The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-21
MANIFOLD WEALTH
OF COOK INLET

OF COOK INLET
Placer Gold on the streams aaA
Quarts and 0ii In the Mountains
Have Drawn Thousands.
A section of Alaska which was the
scene Of much activity for nearly two
wears before the Kiondike discoveries
threw Il into the shade. and which prom
Uses to again come into prominence this
year. Is the Cook inlet district. Cook inlet
is one Of the grea, arms Of the Pacific
ocean which deeply inaent the south coast
Of the main peninsula OF Alaska. The
mines are on several streams which
empty into Iurnagain arm. branching OF
10 the east from the inlet into the kenai
peninsula. The district enjoys the adj
vantage OF extreme accessibility. as min
eTs can he landed at Sunrise. the trading
center, n two weeks after leaving Seat
tie. the severity of the climate Is tenn
perea by the warm Japan current. timber
is larger and more abundant than on
the Yukon. and supplies are almost az
cheap rs at Seattle. and miners wages
only about 81 a day.
The Firxt strike.
The first gold was struck on Mills
creek. tributary Of Six-Miie. In the
summer Of 1886 by Samuel Mills, now re-
corder ~ the mining district. bu; Il Is evil
dent that mining had been carried on
many years ago by the Russians. for
old sluicc boxes have been found at
several points. The news was brought to
Seattle by man named Wakefield, and
rush Immediately followed. a large
proportion OF those who went up how
ever. were tenderfeet who seemed to i'm
agine that they had simply To pick up
nuggets as they walked along. When
they realized that gold mining involved
much hard labor with uncertain result.
Offering cniy one prize 70 ten blanks.
many OF them returned Disguised and de-
cared that there was no gold on Cook
inlet. Altogether about five thousand
men went there in 1895 and 1897 hut the
population has settled down to about three
thousand men. who have gone systemat-
ically 10 work to mine gold rs miners
must That they have met with n large
| measure Of success Is proved by the pro-
| duction. which Is estimated at 10000 to
| date
! The gold is found on the bars and
benches OF the valleys through which Six
mIe and Resurrection creeks flow from
the north into Turnagain arm, and on tho
tributaries OF those streams. On Six-MIie
creek Itself. work has been mostly con-
fined 10 the benches. for the stream 10
broad and rapid and though much gold 10
known to be In the bed. IL can only b
recovered by turning the creek from ita
channel. In one place this could be dona
for a distance OF Ave miles at slight ex-
pense and a rich reward would proha bly,
result. Notwithstanding that large
amount of gold has been already taken
out. real mining has hardly begun, the
york so far done being little but prospect
ing Operations have generally been con.
fined 10 Canyon. Mills. Guich and Lynn
creeks. tributaries OF Six Mile. and TO Bear
and Palmer creeks. tributaries OF Resur~
crock % ms
IS believed IN be on Granite creek n tfihu-
tary OF Siy-Mie. but bedrock has not been
reached there. The largest single enter
prise is that OF the Poly Mining Company
which works twenty men with a hydraulic
plant on Mills creek. In 1897 I. took out
$50 per day for each man and It's product
for the season was about s75 ono. Fred
Smith and Edward White. after working
for "A long time IN dirt on Lynn creek which
paid only $50 day per man. while they
were paying a day In wages. struck dirt
which paid sl.01 a week and cleaned up
s7o.ono in 1857. They sold their claims In
San Francisco for si0a.oo0.
stampede to nird Creek.
number OF claims had been located on
Bird creek. a stream twenty miles .ong,
on the south side OF Turnasain arm with
many small tributaries but this section
had been neglected until the, fall Of 1897.
when surface dirt was struck paying 20
cents 10 s! % to the pan. stampede then
occurred and the whole creek was hsli
either by original locaters or relocated in
n few weeks Robert Duncan took out 81
10 81 20 per pan on she bars Of BIRD creek.
The opening Of the district has given
birth To the town ~ Sunrise on a fat NJ
the mouth Of Six-MHle creek where there
are several weH-rsockrd stores ten or
twelve two~storv frame buildings and a
number Of log buildings. A. the laws %
Alaska made 10 provision for the incor-
pora ton OF towns. the residents have VOL
unfairly elected three trustees to manage
pubic affairs
Quarts Discovered Also.
Cook inlet nsy before long hscorne me
headquarters ~ large quartz mining op~rs-
tons for explorers have pushed 20 she
hsadwaters 90 80 main stream the au-
ghitna and have found the whole country
20 abound In low grade ores carving cop
Jer. iron rsTi's@ AMI falens White fark
~ cOFBmu nir4 ton now renders II inrossf,
bic % work these ores a. n profit shousd
the present government explorations result
In the onsnlng OF n rosite from Cook inlet
10 the Yukon. they will become market
abe
Tne Renal penuFia east ri Cook inlet
Also abolInfs ST mineral Of th% same char
acter. and John Macarthur and Norman
Saiter -sv they have found free milling
quartz iedges from Ten TO thirty feet wiAs
carrying 20 - cents yard sn gold which
xoud pay 20 hydraulic. They say that
this country can be easily penetrated from
Resurrection bay on Ttynagain arm
Char.ss Denhan Also reports having struck
placer dirt panr'nT a. high as - on n srna1
stream near sk!liokh lake
TIE Alaska rrntnFsiis. watch II ~ gram
So formation. fact telry ground dawn ~
numerous glaciers. also Abounds in 20
grade frssr and copper E1lnh'se ere car ~.
irg gold ono r@ak named Iron Mountain
being apparently a mass 0f such Gre
ctt CORES FROM the f.r0und.
on has also been found on both the Re-
u4i ard Alaska psnfDsulsz ard London
expert recently weIt to the former
a.sfrtct - make al exam nation. The oa
Is satf - fox from spfs7Es no small
.acsg.a.. which t. entirely covers while =
sxsrraana lake On sne Alaska peninsnis n
ooxss from The ground and ssiurates t.
u0sA