volcanic rocks represent a period 

of intense volcanism during which' ash and rock fragments were 

showered down upon a low-lying area, a portion of which was covered by water, as the nature of some of the tuffs suggests deposition 

in water. Probably during the later part of the Cretaceous period 

the area was submerged beneath the sea, and streams flowing into 

the sea deposited a great thickness of sediments, which have formed 

the interbedded slate and graywacke of this report. That there 

were frequent fluctuations of this sea level is suggested by the alternation of beds of slate and graywacke, with scattered lenses of 

limestone and conglomerate, but in general this basin must have been
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 487

gradually sinking in order to accumulate so great a thickness of 

sediments. After the deposition and consolidation of all this material it was subjected to enormous pressures, which resulted in the 

folding, faulting, and uplift of these sedimentary deposits. During 

this time of stress the shale and sandstone were changed and altered 

to the present slate and graywacke. The direction from which this 

stress came is not exactly known, but the north-south strike of the 

cleavage and folds in the district and the arcuate trend of the entire 

Chugach Mountains suggest that it might have been from the east 

and southeast. It was not a simple, direct stress, but probably a 

differential movement, continually changing in direction and point 

of application.

The last phase of this mountain-making movement was characterized by the intrusion of the acidic dikes; only minor movement 

occurred after their formation, as they are only slightly fractured 

and folded. After the fracturing of the dikes mineral-bearing solutions emanated from the still molten underlying magma and were 

deposited in fractures and fissures, forming the present veins and 

mineralized dikes. Since this period of mineralization some deformation has taken place. This deformation was widespread, although 

slight in magnitude, as the veins and mineralized dikes are only 

fractured and sheared, having suffered little or no displacement.

TERTIARY

During the Tertiary period erosion progressed vigorously. It is 

probable that the whole region was reduced to baselevel and later 

uplifted, but the only evidence of this peneplanation lies in the partial 

concordance of the ridge and mountain tops. The lack of Tertiary 

deposits prevents the further deciphering of the Tertiary history.

QUATERNARY

At the beginning of the Quaternary period the topography was 

much like that of today, being mountainous and having drainage, in 

general, along lines similar to those of the present time. Climatic 

changes resulted in a yearly increase and excess of snowfall. The 

snow, becoming compacted into ice at several centers in the higher 

portions of the mountains, formed glaciers, which gradually moved 

down the slopes as a result of the increasing pressure behind. The 

valleys were thus filled with ice up to an elevation of 4,000 feet. 

Later other climatic changes caused the melting of the ice and the 

retreat of the glaciers.

The chief action of the moving ice was to gouge out the valleys 

and smooth the slopes up to an elevation of 4,000 feet. Above that 

height the mountains are unglaciated and are rough and rugged,
488 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA KAILROAD BELT, 1931

chiefly from mechanical disintegration. The preglacial V-shaped 

valleys were broadened to U-shaped valleys, ridges were truncated, 

many of the valleys tributary to the main streams were left as 

hanging valleys, and the bedrock was scoured and polished. The 

water liberated from the retreating glaciers reworked much of the 

glacial debris and deposited it as bench gravel. Although there may 

have been several advances and retreats of the glaciers, this area 

shows evidence of only one such movement. At the end of the active 

glaciation the streams renewed their courses, and since that time 

they have been engaged in cutting and reworking the glacial outwash material. In a few places they have removed it entirely and 

are cutting in the bedrock, but most of the streams have not completed the removal of the unconsolidated clay, sand, gravel, and 

boulders.

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

PRODUCTION

Although the Kenai Peninsula is one of the oldest placer gold 

producing districts in Alaska, its production is minor in amount 

compared with that of other parts of the Territory. The total 

value of gold produced from 1895 to 1930 has been estimated at 

approximately $2,302,000.17 The Girdwood district is included in 

this total, but the major part of the gold came from the Moose 

Pass-Hope district.

There was practically no lode production from this district prior 

to 1911. Since that time the yearly production of lode gold has 

fluctuated between a few thousand dollars and $30,000. No steady 

growth has taken place, as there has been but an alternation of 

production from a number of small properties, which from time to

time have received fresh impetus in the form of new working capital. 

Only one lode mine has been able to keep in continuous operation 

for the last 10 years. The total lode-gold production of the Kenai 

Peninsula for the period 1911 to 1930 was $312,000.17 In addition 

to the Moose Pass-Hope district, this figure includes five or six lode 

mines between Seward and Moose Pass that reached their peak 

production in 1914, the mines of the Girdwood district, and of late 

years a rising production from the Nuka Bay district. The Moose 

Pass-Hope district has produced considerably more than half of the 

total.

The first recorded placer production was in 1895, when $50,000 

in gold was obtained, chiefly from Bear Creek. The maximum production was only 2 years later, in 1897, when $175,000 was obtained.

17 Smith, P. S., unpublished estimate.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 489

Since that time there has been a gradual decline. The total placergold production of the Kenai Peninsula and the Girdwood district 

from 1895 to 1930 is $1,990,000.17 . The greater part has come from 

the Moose Pass-Hope district.

GOLD LODE DEPOSITS 

HISTORY OF L.ODE MINING

The history of lode mining in the Moose Pass-Hope district has 

been one of many disappointments, with only a few of the prospects 

ever coming to the producing stage and only one of the producers 

being able to continue operations for more than a few years. The 

early history of the district appeared bright, Small but rich goldbearing lodes were discovered in the years when the primary interest 

was in placer mining, but at that time the development of these lodes 

was neglected for the quicker and easier profits derived from the 

gravel. So, for many years after the discovery of gold, there was 

but slight prospecting and little development of the gold-bearing 

veins.

The possibility of gold-bearing veins was first noted by John C. 

Gilpatrick, who found rich quartz float on Summit Creek in June 

1896. In 1898 locations were made on Bear, Palmer, and Sawmill 

Creeks, and some picked ore was milled on Sawmill Creek. The 

locations on Bear and Palmer Creeks were made on both quartz 

veins and mineralized dikes.

In 1905, 1906, and 1907 locations were made on Falls Creek, 

which lies a few miles southeast of Moose Pass station. In 1906 

J. C. Gilpatrick located quartz leads on Slate and Summit Creeks. 

In 1908 a mineralized dike was located on what is now known as 

the Gilpatrick property. In the years 1909 to 1912 considerable 

development work was done on Falls and Slate Creeks. In 1911, 

with the erection of several small mills, the first notable production 

of gold was made, coming chiefly from the Falls Creek properties 

but including small amounts from the Slate Creek prospects. Since 

1915 developments have been only sporadic on the Falls and Slate 

Creek properties, which at one time appeared so promising.

In 1911 John Hirshey located the Lucky Strike vein, near the 

head of Palmer Creek. It has been worked almost continuously 

since that year, and the mine is the only producer in the district at 

the present time.

In 1921 Kobert Heaston located the Alaska Oracle vein on Summit 

Creek. Numerous other locations have been made, but the lack of 

success of the older prospects has tended .to discourage new pros17 Smith, p. s., unpublished estimate.
490 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

pectors, so that of late years there has been little active prospecting 

and only a few new discoveries. Most of the recent work has been 

confined to restaking old discoveries.

GENERAL. CHARACTER OF THE DEPOSITS

The mineralized deposits of the district are of two distinct types 

fissure veins and mineralized dikes. The mineralization is identical 

in each type, and genetically the metals have the same origin from 

a similar underlying magmatic source. The dikes have not yet been 

found to be economically valuable, although several attempts have 

been made at working them and considerable development work has 

been done. The fissure veins have been the sole source of lode gold 

produced in the district.

FISSURE VEINS

The fissure-vein type of deposit occurs as a simple fissure filling, 

usually with smooth, clean-cut walls. The veins range in width from 

a few inches to 5 feet, with an average around 6 to 8 inches. Along 

the strike they are usually not persistent for more than a few hundred feet. In depth they are known to persist for at least several 

hundred feet. As a rule the veins cut across the bedding and 

cleavage of the country rock, but a few parallel it. There do not 

appear to be any definite sets of veins, as veins are found striking in 

all directions; however, the richer and larger veins more commonly 

have a general east-west strike. The dip of the veins ranges from 

20° to vertical, with an average around 45°, and the direction of dip 

is in general predominantly north or west. The veins are all of the 

same period of mineralization.

MINERALIZED DIKES

The mineralized dikes are the acidic dikes that in places have been 

fractured and penetrated along the fractures by mineral-bearing 

solutions similar to those of the fissure veins. The veins in the dikes 

are all small, a fraction of an inch to 6 inches across, although in 

places they are so numerous as to form 30 percent of the total dike 

rock. They may occur irregularly within the dike or have a rough 

orientation, paralleling each other and cutting across the dike. Not 

all the dikes are mineralized, and even those mineralized are not 

uniformly so.

The dike that occurs on the Gilpatrick property has been traced 

from Slate Creek north 8 miles to Pass Creek, and it has been reported as found on Frenchy and Donaldson Creeks, making a total 

length of 11 miles, which is remarkable considering its slight width 

and its relatively regular trend. (See pi. 36.) This dike was not 

found south of Slate Creek; it is reported to have been located on
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 849 PLATE 36

14920

Base from part of map The 

Alaska Railroad by 

Alaskan Branch

MAP SHOWING MINES AND PROSPECTS IN 

MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT, ALASKA

By Ralph Tuck

5 o 5 Miles

EXPLANATION

Area in the northwestern 

part of the map contains 

tuff and agglomerate and 

all the remaining area 

slate and graywacke

Acidic rocks

MINES AND PROSPECTS

SOLD LODES 

2. Coon

4. Taylor

5. Gold Stamp

6. Nearhouse & Smith

7. Robinson & Bowman

11. Kenai Star

12. Robin Red Breast

13. Downing

14. Sunshine

15. Teddy Bear

16. Hirshey

19. Donaldson Creek

20. 21. Frenchy Creek 

23. Pass Creek 

24-26. Fresno Creek

29. Mascot

30. Iron Mask

31. Independence

32. Johnson

33. 34. Colorado

35. Johnson

36. Alaska Oracle

37. Ronan

38. Swetman

39. Gilpatrick

40. State Creek-south

41. 42. McMillan

43. Devil Creek

44. Quartz Creek

47. Brewster

48. Seward Gold

49. Case

50. Sollars

COPPER LODE

46. Ready Bullion Copper Co.

	GOLD PLACERS 

1. Dark & Leach 

3. Gallagher

8. Clark & Beiswanger

9. St. Louis Mining Co.

10. Pearson

17. Connolly

18. Bruhn & Ray

22. Allison

27. Dahl

28. Miller, Plowman & Tolson

45. Jacobs

Contour interval 200 feet 

Datum is mean yea level

Broken lines indicate probable topography of unsurveyed areas 

1933
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 491

the south side of the creek by William Farnum and John Madsen 

in 1909, but no evidence of their location remains. The dike is best 

mineralized on the north side of Slate Creek, and there is sparse 

mineralization on Colorado and Fresno Creeks, but development to 

date shows that the greater part is practically barren.

The dikes that occur on the Teddy Bear and Kenai Star claims, 

on the east side of Palmer Creek, and also in the vicinity of Bear 

Creek are slightly mineralized in spots.

Individual assays running as high as $40 a ton in gold were obtained from these dikes, but the average of samples from any particular part did not give minable values, as there are ]ong stretches of 

barren or very low grade material.

MINERALOGY

The mineralogy of the ore deposits is extremely simple and is

identical in both the veins and the mineralized dikes. The predominant gangue mineral is quartz, although calcite is usually present 

in small amounts. In the dikes calcite is still subordinate to quartz 

but is more abundant than in the fissure veins. Ankerite occurs in 

a few of the veins. Arsenopyrite is the chief metallic mineral, with 

galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite present in small amounts. 

Molybdenite and pyrrhotite have been reported from several localities. Free gold occurs in the quartz and at many places is closely 

associated with the galena and sphalerite; therefore the presence 

of these two minerals is usually a good indicator of gold. Some of 

the arsenopyrite carries gold, but most of it is apparently barren.

Silver is known to occur in all the veins, as all the assays show 

small amounts, which increase directly as the gold increases. Some 

of the silver probably occurs with the galena, but much of it is directly alloyed with the gold. At many of the prospects the visible 

gold has a light color due to the silver content. Limonite and scorodite are commonly found as alteration products of the arsenopyrite.

As a rule the metallic minerals form only a very small percentage 

of the total vein material, although portions of a few of the veins 

may contain as much as 20 percent of metallic minerals.

PARAGENESIS

Polished sections of ore specimens from a number of deposits all 

give the same order of crystallization. Arsenopyrite is by far the 

most common metallic mineral present and occurs in euhedral and 

subhedral crystals, having been the first mineral to be deposited by 

the ore-bearing solutions. Subsequent to its formation it was fractured, and quartz, with galena, sphalerite, gold, and chalcopyrite, 

Avas introduced. The quartz, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and

170397 33 3
492 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILKOAD BELT, 1931

gold are all closely contemporaneous, although definitely later than 

the arsenopyrite, as they cut across it in veins. The galena and 

sphalerite are of the same age, but generally the galena crystallized 

out a little later than the sphalerite. All the gold seems to have been 

introduced after the fracturing of the arsenopyrite, and this may 

explain why some of the arsenopyrite appears to be auriferous, 

though in other deposits it is barren.

The possibility of two ages of quartz is apparent in some of the 

underground workings. The older quartz is barren, massive, and 

contains many terminated quartz crystals. At the Downing prospect, on Bonanza Creek, a 2- to 4-inch vein of quartz carrying gold 

cuts an older massive barren quartz.

STRUCTURAL, FEATURES

Few marked structural characteristics are shown by the veins. In 

some there is a rough banding of the sulphides in the quartz, and in 

the smaller veins this banding becomes more pronounced and the 

quartz exhibits comb structure. A few of the veins show a brecciated 

condition, with angular fragments of the wall rock, either slate or 

graywacke, embedded in the quartz vein material.

The most conspicuous structural feature shown by the veins is 

that resulting from the postmineral movement to which they have 

been subjected. This movement has caused a fracturing and shearing of the vein material. All of the movement has been closely parallel to the vein> and locally it may cause a pinching, swelling, or 

even lensing out of the vein, thus greatly increasing the difficulty of 

following the vein during mining.

ENRICHMENT

Many of the prospects that have been worked intermittently for 

the past 15 years appear to have been much richer near the surface 

than those subsequently encountered in the underground development work. Whether or.not this was due to primary or secondary 

agencies is not known, although enrichment of the surface outcrop 

of a vein to a depth of several feet is common, owing to the concentration of the gold by the removal of the valueless gangue minerals ; but the formation of a zone of enrichment to any great depth 

seems unlikely because of the severity of the climate, the high topographic relief of the region, and the comparative recency of 

glaciation.

If there has been an actual movement of gold in the upper zone, 

the evidence is insufficient to prove it. Probably the transfer of 

gold in the vein by solutions would be reflected in the fineness, but 

attempts to find whether the fineness of the gold was greater or less
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 493

near the surface have been unsuccessful, as adequate records have not 

been kept, and on only a few of the properties has underground 

work been carried to a depth sufficient to give conclusive evidence.

TENOR OF THE ORE

The veins of the district have a remarkably high tenor, the average 

of the ore that has been mined in the past being about $45 in gold to 

the ton. This high tenor is economically necessary to offset high 

cost of operation, narrowness of veins, and poor mill extraction. 

The value of the concentrates usually averages between $500 and 

.$1,000 a ton.

GENESIS OF THE ORE DEPOSITS

The origin of the vein deposits is obviously similar to that of the 

mineralized dikes, as the mineralization in each is identical, After 

the intrusion and solidification of the dikes the region was subjected 

to stresses that fractured the brittle dike rock. It is probable that 

the same stresses also slightly fractured the country rock of slate 

and graywacke, and along many of the fractures some movement 

took place, affording suitable open fissures for the deposition of the 

ores. The intrusion of the dikes is evidence of the presence at that 

time of an underlying magmatic reservoir. The last phase of this 

magmatic activity was the giving off of ore-bearing solutions, which 

probably represent the end products of crystallization of the cooling 

rock. The fact that much of the mineralization occurred in the 

dikes or in veins close to the dikes suggests that the ore-bearing 

solutions came up through channels close to those through which the 

dike material itself entered. The ore-bearing solutions, upon coming to open fissures, and under the necessary conditions of temperature and pressure, deposited their burden of minerals in the fractures 

in the dikes and throughout the country rock.

The first event of this period of mineralization was the deposition 

of the arsenopyrite. The, crystals of arsenopyrite were then fractured, and the gold, galena^ sphalerite, and chalcopyrite were deposited slightly later. Since the deposition of the ores the region 

lias been eroded to such an extent that the veins are now exposed 

at the surface.

FUTURE OF THE DISTRICT

The future of the district appears to lie in the careful and economical mining of the small veins. .The highly faulted and folded 

condition of the country rock and the past mining experience show 

that the veins will not warrant heavy overhead or large-scale development work, as structural conditions necessary for ore deposition change within short distances. Milling equipment should be 

adapted for small-scale operations, and development work should be
494

confined to following the vein or with a very short distance between 

crosscuts, as the veins pinch out abruptly. The mineralization is of 

a type that should persist in depth, but the structure that controlled 

the sites of mineralization is not everywhere persistent.

Development work on the mineralized dikes has been insufficient 

to determine the possibility of mining them on a large scale, but in 

only a few places do they appear to merit further development under 

present conditions. The erratic nature of the mineralization in the 

dikes indicates that considerable underground work and a thorough 

sampling would have to be done before any conclusions could be 

drawn. Prospecting the dikes is exceedingly uncertain in its results, 

and with our present knowledge well-mineralized portions would be 

found only by chance.

Further prospecting will no doubt uncover many more small veins, 

but many will never be found because 'of the enormous overburden 

in the valleys. No easy, simple rules for searching for profitable 

deposits can be laid down, as the veins occur scattered throughout 

the district, in either slate or graywacke, and may trend in any direction. Usually the east-west veins are more profitable, and the presence of galena and sphalerite, even in small amounts, is a favorable 

indication for gold. The fact that many of the veins are in close 

proximity to the dikes is suggestive of a possible guide for prospecting, as the ore-bearing solutions may have ascended through 

channels similar to those through \vhich the dike material itself 

came; but areas in which dikes have not been found, should .not be., 

condemned for further prospecting, as dikes may be present though 

undiscovered, perhaps lying close,beneath the surface.

MINES AND PROSPECTS

PALMER CREEK 

HIRSHEY

During the summer of 1931 and for several years past, the Hirshey 

mine (no. 16, pi. 36), on the Lucky Strike vein, has been the 

only producing lode mine in the Moose Pass-Hope district. It is on 

Palmer Creek, within half a mile of its head, and is 12 miles from 

Hope by the Palmer Creek Highway, which extends from Hope to 

the Hirshey camp and mill. From the mill it is three quarters of 

a mile by trail to the mine, which lies on the east side of the valley 

1,000 feet higher than the mill.

The property was discovered by the present owner, John Hirshey, 

who personally has operated it except in 1922-27. The discovery 

was made in 1911, and for several years little except assessment work 

was done. Later a one-stamp mill was erected and continued in 

operation until 1922, when the property was purchased by the Alaska
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 495

Minerals Co., of Anchorage. Shortly after this time a road was 

constructed from Hope, and a five-stamp mill was erected. In 1928 

the property reverted to Mr. Hirshey.

The milling equipment consists of a jaw crusher, five stamps, a 

Wilfley table, and amalgamating plates. The ore is brought to the 

mill by a 3,000-foot tram line. During the summer of 1931 cyanide 

tanks were put in, and the tailings from the mill, which had been 

ponded, are now being worked. Sufficient power is obtained from

Feet

FIGURE 57. Plan of underground workings and position of tlie vein at Hirshey mine.

a nearby stream to operate the mill and compressor. The working 

season for a mine and mill at this elevation is short, owing to snow 

and the freezing of the water available for power. Ordinarily 

operations begin June 1-15 and continue until October 1.

The underground workings consist of three levels at vertical intervals of 100 feet. (See fig. 57.) At the present time the upper 

tunnel, which lies about 30 feet below the discovery, has caved to 

a point within 30 feet of the portal, and therefore the greater part 

is inaccessible. The middle tunnel, about 500 feet in length, is in 

good condition and is used only for ventilation and safety, as practically all of the ground between the upper and middle levels has
496 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILBOAD BELT, 1931

been stoped. The lower tunnel is the present working tunnel, anci 

nearly all of the ground above it has been stoped. The underground work at present consists of development on the east face 

of the. lower level and the stoping of the few remaining blocks 

above it. :

The country rock is slate, the cleavage of which has a strike 

ranging from north to N. 35° E., with a dip of 60°-80° E. Near 

the surface the slate may show an inclination as low as 40° E., 

owing to the surface creep. Bedding in the slate was not visible 

underground, and the only place at which it was observed was at 

the portal of the lower tunnel, where it had been brought out by 

weathering. It is highly contorted at that point, but in general it is 

horizontal.

The vein occurs in a curving and branching fracture that cuts 

across the cleavage of the slate at approximately right angles, so 

that the strike of the vein ranges from N. 45° W. to west. The 

dip of the vein ranges from 20° N. on the west end of the middle 

level to 75° NE. on the east end. The average inclination is about 

40° N. The width of the vein ranges from a few inches to 5 feet, 

with an average of about 18 inches. On the lower level the vein 

is about 300 feet long, but it is not all minable. On the middle 

level it is about 350 feet long, but here also it is not all ore. The 

stoping length on both the lower and middle levels is about 200 

feet. Measurements on the upper level were not available, but it 

is probable that the length was somewhat less, owing to the slope 

of the hill, as on the upper level the vein crops out and a portion 

has been eroded, whereas on the lower level and probably also 

the middle level the vein pinches out before reaching the surface. 

This is due not only to the slope of the hill but also to the fact 

that the ore shoot rakes to the northeast. (See fig. 57.) On both 

the middle and the lower levels the vein curves, and the apex of the 

curve occurs in the middle of the shoot, so that structurally it has 

the appearance of a plunging nose. This curvature appears to 

increase in depth, and it is probable that the vein may split into two; 

there is a suggestion of this on the lower level, where the vein 

splits at the apex of the curve. On the dip of the vein developments 

have proved a distance of 350 feet, with ore still showing in the bottom of the lower level. Vertically, this means a proved depth of 

about 250 feet.

Associated with the vein is considerable gouge, sheared slate, and 

in a few places a vein breccia. Considerable postmineral movement 

has taken place, but this has been in the nature of small faults 

parallel to the vein, which have sheared the vein material, forming
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 497

considerable gouge between the vein and the country rock, and at 

places have sheared the slate as well as the quartz. In a few places 

the movement has caused slicing in the vein closely parallel to the 

walls, giving it a greater width, but elsewhere it lias caused pinching, 

making the vein exceedingly difficult to follow arid greatly increasing the cost of the development. The walls are usually well defined, 

and the ore breaks clean from them. In a few places both footwall 

and hanging-wall stringers are abundant. In several places irregular masses of what appears to be a different quartz intercept the 

vein arid increase the cost of development, as they carry little gold.

The mineralogy of the vein is typical of the district. The vein 

material consists chiefly of quartz with small amounts of calcile and 

ankerite. The metallic minerals, in order of abundance, are arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and free gold, with the arsenopyrite greatly in excess of the others. The proportion of sulphides to 

vein quartz varies greatly from place to place, ranging from a fraction of 1 percent to as much as 20 percent, the average being about 

2 percent. The gold occurs both free and combined with the sulphides, but there does not seem to be any direct relation between the 

amount of sulphides and gold in fact, the richer portions of the 

vein have the smaller percentage of sulphides.

The gold is almost entirely in the vein material. In some of the 

richer portions of the vein the wall rock may carry some gold but 

in general not enough to warrant mining, Assays are as high as 

several hundred dollars to the ton and usually are highest where 

the vein has a width of 6 to 12 inches. It has been said that the 

upper level and the discovery cut contained very rich ore, portions 

of which averaged several hundred dollars to the ton. It was rich 

enough to make a profit with a 1-stamp mill before a road was 

put into the district, when handling of the ore several times from 

the mine to the mill was necessary. It is probable that the ore 

mined from the lower level averages around $40 a ton, although 

portions running much less than this have been left unstoped. In 

a few places where the footwall stringers are abundant $3 to $5 

channel samples have been obtained from 4-foot widths of quartz 

stringers and slate. As elsewhere, the mineralization has been erratic, and close sampling is necessary, although in general the oxidized and sheared quartz, which can be easily identified with the 

eye, is found to carry the most gold.

The future production is problematic, as the ore above the lower 

level has been stoped and the vein appears to have pinched laterally 

and cannot be traced. Future development work must be downward, 

either by a winze, which would necessitate pumping and hoisting
498 INVESTIGATIONS IN ^ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

equipment, or by a long crosscut tunnel lower down on the side of 

the hill. The mineral associations would suggest that there is an 

excellent chance of continuation in depth if suitable structural conditions exist. The fractures in the district are as a rule very erratic 

and do not persist over any great length or depth, although in general the depth exceeds the length.

During the summer of 1931 from 8 to 10 men were working on 

the property. Late in the summer work was stopped at the mine, 

owing to the breaking of the tram line, but operations continued at 

the mill until the freeze-up.

SUNSHINE

Five claims called the Sunshine group (no. 14, pi. 36) were located 

in 1923 by Pete Kopovich and Tom Sobel. These claims are on the 

west side of Palmer Creek adjacent to the Palmer Creek road and 

about 10 miles from Hope. The vein that has received most attention lies at an elevation of 2,700 feet, about 1.200 feet above the road. 

The development work consists of an open pit at the discovery and 

a 130-foot tunnel. The tunnel lies 60 feet vertically below the discovery pit. For a distance of 40 feet from the portal it is in barren 

rock, but the remainder is on the vein.

The country rock consists of massive graywacke that strikes N. 

10° E. and dips 40°-60° W. The development work shows the graywacke cut by an irregular quartz vein that has a general east-west 

strike and an almost vertical dip. It ranges in width from 6 to 

12 inches. A second vein 2 to 12 inches wide is horizontal and intersects the first at the tunnel level. These veins have very tight walls 

and appear to have been originally small fractures from which issued 

very mobile quartz-bearing solutions that replaced the country rock.

This replacement has been irregular; in places the veins lose their 

fissurelike appearance and the quartz occurs in irregular masses. 

About 40 feet from the portal of the tunnel are several small thrust 

faults that strike N. 20° E. and dip 15°-30° W. These faults contain from 2 to 8 inches of gouge in which are some small seams of 

quartz that carry visible gold.

The vertical vein and the horizontal vein carry very small amounts 

of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and gold. Three channel samples across the 

vein in the tunnel gave only traces of gold and silver. The main 

lead does not appear favorable, in view of the narrow veins, small 

amount of gold, and structural conditions, and it is doubtful if this 

lead deserves further work. The small faults give a good showing 

of free gold, but they are narrow, and it is extremely doubtful 

whether they are persistent.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 499 

TEDDY BEAU

About a quarter of a mile west of the southerly continuation of 

the dike that occurs on the Kenai Star property, lying roughly 

parallel and en echelon with it, is a similar acidic dike. It was 

originally located by John Hirshey on what are known as the Teddy 

Bear claims (no. 15, pi. 36). Since the discovery the claims have 

changed hands several times, and at present they have been relocated 

by Pete Kopovich. The claims lie east of the Palmer Creek road 

and about 1,100 feet above it, at a point about 11 miles from Hope.

The development work consists of a number of open cuts and a 

50-foot tunnel, which have exposed a slightly mineralized dike that 

has a general north-south strike and a dip of 45°-60° E. The 

country rock is slate and graywacke with the same general strike 

as the dike and with a variable dip. From the Teddy Bear claims 

the dike has been traced north for about a mile; beyond that point 

it is hidden, as the overburden becomes great where the dike trends 

toward the valley of Palmer Creek, the bottom of which is filled 

with glacial outwash and slide material. To the south it is easily 

traced for about 3 miles; it cuts across the small basin east of the 

Hirshej7 mill and is also exposed on the north and south walls of the 

cirque that is occupied by the Palmer Creek glacier. In its southern 

part the dike is inclined more to the vertical but still maintains 

a general north-south trend. In a few places it splits into smaller 

dikes, so that two dikes may parallel each other for a short distance. 

The width of the dike ranges from 1 to 8 feet, with an average of 

2% feet. In several places it is offset by transverse faults, but the 

observed horizontal displacement is nowhere more than 20 feet; 

usually the northern part of the dike is offset to the east, relative to 

the southern part, a condition analogous to that at several other 

dikes in the district.

The character and conditions of mineralization are also similar 

to those of all other dikes in the region. The dike rock, being more 

brittle than the surrounding rock, has been fractured, in some places 

severely and in other places very slightly. The fractures have been 

filled with quartz and, to a less extent, with calcite. In some parts 

of the dike quartz may be absent; in others it may constitute as 

much as 30 percent of the dike. Accompanying the quartz are small 

amounts of arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and free 

gold. The dike rock contains many small, well-formed crystals, of 

arsenopyrite, but the sulphides nowhere form more than 1 percent 

of the quartz veinlets and usually much less. The gold is very 

erratically and sparsely distributed. Between Palmer Glacier and 

the Teddy Bear claims five channel samples were taken across the
INVESTIGATIONS IN" ALASKA KAILEOAD BELT, 1931

dike on what appeared to be the most favorable portions. These 

samples gave only traces of gold and silver, although close examination of the vein material in the dike often discloses small flakes 

of free gold. . . The dike as now exposed does not show ore. However, the development work has been slight. It is entirely possible that further 

exploration will disclose more heavily mineralized portions, but these 

portions, if found, would be erratic both in value and in continuity,, 

and with our scanty knowledge of these dikes, the possibilities of 

striking rich portions would depend entirely upon chance.

Very little work has been done on the Teddy Bear claims since 

1920. During the summer of 1931 several men signified their intention of driving a tunnel in order to tap the dike at greater depth 

in the hope that mineralization might be better in depth, but the 

outcrops in the creek bottoms do not tend to encourage the enterprise. There are no buildings or equipment of any kind on the 

property. ;

DOWNING

J. W. Downing's property consists of three claims, the Bonanza, 

Francisco, and Whistler (no. 13, pi. 36), on Bonanza Creek, a small 

tributary that enters Palmer Creek from the east. This property 

lies adjacent to the Palmer Creek road, the point where the trail 

takes off from the road being about 9 miles from Hope and at an 

elevation of 1,300 feet. The Francisco claim, the nearest to the 

road, lies at an elevation of 2,000 feet and is about three quarters 

of a mile by trail from the road. These claims were located in 1921 

by Mr. Downing. :

At the present time the work is being confined to the Francisco 

claim. The country rock consists of massive graywacke. Work was

originally begun on an irregular quartz mass that has a general 

trend of N* 70° W. This mass is only erratically mineralized, but a 

small, fairly regular vein 1 to 5 inches in width occurs in a fracture later than the irregular quartz mass. This later vein strikes 

about north and dips vertically. In places it is heavily mineralized, 

containing massive arsenopyrite, some galena, and free gold. In 

August 1931 a tunnel had been driven in 30 feet, with good tenor 

continuing to the face. This small vein is rich but is so narrow that 

it could not be considered minable.

About half a mile east of the Francisco tunnel a vein occurs on 

the Whistler claim. The country rock is slate that strikes N. 25° E. 

and dips 72° E. The vein ranges in width from 2 to 6 inches and 

closely parallels the cleavage of the slate. A tunnel was driven in 

on the vein for a distance of 50 feet, and the vein was lost by a 

fault that strikes N. 70° E. and dips 80° N. It is probable that
: MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT . 501

the displacement is slight and that with a small amount of development work the continuation could be found. The metallic minerals 

consist of arsenopyrite, galena, and free gold. The present showing 

was not sufficiently encouraging for further development, as the 

vein is too narrow to be minable and its tenor is low.

Several other veins are exposed by open cuts and pits, but they 

do not look sufficiently encouraging for further expenditure. At 

one place midway between. the Francisco and Whistler showings 

there, is a 6-foot width of quartz stringers which are 2 to 3 inches 

wide and are interbanded with and parallel to schistose slate. Some 

arsenopyrite and pyrite are visible. Several samples across the 

stringers gave only traces of gold and silver.

KENAI STAB

The,old Kenai Star property (no. 11, pi. 36) is located on a mineralized dike in the bottom of Coeur d'Alene Gulch, about a mile 

from its mouth. It is accessible from the Palmer Creek road at a 

point about 7 miles from Hope. Formerly, there was a wagon road 

from the Palmer Creek road to the property, but it is so overgrown 

that only a trail remains. The point where this trail leaves the 

Palmer Creek road lies .at an elevation of 1,250 feet, and the property 

is at an elevation of 1,750 feet.

The original location was made in 1898, but the property has been 

relocated several times since. At one time a 5-stamp mill was erected, 

and during the summer of 1922 several tons of rock from the more 

heavily mineralized portions of the dike was worked, but this did not 

prove profitable, and the mill was dismantled and moved to the 

Hirshey property.

The developments consist of an upper tunnel at 1,790 feet, which 

is a drift on the dike for a distance of about 60 feet, and a lower 

tunnel at 1,740 feet, which consists of a 70-foot crosscut to the dike 

and a 50-foot drift on the dike, a total length of 120 feet. There 

are also numerous open cuts and stoppings on the dike in the valley.

The dike as observed in Coeur d'Alene Gulch is a fine-grained 

acidic rock, identical with the other dikes, of the region. It has a 

general north-south strike and a vertical dip and ranges in width 

from 3 to '6 feet. The country rock is a.slate that strikes N. 30° E. 

and stands almost vertical. Regionally the dike cuts across the 

slate, but locally, owing to later movements, the slate may parallel 

the dike.

The dike is erratically fractured and cut by quartz veins and 

stringers that at many places form as much as 30 percent of the 

dike rock. The mineralization of the dike produced quartz and 

calcite, contained in which are arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite,
502 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILEOAD BELT, 1931

galena, sphalerite, and free gold. The sulphides form only a small 

portion of the vein material and are very erratically distributed. 

Here and there the dike rock may contain small well-formed crystals 

of arsenopyrite, but the minerals of value are usually confined to the 

quartz veins and stringers. Some fine specimens of gold are said 

to have been found, but at the present time the face and the dumps 

show very little gold. Two samples taken in the upper tunnel from 

a 30-inch channel on dike rock containing 30 percent of quartz 

showed gold as follows: Face of tunnel, 23 cents to the ton; 15 

feet from portal, trace.

The dike is continuous across the valley except for some minor 

faults, none of which have caused great displacement. In the upper 

tunnel there has been a 15-foot displacement almost parallel to the 

dike. In places considerable gouge is found between the dike and 

the country rock, all of which suggests postdike and postmineral 

movement. The quartz stringers in the dike do not extend into the 

adjacent country rock but terminate abruptly upon reaching it. 

The dike rock, being much more brittle than the slate, has been 

more severely fractured, and this has determined the location of the 

mineralization.

North from Coeur d'Alene Gulch the Kenai Star dike has been 

traced for a distance of about a mile to the divide between Bear 

and Cub Creeks. To the south it runs along the divide between 

Alder and Palmer Creeks for about 4 miles. In general the dike 

rock is barren, with only here and there a few quartz veinlets. 

South of Coeur d'Alene Gulch, at the point where the dike crosses 

Bonanza Creek, it shows a width of 6 inches to 3 feet and contains 

from 1 to 10 percent of quartz with a small amount of visible 

arsenopyrite. A sample across a 20-inch face in which quartz formed

10 percent of the rock gave only a trace of gold. Most of the 

stringers of quartz in the dike have a definite orientation and appear to be shear and tension fractures due to a regional stress acting 

on the comparatively brittle dike rock.

On the north side of Bonanza Creek a 20-foot tunnel has been 

driven in and shows a 3-foot width of dike containing about 2 percent of quartz veinlets with a small amount of arsenopyrite. A 

sample across the face gave only a trace of gold. At this point the 

dike strikes N". 30° E. and dips 45°-60° E. Other exposures of the 

dike farther south show comparatively little mineralization. At 

present no work is being done on the Kenai Star dike.

Nowhere on the dike was there observed anything that might be 

considered ore. The probability that the dike may be of commercial value depends on the amount of fracturing. Further under-
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTBICT 503

ground work might disclose some well-mineralized portions, but the 

finding of these portions would be extremely uncertain, as there is 

apparently no guide to their location, even if they are present.

EOBIN RED BKBAST

On Coeur d'Alene Creek about 800 feet east of the Kenai Star 

dike, and at an elevation of 2,110 feet, there are several open cuts 

that represent the old Robin Red Breast prospect (no. 12, pi. 36). 

It is reported that from 1920 to 1923 some underground work was 

done here, but those workings are not accessible. At the time of the 

writer's visit one open cut showed a 10-foot face of quartz stringers 

1 to 6 inches in width, which are parallel to the cleavage of a schistose slate. The quartz stringers form about 30 percent of the 10- 

foot width. The mineralization is scant, and the stringers do not 

show any continuity along the strike. Two channel samples across 

the quartz stringers gave only traces of gold and silver. About 70 

feet west of the large open cut is a small exposure showing a 1-foot 

quartz vein that parallels the cleavage of the country rock. A small 

amount of pyrite is visible, but a sample assayed showed only a 

trace of gold and silver. The small width, low tenor, and lack of 

persistence along the strike indicate that this vein has little value.

NEABHOUSE & SMITH

The Nearhouse & Smith group (no. 6, pi. 36) consists of nine 

claims on the ridge between Palmer, Bear, and Cub Creeks. These 

claims lie directly north of the Palmer Creek road and adjacent to 

it, at a distance of about Qy2 miles from Hope. Considerable prospecting on several small veins has been done, as is indicated by 

numerous small pits and tunnels. Several acidic dikes are exposed 

on the crest of the ridge between Bear, Palmer, and Cub Creeks. 

These dikes are in places cut by quartz veinlets and show some 

arsenopyrite and a small amount of gold, but for the most part the 

mineralization has been very erratic and sparse.

The most promising vein on this group of claims occurs on the 

south side of the ridge between Bear and Palmer Creeks, at an elevation of 3,050 feet, or about 1,800 feet above the Palmer Creek road. 

On the west end of this showing a 30-foot shaft had been sunk but 

has since caved in. At the east end of the lead a 38-foot shaft was 

sunk, but it is now accessible only to a depth of 20 feet. Between 

these two shafts, which are about 500 feet apart, float and outcrops 

of the vein have been found, suggesting that the vein may be continuous. In 1931 a tunnel was being driven below the east shaft. 

This tunnel lies 100 feet vertically below the outcrop of the vein, and
504 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA KAILROAD BELT, 1931

it was expected that about 250 feet of crosscutting. would be required 

to hit the vein. Late in November 1931 about 165 feet had been 

driven, and operations were to be discontinued until spring because 

of lack of fuel at the prospect.

The vein at the east shaft has a strike of N. 45° W. and a dip of 

65° NE. The country rock is interbedded slate and graywacke; it 

strikes N. 20° E. and dips 609 W., so that the vein trends across the 

formation. It is probable that at the west shaft the strike of the 

vein is considerably more to the west than on the east end of the lead.

In the east pit, which has the only good exposure, the width of 

the vein ranges from 24 to 36 inches. The quartz has been highly 

fractured by postmineral movements and also shows considerable disintegration resulting from its proximity to the surface. The vein is 

in an old shear zone, but that there has been subsequent minor movement is suggested by the sheared quartz, the gouge, and the presence 

of small slate horses. The walls of the vein are well defined, and 

the ore breaks clean from them.

The mineralogy is simple. Sulphides occur only in very small 

amounts, and chief among them are pyrite, arsenopyrite, and galena. 

Very fine free gold appears to be disseminated uniformly throughout 

the quartz. The gold is unusually light-colored, probably owing to 

combined silver, which shows in the assays of all samples.

Samples from Nearhonsv & Smith claims

Num 

ber

1 

2

3 

4

5

6

7

8

Gold

(ounces 

to the

ton)

0.32 

.18

.16 

1.36

.66

1.04

.62

.03

Silver

(ounces 

to the

ton)

0.2 

.3

.3 

3.8

1.4

1.8

2.2

0.3

Source and character

Dump of west shaft; average sample of material. 

Dump of west shaft; average sample of unaltered quartz.

Small pit 30 feet west of west shaft; average sample of undecomposed quartz. 

28-inch channel sample from west face of east shaft at a depth of 15 feet; quartz

disintegrated and with much gouge.

36-inch channel sample from east face of east shaft at a depth of 15 feet; quartz

 disintegrated and with much gouge. - '.- <

35-inch channel sample across vein on west face of east shaft at a depthiof 9

feet; quartz disintegrated and with much gouge.

29-inch channel sample across vein exposed on west face of east shaft at a

depth of 3 feet; quartz decomposed and contains gouge and small slate horses. 

Small pit 60 feet west of east shaft; characteristic sample of quartz.

Samples 4-7, from the east shaft, give an average width of 32 

inches and an average value of $18.80,18 which would indicate that 

the property is worthy of further development. The average of 

three samples taken from the dump of pits 500 feet west of the east 

shaft is $4.45. If the underground developments prove the presence 

of veins of width and value approximating those of the east shaft, 

it is probable that the property could be worked successfully in a 

small way, as the location and accessibility are unusually favorable.

18 Gold at $20 an ounce and silver at $0.30 an ounce.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 505

There is a cabin at the road and another at the portal of the new 

tunnel. During the summer of 1931 one or two men were working 

at the property.

EOBINSON & BOWMAN

, The property formerly owned by A. 0. Robinson and C. P. Bowman (no. 7, pi. 3G) is on the south side of Palmer Creek about 75 

feet above the creek and three quarters of a mile from its junction 

with Resurrection Creek. It can be reached from Hope by traveling about 5 miles along the Palmer Creek road, thence about a mile 

over a trail, part of which is an old wagon road. Since the death of 

Mr. Robinson, the original locator, the property has changed hands 

several times, and at present it has been restaked by Pete Kopovich. 

A tunnel reported to be 220 feet in length was driven, but owing to

caving only 150 feet of it was accessible in the summer of 1931. The

country rock is slate, with intercalated beds of graywacke 1 to 12 

inches thick. The beds strike N. 10° E. and dip 45°-60° E. Exposed 

in the tunnel is a small vein that ranges in width from a gouge 

seam to 6 inches of quartz. The vein cuts slightly across the 

structure of the slate and graywacke, as it trends northeast and dips 

60° SE.

The vein material consists of white quartz, somewhat disintegrated, 

small amounts of calcite and ankerite, and a little disseminated 

arsenopyrite and galena. A picked sample of the quartz gave $2 in 

gold and an ounce of silver to the ton. No work has been done 

on this property in recent years, and the only equipment is an old 

cabin in the creek bottom about 1,000 feet east of the prospect.

BEAK CREEK .

The area drained by Bear Creek is directly accessible from Hope 

by an old wagon road that leaves the road to Moose Pass at about 

mile 4. This road at one time extended to the head of Bear Creek, 

but at present only about half a mile of it can be used, the remainder 

of the distance being covered by a trail.

In the cirque at the head of Bear Creek there are numerous acidic 

dikes. The dikes are more abundant here than in any other locality, 

and they trend in all directions, unlike those in other parts of the 

district, which in general trend north. Some prospecting has been 

done on these dikes, but they have not yet shown the fracturing and 

mineralization found in the dikes in the adjacent territory, and as a 

result but little development work has been done on them.

More than 25 years ago a small shaft was sunk near the head of 

Bear Creek on quartz stringers in massive graywacke in the bottom
506 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA KAILKOAD BELT, 1931

of the valley. The amount of mineralization was insignificant, and 

the prospects of anything better were poor, so the project was 

abandoned after a considerable amount of money had been spent in 

bringing equipment to the property.

In spite of the fact that Bear Creek was one of the richer placer 

streams and that it has only a small drainage basin, there have 

been few new developments on the creek in the last 15 years. Exploration work to date seems to indicate that the gold in the gravel 

was concentrated from several lodes that would be impracticable 

to work on account of their small size.

GOLD STAMP

From 1912 to 1914 the Gold Stamp Mining Co. did considerable 

underground work on some claims near the head of the creek (no. 5, 

pi. 36). A 5-stamp mill was erected, but as there was insufficient 

ore the plant was subsequently dismantled.

TAYLOK

Six claims have been staked by W. K. Taylor about 1^ miles from 

the head of Bear Creek (no. 4, pi. 36). Two of the claims are in 

the bottom of the valley on what is known as the Livewire vein. 

The only outcrop of this vein is in the bed of the creek. It shows the 

vein striking north and dipping 30° W., with a wall rock of slate. 

At the single exposure the width is about 10 inches, and the vein 

material shows a banding that is suggestive of simple fissure filling. 

Arsenopyrite is abundant in the quartz and occurs both massive and 

in well-developed crystals.

Because the vein is in the bed of the creek it could not be developed 

by following the vein, as this would necessitate diverting the stream 

and sinking a shaft, with the accompanying expense of pumping. 

The banks of the stream at this point consist of stream gravel and* 

slide rock. An attempt has been made to develop the vein by 

driving through the slide material in hopes of hitting the vein, 

where the bedrock would be encountered. A 130-foot tunnel has 

been driven, but bedrock has not been reached.

Four claims have also been staked on the south side of Bear 

Creek, in Snow and Cub Gulches and running up to the crest of 

the ridge between Bear and Palmer Creeks. These veins are all 

very small but contain some galena, associated with which is 

free gold.

COON

About 2 miles from the head of Bear Creek (no. 2, pi. 36) a 

showing was discovered in the bed of a small tributary on the north 

side of the creek, about 300 feet above the present trail. Since
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 507

the death of the original owner, Mr. Coon, the property has been 

relocated at various times, but no new work has been done.

At the outcrop a 40-foot tunnel has been driven on the vein, 

which parallels the country rock, striking N. 30° E. and showing 

a vertical dip. The vein shows a width of 2 to 12 inches of decomposed quartz that contains a small amount of sulphides, chiefly 

arsenopyrite, pyrite, and galena. High tenor in silver has been 

reported, and it was originally staked as a silver prospect. The 

only equipment on the property is a cabin about 200 feet below 

the tunnel.

SUMMIT CREEK 

ALASKA ORACLE

Two patented claims, the Oracle No. 2 and the Oracle Extension, on 

Summit Creek about a mile from the point where it flows into 

Quartz Creek (no. 36, pi. 36), are known locally as the Heaston mine 

but are held at the present time by the Alaska Oracle Corporation, 

which has head offices at Seattle.

The property is easily accessible, being 16 miles from Moose Pass 

station and within a mile of the road from Moose Pass to Hope, 

with which it is connected by a road up Summit Creek. The original discovery, near the creek on its south side, was made by Robert 

B. Heaston on August 3, 1921. The total development work to date 

(1931) consists of approximately 912 feet of crosscuts, 400 feet of 

drifts, and 200 feet of raises. The buildings and equipment on the 

ground consist of workshops, bunkhouses, an office building, a small 

mill, a compressor, and the accessory mining equipment. The mill, 

which is at present partly dismantled, was erected for test runs on 

the ore during the development work, the power being furnished 

by a water wheel. The recovery was not very efficient, as it is 

said that the tailings will run around $12 a ton in gold.

A drift on the south side of the creek close to the discovery and 

about 15 feet above the stream is 120 feet in length and follows the 

vein for about 100 feet, to a point where the vein appears to begin to 

feather out and curves into the footwall. On the north side of the 

creek a tunnel in slide material is on the strike of the vein, but it 

probably never penetrated, to the bedrock. This tunnel is badly 

caved and inaccessible. From the camp site a 900-foot crosscut 

tunnel has been driven and the vein intersected, proving it to a 

depth of 110 feet. On this lower level 275 feet of drifting has been 

done and two raises put up. Qne of the raises connects with the 

upper level, which was put in on the discovery. (See fig. 58.)

The vein strikes N. 15° E. and has an average dip of 60° W. In 

width it ranges from a few inches to 3 feet, with an average of about

170397 33 4
508 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILEOAD BELT, 1931

12 to 14 inches over a length of 175 feet on the lower level. The 

country rock is interbedded slate and graywacke, in which the.bedding is usually very obscure on account of the gradation in texture 

of the slate to the graywacke. The fmer-textured phases possess 

good cleavage, which has a general strike of N. 15°. E. and dips 

ranging from 60° W. to 80° E. In the few places where the bedding 

could be distinguished it is parallel to the cleavage. The graywacke 

is usually very massive, with only scattered joints. 

 . The vein occupies a fracture along, which movement had taken 

place prior to ore deposition. This fracture in general .parallels 

the structure of the graywacke and slate but here and there deviates 

from it, so that as a result of the movement along the fracture there 

is in some places a footwall of graywacke and a hanging wall of 

slate. It has been thought that these walls determine the position 

of the vein and that the vein formed at the contact of the slate and 

graywacke; but this is only a coincidence: the position of the vein 

was determined by the fracture. As shown by both the upper and 

the lower levels, the south end of the vein takes a flat roll into the 

footwall, and in the development work this roll was riot followed 

out. The position of the roll on both levels and the development in 

the north end of the lower level, where the ore pinches out, suggest 

that the ore shoot has a rake of 20°-45° SW. (See figs. 58, 59.) 

Whether the ore feathers out or continues at the point where it takes 

t'he flat roll remains to be proved by further development work.

Slickensides and grooves having the same rake as the ore body 

were observed on the lower level. On both upper and l6\ver levels 

footwall stringers are common, particularly in the massive graywacke. These stringers or gash veins have the appearance of 

quartz-filled tension fractures, and their position confirms the impression gained from the fault surfaces that the premineral movement was such that the hanging wall moved to the southwest on a 

slope of 20° to 45°, which is the same as the rake of the ore shoot.

Not all the movement occurred prior to the mineralization, as is 

shown by the slickensided and sheared quartz. The postmineral 

movement has been in general parallel or closely parallel to the vein, 

as no transverse faults were observed. The weathering of the vein 

material has proceeded to depths of 50 to 75 feet below the surface, 

so that the quartz is very friable and iron-stained.

The minerals contained are arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, and 

sphalerite, named in decreasing order of abundance, but in total they 

probably form only 0.5 percent of the ore. The gangue mineral is 

chiefly quartz with small amounts of calcite. The pyrite is usually 

well crystallized and commonly impregnates the wall rock for a few 

inches. The galena is fine grained and is disseminated in the quartz.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 509

The arsenopyrite is commonly euhedral and as a rule is confined 

to fractures in the quartz. The sphalerite is very scant and is of the 

ferruginous variety. Chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and molybdenite have 

also been reported. Gold occurs both free and with the sulphides. 

Free gold is difficult to find in hand specimens, as it is apparently 

very fine.

FiornE 58. Plan of underground workings of the Oracle mine, showing position of

tlie vein.

N.I5°E. S.I5°W.

Feet

FIGURE 59. Longitudinal section of the Oracle vein, showing limits of the ore shoot.

Samples assayed showed values as high as $350 a ton, with an 

average of around $40 to $45, over a length of 150 feet, a vein depth

 of 110 feet, and an average width of 14 inches. There is apparently 

no diminution in value on the lower level as compared with the 

upper. In places where the vein is richest the wall rock is also 

somewhat mineralized, but in general the valuable minerals are

 confined to the vein material.
510 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA EAILEOAD BELT, 1931

It is reported that gold to the value of several thousand dollars 

was taken out during the development work, but in 1931 the property was lying idle. At that time there was probably about $60,000 

in ore in sight. The chance of proving a greater length to the vein 

does not appear good, but the roll that the ore-takes at the south 

end of'the vein should be followed. Mineralogically the vein should 

continue in depth as far as suitable structural conditions prevail. 

Further development work should be confined to following the vein 

at the south end and to sinking a winze from the lower level on the 

vein.

RONAN

The Champion and Gladiator claims, locally known as the Ronan 

mine (no. 37, pi. 36), are on the south side of Summit Creek, at an 

elevation of about 3,500 feet. (See fig. 60.) These claims were leased 

by Ronan & James, who in 1916 and 1917 erected a small mill on 

Summit Creek directly below the mine. Several tons of ore was 

milled, but since 1917 there has been but little work on the property.

At the present time the portals of the two tunnels, one about 60 

feet below the other, are visible; but they are inaccessible owing to 

caving and to accumulations of ice in them. Johnson,19 in 1917, 

wrote:

Present underground developments on the property consist of a 137-foot 

crosscut to the lead, a 210-foot drift on the vein, an 85-foot raise to the surface 

at the point where the lead was struck, and a 30-foot shaft on the outcrop of 

the ore body.

It is said that the vein was about 12 inches wide and had a strike 

of N. 60° E., with a dip to the southeast, and that operations ceased 

because of the exhaustion of the ore body. The claims have been 

restaked by W. H. Whittlesey, of Seward.

JOHNSON

On the north side of Summit Creek several claims (no. 35, pi. 36) 

have been staked by Harry Johnson on the continuation of the dike 

that occurs on the Gilpatrick property. These claims were originally 

staked as° a part of the Colorado group and are reached by a trail 

half a mile long from the Oracle mine, to which a road extends. 

The dike at this point strikes N. 12° E., stands vertical, and ranges 

in width from 4 to 8 feet.

The development work consists of a 40-foot tunnel at an elevation 

of 2,600 feet and several open cuts at 3,550 and 4,300 feet. The 

highest cut is within 100 feet of the top of the ridge, where the dike 

cuts across the divide between Summit and Colorado Creeks. Here

19 Johnson, B. L., Mining in central and northern Kenai Peninsula: U.S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 692, p. 175, 1917.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 511

iilso the mineralization is confined to quartz stringers in the dike, 

.some of which are 4 to 6 inches wide. Associated with the quartz 

are calcite, arsenopyrite, and pyrite. Although gold was not seen 

on hand specimens, a few colors were obtained by panning.

VS WE TMA NN 

TUNNEL MIDDLE. 

GILPA TRICK 

TUNNEL

>f TUNNEL

Cabin

EXPLANATION

Slate and 

graywacke

Acidic dike

1,000 Feet

FIGURE GO. Sketch map of the mineralized area between Slate and Summit Creeks.

A sample taken across a 4%-foot width in the 40-foot tunnel at 

:2,600 feet gave gold 0.03 ounce and silver 0.1 ounce to the ton. 

Picked samples of quartz from stringers in the dike at the open cut 

at 4,300 feet gave gold 0.02 ounce and silver 0.1 ounce. The dike 

at these exposures does not contain as much quartz or metallic 

minerals as on Slate Creek.
512 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

SLATE CREEK 

QILPATBICK

The group generally known as the Gilpatrick property (no. 39,. 

pi. 36) consists of seven claims extending from Slate Creek to 

Summit Creek. The portion of the claims on which the greater 

amount of development work has been done is in the Slate Creek 

drainage basin and is accessible from mile 14 on the road between 

Moose Pass and Hope, at an elevation of 1,200 feet. From that point 

the distance is about 1^ miles by trail. The claims on the Summit 

Creek side are more easily reached from mile 15, from which there 

is a road l 1^ miles to the Oracle mine and thence a trail leading up 

the south side of Summit Creek.

Gold-bearing quartz veins were first discovered in this vicinity 

in 1906 by J. C. Gilpatrick. The mineralized dike which is covered 

by four of the seven claims in the group was found in 1908. The 

property has been leased and optioned several times but has always 

reverted to the original locator.

The development work on the dike consists of three tunnels onthe Slate Creek side of the ridge and one open cut on the Summit 

Creek side. The lower tunnel lies at an elevation of 2,650 feet, is 

265 feet in length, and is in excellent condition. (See fig. 60.) The 

middle tunnel is at an elevation of 3,100 feet, and the first two or 

three sets of timber have caved so that it is inaccessible at the 

present time. The upper tunnel, at 3,230 feet, goes in about 50 

feet but is in poor condition, so that retimbering and cribbing are 

necessary. The open cut on the Summit Creek side is at an elevation of 2,300 feet and exposes the dike for about 20 feet.

In addition to the dike claims, three other claims are located on 

quartz veins in close proximity to the dike. One of them lies on the 

Slate Creek side about 500 feet easl of the lower dike tunnel. On 

this claim a 200-foot tunnel was driven in the fall of 1910 by the 

Wanowky Gold Mines on a vertical shear zone that ranges in width 

from 3 to 30 inches and strikes N. 60° E., in slate. This tunnel is 

caved at the portal and inaccessible.

Another quartz vein less than 500 feet east of the dike and at the 

crest of the ridge is on what is known as the Summit claim. It lies 

in massive graywacke, strikes northwest, and stands vertical, cutting across the structure, as the general trend of the formations is 

north.. It is said that a 120-foot tunnel had been driven in on the 

Suminit Creek side, but this has long since collapsed, and the open 

cut is largely covered with slide material. At an elevation of 2,800 

feet on the Summit Creek side there is an open cut that is too badly 

caved ,to permit examination. All of the work on the property rep-
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTEICT 513

resents development during the first few years after discovery, and 

little, if any, work has been done during the last 15 years.

The 'dike ranges in width from 1 to 12 feet, with an average of 4 to 

5 feet. 'It is best exposed in the lower tunnel. Here it lies in slate, 

the cleavage of which strikes north to N. 15° E. and dips 65°-85° E. 

The trend;of the dike, which1 stands vertical, is closely .parallel to 

the cleavage of the slate but in general is a few degrees east of north.

The dike is cut by a number of transverse faults that cut across it 

in a direction N. 60° E. and with a dip from 75° NW. to vertical. 

Along these transverse faults the movement has invariably been the

so Feet 

PIODRB 61. Geologic map of mineralized dike in lower tunnel of the Gilpatrick property,

same, so in drifting on the dike and finding it offset, a good general rule is to turn to the right along the fault surface. (See fig. 61.) 

The relative movement has been such that the north block has moved 

down and to the right in respect to the south block. In some places 

where slickensided surfaces indicate a purely vertical movement, the 

offset to the right can be explained only by assuming that the dike 

has a steep west dip. The horizontal component of the movement 

where actually observed is usually from a few inches to 15 feet.

In addition to these transverse faults there are numerous faults 

that parallel the dike, as in many places there is several inches of 

gouge between the dike and the wall rock, and both faces may be 

highly polished from the movement. Between the lower and middle
514 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA BAILROAD BELT, 1931

tunnels there are probably several transverse faults, as the position 

of the dike is considerably to the right of the point where it should 

be expected if the strike of the lower tunnel were projected. The 

middle tunnel as observed at the portal trends N. 7° W. and has been 

driven in massive graywacke.

At the upper tunnel the dike strikes about north and shows a 

width of at least 10 feet. The west wall consists of slate that dips 

west, but'the rock of the east wall has more the character of gray- 

.wacke. The dike is cut again here by faults that strike N. 45°-60° E. 

and stand about vertical.

Associated with the dike and in general parallel with it are quartz 

veins, 2 to 12 inches in width. At some places these veins lie at the 

contact of the dike and the country rock; elsewhere they may be 

separated from the contact by 2 to 10 feet of slate or graywacke. 

The dike itself has been highly fractured in many places, and the 

fractures have been filled with vein material. The fractures may be 

irregular but more commonly have a similar orientation, suggesting 

that the deformation of the dike is due to a regional stress. The 

veins and veinlets in the dike range in width from a fraction of an 

inch to 8 or 10 inches; they do not extend:-from the dike into the 

countr}7 rock but terminate abruptty and are apparently due to the 

greater brittleness of the dike rock in comparison with the country 

rock.

The vein filling is predominantly quartz with small amounts of 

calcite. Contemporaneous with the quartz are small amounts of 

arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and free gold. The massive dike rock contains many well-formed crystals of arsenopyrite. 

The fracturing of the dike has been highly erratic, and the amount 

of quartz filling varies greatly from place to place. In some places

the dike may contain as much as 35 percent vein material; in others 

it may be massive and blocky with negligible quartz.

The valuable minerals are in the quartz stringers and veinlets, but 

the richness is not proportional to the amount of quartz. The tenor 

is very erratic, although in places free gold is easily visible. Only 

very thorough sampling as well as systematic development could 

determine the feasibility of mining the dike.

Samples were taken in the upper and lower tunnels. The middle 

tunnel is inaccessible. Systematic sampling was not undertaken, as 

it would take considerable time and with the small amount of underground development work already done would not add materially 

to any tonnage estimate for the property. It is well to note that 

these samples may give an erroneous idea of the dikes on account
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTKICT 515

of the erratic distribution of the gold; they are included here only 

to aid in giving a general impression of the dike.

In all, 12 samples were taken over the 265-foot length of the lower 

tunnel, and assays show gold from a trace to $39 a ton over widths 

of 3 to 6 feet. The ratio of silver to gold is 2 to 1 by weight. 

Most of the samples gave only traces of gold. Samples of the 

quartz from the dump of the middle tunnel assayed $1 to $2 a ton.

Samples from the upper tunnel gave values ranging from a trace 

to $32 a ton over widths of 1 to 4 feet. The general average of 

the upper tunnel was higher than that of the lower tunnel, and there 

was also more visible free gold in the quartz. A sample of the quartz 

from the dump of the old tunnel on the Summit claim gave only 

traces of gold and silver.

SWETMANN

Elwyn Swetmann, of Seward, holds 3 unpatented claims on 

the ridge between Slate and Summit Creeks (no. 38, pi. 36) 2 on 

the south side and 1 on the north side. The property is reached 

by about 2 miles of well-constructed trail that leaves the road from 

Moose Pass at mile 14. The outcrop of the vein is at an elevation 

of 3,700 feet, or about 2,500 feet above the highway.

The development work to date consists of a pit on the discovery, 

which is on the Slate Creek side of the ridge, and a 260-foot tunnel 

at an elevation of 3,200 feet. The 260-foot tunnel lies 500 feet 

directly below the discovery and was driven with the intention of 

intercepting the vein, but this project has been abandoned. The most 

recent development, which is the work of 1930 and 1931, is a 

120-foot tunnel that intercepts the vein 60 feet below the outcrop 

and has been completed since the writer's visit. Several open cuts 

on the north side of the ridge are caved, but it is said that they are 

on what is believed to be the extension of the vein found on the south 

side.

The vein at the discovery pit strikes N. 5° W. and dips 60° W., paralleling the cleavage of the country rock. The footwall of the vein 

is a massive graywacke, but the hanging wall is somewhat slaty. The 

vein ranges in width from 10 to 16 inches, with some veinlets 2 to 3 

inches wide cutting into the hanging wall. It appears to be in an 

old shear zone.

The vein material is predominantly quartz with only small 

amounts of arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and galena. A channel sample 16 inches long across the vein gave gold 0.16 ounce and 

silver 0.2 ounce to the ton; another channel sample 12 inches long 

gave gold 0.03 ounce and silver 0.2 ounce to the ton.

During the summer of 1931 two men were working on the property.
516 INVESTIGATION'S IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

UNNAMED PROSPECT

Directly across Slate Creek from the dike on the Gilpatrick property, at an elevation of 3,000 feet, is an old open cut (no. 40, pi. 36) 

on a quartz vein that ranges in width from 4 to 12 inches. The 

quartz vein parallels the schistosity of the graywacke country rock, 

which strikes N. 15° E. and dips 60° W. A characteristic specimen 

of the quartz at the open cut gave gold 0.04 ounce and silver 0.2 ounce 

to the ton.

COLORADO CREEK 

COLOKADO

From the crest of the divide between Summit and Colorado creeks 

the dike that occurs on Slate and Summit Creeks trends N. 12° E*, 

cutting across a cirque. The Colorado Creek prospects are accessible 

by a trail on the south side 2 miles from mile 17 on the Moose Pass 

Highway. The dike has been exposed on the south side of Colorado 

Creek by a 20-foot tunnel at an elevation of 2,200 feet and by open 

cuts at 2,240 and 2,350 feet. The original claims located at this 

point constituted the Colorado group (nos. 33, 34, pi. 36). The exposures at the tunnel and the open cuts show that the dike has an 

average width of 5 to 6 feet and that quartz stringers compose about 

20 percent of it. The wall rock is slate, with cleavage parallel to 

the strike of the dike. The metallic minerals are characteristic, 

being arsenopyrite and pyrite, with little visible free gold.

At the 20-foot tunnel two 5-foot channel samples gave, respectively, gold 0.05 ounce, silver 0.2 ounce to the ton; and gold 0.01 

ounce, silver 0.2 ounce to the ton.

INDEPENDENCE

On the north side of Colorado Creek there are several open cuts 

on the dike on what was originally known as the Independence group 

and the Peel & Iverson claims (no. 31, pi. 36). In general the min-. 

eralization has been slight, and the .widths are less than to the south. 

At an elevation of 3,250 feet, on a small tributary of Colorado Creek, 

there is a 12-foot tunnel on the 'dike -"that shows a 4-foot width with 

about 10 percent of quartz stringers.

MASCOT AND IRON MASK

Two other claims, the Mascot (no. 29, pi. 36) and the Iron Mask 

(no. 30) are reported to have been located on dikes. No outcrops of 

these dikes were seen, but only a few pieces of float scattered on the 

slope on the north side of Colorado Creek. To judge from the float 

these dikes are similar to the one on the Colorado and Independence 

properties. , .,
MOOSE PASS-HOPE .DISTRICT 517 

FRESNO CHEEK

: On the crest of the ridge between Colorado and Fresno Creeks the

 dike crops out at an elevation of 4,250 feet and is next seen about half 

.a mile to the northeast, on the more rounded hills south of Fresno 

Creek. The offset to the east would suggest either that the trend 

of the dike is N. 30° E. or else that it is cut by a transverse fault 

between the two exposures. Outcrops are exposed at 3,000 and 3,600 

feet by small open cuts, which at the time of the writer's visit were 

largely covered by slide material (nos. 25, 26, pi. 36). From these 

open pits a trail leads to the bottom of Fresno Creek, where at an 

elevation of 2,000 feet are the remains of an old arrastre erected 

several years ago by John Slator. A few tons of the dike rock from 

the open cuts had been milled. The poor exposures prevented sampling of the dike rock in place. The rock on the dumps is very 

quartzose, but two picked samples of the quartz gave only traces of 

gold and silver.

:. On the north side of Fresno Creek the dike becomes very, irregular 

in-width, strike, and dip, although it has a general trend of N. .5° E. 

A few hundred feet above the creek it shows a width of 5 to 6 

feet, dips 84° E., and appears to strike N. 10° E. (no. 24, pi.. 36). 

It is fractured and cemented with gashlike veins of quartz that have 

a maximum width of 8 inches and are much iron-stained. ..On the

 crest of the ridge the dike is 8 feet in width and dips 43° E., but 

farther north, toward Pass Creek, it is very irregular in. width and 

in some places almost completely pinches out.

PASS CEEEK

Several prospects have been located on Pass Creek and its largest 

branch, Tributary Creek (no. 23, pi. 36), but there has been little 

mineralization, as the dike is not extensively fractured.

FRENCHY CREEK

i On the divide between Pass and Frenchy Creeks four claims (nos. 

20, 21, pi. 36) were originally located by S. L. Colwell and.J. C. 

Robertson, along a dike that extends from a point on the north side 

of Frenchy Creek southward to the Pass Creek drainage basin. This 

is probably a continuation of the dike that occurs to the south. At 

one point on Frenchy Creek it has a width of 12 feet.

DONALDSON CREEK

On Donaldson Creek two claims (no. 19, pi. 36) were located on a 

similar dike which also is probably a continuation of the dike to the 

south, but the mineralization is very slight.
518 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA BAILKOAD BELT, 1931

QUARTZ CREEK

A number of years ago considerable prospecting was done on 

Quartz Creek near the mouth of Devils Creek (no. 44, pi. 36). Several quartz veins were located, but it is reported that the veins were 

too small and the gold content insufficient to mine profitably.

M'MIIXAN

The original locations of the claims known as the Columbia and 

Ophir were made by Totten & Gaydon in 1908. From 1910 to 1917 

the prospects were developed by Imhoff, Weidlich & Saulsbury, and 

during this time a small prospect mill was installed on Quartz Creek 

and several tons of ore was milled. Later these claims (nos. 41, 42, 

pi. 36) were restaked by Dan McMillan, who still holds them. The 

property is reached by a trail leading west from mile 13^ on the 

highway from Moose Pass.

Most of the ore that was milled came from an old tunnel that lies 

at an elevation of 3,200 feet and is about 1% miles by trail from 

the road. About 100 feet of drifting has been done on a vein in a 

shear zone that strikes JST. 75° E. and dips 30° N. The country rock 

is slate and graywacke, the footwall of the vein being predominantly 

graywacke and the hanging wall slate. The cleavage of the slate, 

which is probably nearly parallel to the bedding, strikes N. 30° E. 

and dips 45° NW. The vein has a width of 1 to 3 feet and lenses 

out to the northeast, within 50 feet of the portal of the tunnel. A 

40-foot incline to the north, almost down the dip of the vein, shows 

the same termination as in the northeast drift. Laterally, the dimension of the vein is small, as it crops out on the south slope of 

the ridge, and there is a small draw to the west. To the north and 

northeast a fault closely parallels the vein but cuts across it at a 

very acute angle, so that the ore body has the appearance of lensing 

out.

The vein quartz is highly sheared and disintegrated, owing to 

the postmineral movement and also to the proximity of the vein to 

the surface. Sulphides are very scant, with only a small amount of 

arsenopyrite and pyrite visible. Free gold is occasionally seen.

About 700 feet northeast of the tunnel, at an elevation of S^OO1 

feet, there is an open pit on a 12-inch quartz vein that strikes 

N. 40° W. and dips 70° NE. Footwall stringers that parallel the 

cleavage of the country rock are prominent. The country rock is a 

schistose graywacke that strikes N. 30° E. and dips 60° NW. Prospecting has failed to disclose a continuation of this exposure.

About 800 feet northeast of the open cut, at an elevation of 3,300" 

feet, a 120-foot crosscut tunnel strikes a shear zone in massive gray-
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 519

wacke. About 40 feet of drifting has been done on this shear zone, 

showing irregular masses of quartz that are very slightly mineralized. The original discovery, which lies above the tunnel, has been 

covered with slide rock. The sheared zone, as exposed in the underground work, strikes N. 60° E. and dips 70° NW.

DEVILS CHEEK

A small amount of prospecting has been done on an acidic dike 

near the head of a small tributary of Devils Creek (no. 43, pi. 36). 

The dike has been fractured and recemented by quartz in a manner 

similar to the dike that occurs on the Gilpatrick property on Slate 

Creek. Assa)^s of several samples of the more mineralized portions 

gave only traces of gold.

AFANASI CREEK

JOHNSON

Harry Johnson and Frank Skeen in 1914 located two small leads, 

one on Afanasi Creek (no. 32, pi. 36) and the other on East Fork 

Creek, both near the headwaters of Resurrection Creek and 12 miles 

west of mile 15 on the Moose Pass highway. Three tunnels 50 to 90 

feet in length were driven on these leads and disclosed veins from a 

few inches to several feet in width but of no great length. Portions 

of the veins were rich, but in general they were erratic. From one 

of the veins in which the quartz was highly disintegrated over 4 

ounces of gold was separated by a rocker. The country rock is .slate 

and graywacke with a north-south strike. Some of the veins are 

parallel with the structure, and some cut across it.

GROUNDHOG CREEK 

BKEWSTER

During the last few years E. H. Brewster has been prospecting on 

Bench Creek in the vicinity of Groundhog Creek and has located 

several veins (no. 47, pi. 36). Free gold occurs in much of the vein 

material, but the veins are narrow and not continuous enough for 

commercial production.

SEWABD GOLD

A prospect formerly known as the Seward Gold is located at an 

elevation of 4,200 feet on the south side of Groundhog Creek (no. 

48, pi. 36). Some prospecting has been done on a shattered zone 

that contains quartz stringers, and also on a nearby dike. Although 

the quartz contains some gold, the mineralized zones as exposed at 

the present time are too small to mine at a profit.
520 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILED AD BELT, 1931

Several claims known as the Case prospect are located on the 

north side of Grant Lake (no. 49, pi. 36). It is reported that 

several thousand dollars in gold was mined from some small quarta 

veins that occur in graywacke, but at the present time the property 

is dormant.

' SOLLARS

On the south side of Grant Lake about 1,500 feet above the lake, 

there are some small quartz veins that parallel the cleavage of slate 

that strikes north (no. 50, pi. 36). No development work has been 

done on them, as assays of several samples of the quartz showed only 

traces of gold.

COPPER LODE PROSPECT

READY BULLION COPPEE CO.

Although the finding of copper ore represents one of the earliest 

lode discoveries in the Moose Pass-Hope district, the only copper 

prospect (ho. 46, pi. 36) has not become a producer. Most of the 

development work was done in the years 1904 to 1907. The United 

States Geological Survey party, that visited it in 1906 20 obtained 

the following data:

The country rock at this locality.is a part of the graywacke-slate series 

composing the central and northern mass of the Kenai Mountains. The dominant cleavage at this point is N. 10° E., a direction nearly parallel with the 

ridge in which the copper deposit to be described occurs.

At an elevation approximating 3,000 feet .a tunnel has been run 350 feet 

S. 80° W. into the mountain, a direction nearly at right angles to its trend. 

A drift from a point near the end of the tunnel was driven 150 feet to the 

south and 90 feet to the north, along a zone characterized by intense slickensiding or shearing in a nearly vertical direction. A short distance beyond this 

zone a fault dipping 35° W. was observed. Such a dip would not interfere 

with the continuation of the ore in depth. , Chalcopyrite ore accompanied by pyrrhotite and pyrite with much quartz 

has been deposited along the zone of.shearing disclosed by the drifts. Irregular masses as thick as 2 feet were observed, but their horizontal linear extension was short, the vein fluctuating between 6 inches and 2 feet in thickness. 

At the south end of the drift the vein was narrow, and at the north end the 

face did not disclose ore. It was reported that gulches cutting the mountain 

north and south of the tunnel showed no signs of copper. Stripping, however, 

had not been done.

A thousand feet below the entrance of the upper tunnel an adit is being 

driven to catch the ore in depth. A length of 800 feet has now been completed. 

A rough estimate shows that with continued vertical dip the shear zone would 

be reached within a distance of 2,000 feet from the mouth of the adit.

20 Paige, Sidney, and Knopf, Adolph, Reconnaissance in the Matanuska and Talkeetna 

Basins, with notes on the placers of the adjacent region : U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 3-14, 

pp. 124-125, 1907.
MOOSE PA'SS-HOPE DISTRICT 521

Little work has been done oh this property for the last 25 'years, 

and as a result the workings are inaccessible.

GOLD PLACERS 

GENERAL, FEATURES

The productive gold placers of the Moose Pass-Hope district lie 

on Resurrection and Sixmile Creeks or on tributaries immediately 

adjacent. Tributary streams that have been productive in the past 

are Bear, Palmer, Canyon, East Fork, Lynx, Silvertip, Gulch, Granite, Quartz, Mills, and Juneau Creeks. The streams on which work 

was done during the summer of 1931 were Resurrection, Bear, Sixmile, Canyon, Mills, and Lynx Creeks.

The major streams exhibit broad U-shaped valleys from their 

lower courses to the upper portions. These broad valleys have been 

filled with gravel that is as much as 500 feet thick in some places, 

and it is in this thickness of gravel through which the present streams 

are flowing that well-defined benches have been formed. The valleys 

are usually wider where the streams flow in gravel than in the part 

where they have cut through the gravel into the bedrock; in the bedrock the valleys may be. narrow and steep-walled. Although the 

valleys of the tributaries are generally narrower, many' of them 

have gravel fill in their lower courses and near the confluence with

the major streams alluvialfans are common.

 (

HISTORY OF OPERATIONS

The first recorded discovery of gold in Alaska was made in 1848, 

in the gravel of the Kenai River, by P. P. Doroshin, a Russian 

mining engineer. During 1850 and 1851 there was an attempt to exploit this discovery, but gold was not found in commercial quantities, 

and the effort was abandoned.

In 1884 Joseph Cooper, of Kachemak Bay, reported the discovery 

of gold on Cooper Creek, but no locations were made.

The next discovery, and the first in the Moose Pass-Hope district, was made in 1888 by Charles Miller on Resurrection Creek 

2 miles above Hope. : This ground was worked for several years. 

In the same year Robert Michaelson and Neil McCush discovered 

gold on Sixmile Creek at a point opposite Sunrise.

In 1894 George Beady, F. R. Walcott, and Patrick Riley found 

gold, on Bear Creekj and this creek has been worked at intervals 

since. The presence of old workings at the time of the location suggested the possibility of an earlier discovery by the Russians. In 

the same year George Palmer located claims on Palmer Creek. These 

finds inspired prospectors, with the result that new locations were 

made in 1895 by S. J. Mills, Robert Michaelson, John Renner, Albert
522 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

Brown, W. W. Price, and H. C. Pierce on Mills and Canyon Creeks. 

Other discoveries during that year were on Lynx Creek, by Fred 

Smith and W. P. Powers, and on the north side of Turnagain Arm, 

by F. J. Perry and Christopher Spillum.

The interest aroused by these discoveries stimulated a rush into 

the district during 1896, and it is reported that at times several 

thousand people were living in the vicinity of Sunrise and Hope.

With the exhaustion of the channel gravel, pick-and-shovel 

methods had to be abandoned and the lower-grade gravel exploited 

by hydraulic methods. No new finds of importance have been made 

since the early discoveries, and present operations are confined to 

the lower-grade gravel of the early finds. Several attempts have 

been made at dredging, but after a short time these experiments have 

been abandoned.

ORIGIN OF THE PLACER DEPOSITS

Although colors of gold are found in almost all of the sand and 

gravel in the district, the productive placers can be divided into two 

types those in the bench gravel and those in the gravel of the 

present streams.

Throughout the district thick deposits of assorted or rudely 

assorted boulders, gravel, sand, and clay are found in the valleys, 

iit some places as high as 500 feet above the present stream and 

usually exhibiting a benchlike or terrace form. Many of these deposits are partly consolidated and represent material that was laid 

down at the end of the period of glaciation, at a time when the 

valley glaciers were retreating and an enormous amount of water 

was available for the reworking and depositing of the glacial 

material. This material was deposited so rapidly that there was 

little time for the segregation and concentration of the gold from 

the material of lower specific gravity, so that the colors of gold 

are disseminated throughout the gravel, with only here and there 

a concentration, usually at the point where the glaciofluviatile gravel 

lies directly on bedrock, as is in the deposits that are being worked 

at the present time on Lynx Creek. Elsewhere the bench gravel is 

not workable, and even if concentrations are located, they could not 

be worked by pick and shovel methods on account of the amount 

of overburden.

The placers in the gravel of the present streams have been the 

largest contributors to the total production of the district. After 

the deposition of the gravel by the waters from the retreating 

glaciers, the whole region was uplifted relative to sea level, increasing the gradients of the streams flowing in the gravel-filled valleys 

so that they began to cut and rework the earlier deposits, which
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 523

contained only disseminated gold. Through this reworking the 

gold was brought together in a more concentrated form and is now 

found in the present stream channels or in old channels that were 

occupied by actively cutting streams. The early discoveries were 

made in deposits of this type and proved to be very rich, although 

very slight in extent. Similar later concentrations may occur on 

bedrock if the downcutting of the stream has progressed so far, but 

in many places they are found on a so-called " bedrock " of clay.

In some of the streams that have narrow valleys and steep walls, 

such as Bear Creek, the stream deposits have been covered by slides 

from the valley walls; consequently old channels are sometimes 

found under slide material that may consist of the shattered bedrock 

or of old gravel that had been left hanging on the sides of the valley.

Glaciation in the region was so complete that no preglacial gravel 

was left undisturbed, and the oldest gravel is that deposited as a 

result of the melting of the ice.

SOURCE OF THE GOLD

From an examination of the gravel there appears to be but little 

diversity in the type of material, as the pebbles and boulders are predominantly of the bedrock of the region slate and graywacke. In 

Resurrection and Sixmile Creeks, as well as a few of the tributary 

streams, a few granite boulders are found. As the nearest outcrop 

of granite is about 30 miles to the south, it is probable that there 

\A-as some movement of the ice from the south. All the evidence 

indicates that the ice moved down valley and that the center of 

glaciation on the Kenai Peninsula was probably a little south of the 

central part. Under these conditions it is apparent that the gold is 

all of local origin and was derived by disintegration and erosion from 

the small quartz stringers that occur in great abundance throughout 

the region. In general, the gold is not well worn, and much of it 

lias quartz adhering to it.

MINING METHODS AND CONDITIONS

All the richer creek-gravel deposits were worked out in the first 

few years of the camp by pick and shovel, so that at the present time 

only low-grade gravel is left. This gravel has a value of only 30 to 

40 cents a cubic yard, necessitating methods suitable for the handling 

of large quantities of material. As conditions of water supply and 

topography in the region are particularly suitable for hydraulicking, 

this method has been used entirely in recent years.

The moving of large amounts of gravel necessitates a large supply 

of water under a fairly high pressure, and it is only where the

179397 .S3 5
524 INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA BAILROAD BELT, 1931

combination of these two factors has been favorable that operators 

in this district have been successful, as the margin of profit is very 

small. Another hazard that tends to slow down the rate of operations is the presence of large numbers of boulders scattered throughout the gravel. Most of the boulders are removed by hand, either 

by rolling them aside or loading them into a sling and swinging 

them aside with a hydraulic hoist, but many are so large that blasting, or drilling and then shooting them, is necessary, usually the 

latter, for those of massive graywacke are very hard.

Several of the streams, such as Kesurrection and Sixmile Creeks, 

have gradients so low as to necessitate the stacking of the tailings 

away from the end of the boxes. A large volume of water under 

nigh pressure is necessary to do this satisfactorily, and almost as 

much water is consumed for this purpose as is used in piping the 

g>ravel into the boxes; therefore, when the water supply is low, it is 

necessary to stop hydraulicking operations so as to have sufficient 

water to remove the tailings.

On several of the properties on the main streams, Resurrection 

and Sixmile Creeks, it has been more economical to obtain water 

from the tributary streams, as they have steeper grades and the 

length of ditch and pipe line is less. Usually the tributary streams 

from the west have a much less reliable water supply than those 

from the east, owing to the fact that the east tributaries have larger 

drainage basins, receive greater accumulations of snow, and are 

more protected from melting during the summer.

1 The length of working season is variable, depending upon the opening up of the streams in the spring and the time of freezing in the 

fall and also upon whether the water is obtained from the main 

stream or its tributaries. The average active working season is 

from June 1 to October 1, about 120 days. During the winter a 

lalrge amount of " dead work ", such as moving equipment, building 

ditches, and putting in pipe line, is done.

Several plans have been formulated to use dredges on the Kenai 

Kiver and Sixmile and Resurrection Creeks, but all of them have 

been unsuccessful, because of shallowness of the gravel, the low 

tendr, and the presence of boulders.

. MINES AND PROSPECTS

^Twenty men were engaged in placer mining in the Moose PassHope district during the summer of 1931. Their activities were confined to Resurrection, Bear, Sixmile, Canyon, Mills, and Lynx 

Creeks.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 525

EESUEEECTION OBEEK 

OLABK & BEISWANGER

Earl, Carl, and Frank Clark and A. Beiswanger were working on 

what is known as the Mathison ground, at a point about 3 miles 

above Hope, on Kesurrection Creek (no. 8, pi. 36). The stream at 

this point is flowing entirely in gravel that forms a valley floor about 

1,000 feet wide, on both sides of which are high gravel benches. It 

is the valley floor that is being worked. The so-called " bedrock " 

is a bluish-yellow clay, which lies on the older glaciofluviatile gravel 

and is overlain by gravel of an average thickness of 6 feet, from 

which most of the gold is obtained. The gravel below the clay has 

been piped several times but has not been found to be productive. 

In a few places the gravel is slightly consolidated, and boulders as 

much as 4 feet in diameter are common.

The ground is worked in a series of pits approximately 75 feet 

square. The set-up consists of two or three giants piping into three 

12-foot boxes, with one giant to stack tailings. On account of the 

scarcity of water usually only one giant can be used in piping into 

the boxes, and often it is compelled to shut down in order to provide water for the tailings giant. Water is obtained from Wildhorse, 

Bedrock, and Kimrock Creeks and Gold Gulch by a system of 

ditches and pipes, but as all these streams are tributaries from the 

west, with small drainage basins, they are extremely sensitive to 

weather conditions. It is said that there is a 300-foot head from 

these streams.

The pits are reported to average $900, with no distinct pay streak, 

the gold being disseminated through the gravel of the creek bottom. 

It is the intention of the present operators to improve the condition 

of the ditches during the winter and to continue operations.

ST. LOUIS MINING CO.

The property of the St. Louis Mining Co. (no. 9, pi. 36) is 4 

miles above Hope on Resurrection Creek, and conditions are essentially the same as those on the Clark & Beiswanger property, the 

productive gravel lying in the creek bottom. For the last few years 

this property has been worked spasmodically without much profit, 

and there is a complete equipment on the ground. The water has 

been obtained from Eesurrection Creek, and it is probable that the 

last operations were conducted with pressure insufficient to handle 

successfully large quantities of gravel. It has been proposed to 

remedy this factor by changing the pipe line to Palmer Creek, which 

has a much steeper gradient and also contains sufficient water.
INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA RAILROAD BELT, 1931

With this in mind a group of men are conducting negotiations with 

the St. Louis Mining Co., which has temporarily abandoned working 

the claims.

PEABSON

About 6 miles above Hope on Resurrection Creek is what is known 

as the Pearson property (no. 10, pi. 36). In the past the creek 

gravel has been worked, but for the last few years there has been no 

activity on this property.

BEAR CREEK 

DARK & LEA.CH

John Dark and Tom Leach have been working on claims about 

a mile up Bear Creek (no. 1, pi. 36), endeavoring to find an old 

channel on the valley wall about 50 feet above the present stream. 

Bear Creek here is flowing in a narrow, steep-walled canyon, and the 

old stream channel has been covered by slide rock from the valley 

wall. From 20 to 100 feet of overburden is being piped off by one 

giant having about a 250-foot head. Other difficulties of operation 

are the presence of large boulders and the partly cemented condition 

of the underlying gravel.

GAULAGHER

H. P. Gallagher has been prospecting for several years at a point 

about 5 miles from the mouth of Bear Creek. At this point the 

valley is wider than below, and, although the stream is in a narrow 

channel, benches occur on both sides and about 20 to 30 feet above it. 

The creek gravel was worked several years ago, and in prospecting 

the bench gravel, about 8 feet of slide material has been removed, 

exposing 4 feet of stream gravel lying on bedrock. It is said that

good returns have been obtained from the lower gravel.

PALMER CREEK

In the early days of the district Palmer Creek was thoroughly 

prospected and portions mined, but of late years there has been no 

activity.

SIXMILE CREEK

The property of Michael Connolly borders Sixmile Creek from 

Sunrise to a point 3 miles above (no. 17, pi. 36). This part of 

Sixmile Creek usually has a rock bottom bordered on both sides by 

higher gravel benches. For many years Mr. Connolly has been 

prospecting on these benches and has picked up several old pay 

channels. At the present time this property is under option to a 

group of Oregon and Washington men, who have been prospecting 

it. If successful, they will move their hydraulic plant from California Creek, in the Girdwood district, to this property.
MOOSE PASS-HOPE DISTRICT 527 

CANYON CREEK

Canyon Creek, from Sixmile Creek to a point 8 miles above, flows 

in a narrow, steep valley bordered on both sides by high gravel 

benches. Most of the early production from this creek came from 

the stream gravel, and exceedingly rich pockets have been found. 

In addition to the stream gravel, productive channels have been 

found in the bench gravel and have been worked sporadically.

Bruhn & Kay hold a number of claims on Canyon Creek near its 

confluence with East Fork (no. 18, pi. 36).

Tom Allison has been prospecting and hydraulicking the bench 

gravel for several years at a point about 3 miles above Sixmile 

Creek (no. 22, pi. 36).

During the summer of 1931 Oscar Dahl and a crew of men were 

engaged in prospecting and mining bench gravel at a point 7 miles 

above Sixmile Creek (no. 27, pi. 36). All the bench gravel contains 

gold, but the tenor is low and recovery is costly, owing to the thickness of the overburden.

MILLS CREEK

Mills Creek has been the most productive stream in the district, 

and most of the gold has been obtained from the lower mile. The 

greater part of the gold has come from the channel gravel, but this 

has been augmented somewhat by the bench gravel, which is characteristic of the lower part of this stream, as of other streams in the 

district.

H. L. Miller, C. P. Tolson, and 0. G. Plowman have been prospecting and mining about half a mile above the mouth of the creek 

on the bench gravel (no. 28, pi. 36). It is reported that some gold 

has been obtained. Most of the gold-bearing gravel lies on the 

bedrock.

Fred Metz has been prospecting the gravel on Mills Creek about 

3 miles above its mouth.

R. R., C. H., and H. O. Jacobs have been mining for several 

seasons on Lynx Creek, about a mile above its mouth (no. 45, pi. 36). 

The channel gravel was worked in the early days of the district, 

and the present activities are confined to bench gravel lying about 

100 feet above the present channel of the stream. No definite former 

channel exists, and gold occurs scattered over the bedrock. Much 

of the gold is coarse.

INDEX

Page

Abstract of report -_____ 469-470 

Acknowledgments for aid_ _ 470-471 

Afanasi Creek, prospects on _ 519 

Alaska Oracle claims___-____ 507-510 

Allison placer mine _ _ 527 

Area of the district__________ 470 

Assays of ore___ 504,509, 511, 515, 516

Bear Creek, lode prospects on_ 505-507

placer mines on____ _ _ 526

Bench Creek, prospecting on__ __ 519

Bench deposits______ _ 483

Bibliography________________ 470

Bonanza claim_ __________ 500

Krewster prospect ____ __ 519

Bruhn & Ray placer claims.____ 527

Canyon Creek, placer mining on___ 527 

Case prospect______________ 520 

Champion claim_ ____ ____ 510 

Clark & Beiswauger placer mine-_ 525 

Cleavage, occurrence of______ 485 

Climate ________________ 473 

Colorado claims_____________ 516 

Colorado Creek, prospects on____ 516 

Columbia claim_________,__ 518-519 

Connolly placer property__ ____ 526 

Coon property____________ 506-507 

Copper lode prospect __ _ 520-521

D

Dahl placer mine_ ___ _ __ 527

Dark & Leach placer mine-____ 526

Devils Creek, prospects on _ _ 519

Dikes, age and correlation of 482

distribution and character of- 480-481

mineralized, occurrence and

character of____ 490-491 

Donaldson Creek, prospects on _ 517 

Downing property __ 500-501 

Drainage _____________ 472-473

E

East Fork Creek, prospect on 519 

Enrichment of ore deposits__ 492-493

Faults__________________ 485-486 

Field work__________ _____ 471

Page

Fissure veins, character of_____ 490 

Folds __________________ 484-485 

Foreword, by Philip S. Smith vn-x 

Francisco claim____________ 500-501 

Frenchy Creek, prospects on___ _. 517 

Fresno Creek, prospects on _ 517

Gallagher placer prospect___ _ 526 

Geologic and topographic map of the

district- ____ _ pi. 36

Geologic history___________ 486-488 

Geology, principal features of_,__ 476 

Gilpatrick property ___ 512-515

Glacial and glaciofluviatile deposits- 483 

Gladiator claim_____________ 510

Gold, production of______ 488-489

placer, source of-! ____ _ 523

Gold Stamp Mining Co.'s property- 506

Grant Lake, prospects on_______ 520

Graywacke. See Slate and graywacke. 

Groundhog Creek, prospects on_ _ 519

H 

Hirshey mine ____ _______ 494-498

I

Independence claims _ _ _ _ 516 

Industries ______-_____ - 475 

Investigations in the district, previous__-________ 470 

Iron Mask claim____________ 516

Jacobs placer mine_ ________ 527

Johnson, B. L., quoted ______ 482, 510

Johnson property 510-511 

Johnson & Skeen property ____ 519 

Joints, occurrence of____ ___ 485

K

Keuai Star property_-_ ___ 501-503 

Knopf, Adolph, Paige, Sidney, and,

quoted ______ 520

Labor and wages_ 475

Livewire vein, claims on 506

Location of the district_________ 470

Lode deposits, enrichment of 492-493

general character of ____ 490 49.1

genesis of _ 493

mineralogy of __ __ 491

structural features of _ 492

529
530 INDEX

Page 

Lucky Strike vein._._______ 494-498

Lynx Creek, placer mining on____ 527

M

McMillan claims__________ 518-519 

Mascot claim________ ____ 516 

Mathison placer ground__ 525 

Miller, Tolson & Plowman placer

mine__________ 527

Mills Creek, placer mining on____ 527

Mining, general conditions-of_ :._ 475

lode, history of___-__,_ 489-490

outlook for___________ 493-494

placer, methods and conditions

of ___________ 523-524

N

Nearhouse & Smith claims____ 503-505 

assays of ore from_ _ 504

0

Ophir claim _____________ 518-519 

Oracle No. 2 and Oracle Extension

claims_________ 507-510

Ores, paragenesis of________ 491-492

tenor of_______________ 493

r

Paige, Sidney, and Knopf, Adolph,

quoted ____ - _____ 520 

Palmer Creek, lode mines and prospects on _______ 494-505

placer prospecting on __ __ 526

Pass Creek, prospects on_ _____ 517

PearBon placer property __ _ _ __ 526

Peel & Iverson claims ___ ____ 516

Placers, gold, general features of _ 521

gold, history of operations of- 521-522

origin of __ _ __ __ __ 522-523

Population. ______________ 474-475

Quartz Creek, prospects on ____ 518-519 

Quaternary deposits, principal features of- . __ ________ 482

R

Page

Ready Bullion Copper Co.'s prospect__________ 520-521 

Recent deposits _______ 483-484 

Resurrection Creek, lode prospects

on____________ 519

placer mines on_ __ 525

Robin Red Breast prospect- 503

Robinson & Bowman property__ 505

Ronan mine __ _ 510

St. Ixmis Mining Co.'s placer mine- 525-526 

Seward Gold prospect--_____ 519 

Sixmile Creek, placer mining on_ 526 

Slate and graywacke, age and correlation of________ 478 

distribution and character of_ 476-477 

origin of_____________ 477^78 

Slate Creek, prospects on_____ 512-516 

Sollars prospect--___________ 520 

Stream discharge, measurements of_ 474 

Structure_____________:_ 484-486 

Summit Creek, prospects on___ 507-511 

Sunshine claims_-_____-____ 498 

Swetmann claims___ _____ 515

T

Taylor property ____ _ 506

Teddy Bear claims______ 499-500 

Timber__________________ 473

Topography __ __ 472, pi. 36 

Transportation_ __ _ __ 471-472

Volcanic series, age and correlation

of____________ 479-480 

distribution and character of- 478-479 

origin of______-_______ 479

w

Wanowky Gold Mines, development

work by______ 512 

Water power _ ___ 473-474 

Whistler claim____________ 500-501