Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-02-11
new STAMPEDES IN
ALASKA next YEAR
Predictions Of Great Activity In the
Iditarod Placers, the Chitina
Copper Region and Sushitna's
Gold Quartz Belt.

Copper Region and Sushltnas
Gold Quartz Belt.
Three different mining stampedeS,
each distinct IN character. are predict
cd for Alaska next summer, and one
of them is on in the depth of this pres
ent winter. To the Iditarod placer dig
ginSS men are now tOiling over the
snow trails In Wild chase for
share Of the undoubted riches first
found there last season. Into the great
copper belt of the Chitina basin there
will be another influx of miners and
prospectors next July when the Cop
per River and Northwestern railroad
reaches the outer edge of the district,
Still another group. the gold quartz
miners, will flock to kenai peninsula
and the Sushitna valley rs soon rs the
SNOW has gone to follow up the recent
Moose pas and Willow creek strikes.
1t would seem then that Alaska has
finally advanced to the quartz mining
stage, and to this may be added In 1910
coal mining In the Bering river fields.
This change really marks n most i'm
pOrtant milestone in the development
of the northern territory. Placer min
Ing produces much gold. but it is not
permanent resource, does not make
permanent population or even warrant.
as rule. the building Of railroads.
Quartz mining does. The placer fields
of the lditarod and lnnoko rivers.
which are said to be larger In extent
to yield many large fortunes. IL the
field proves as rich as the present
showing would indicate the district
will have population of 10000 within
twelvemonth. Already there are
1900 men where Il year ago there were
hardly dozen. The excitement re-
sulting Will be great. and the romantic
story OF the Kiondike and Nome will
be repeated. But 1t would be most ex-
ceptional II ten years from now should
see any important placer mining going
on In that now almost unprospected
region. 1t will simply be worked out.
1t Is different with the Chitina cop
p'i ltSioh btAC 10 hhO" Al bSit VI
mineralized rock 120 miles long and
eight or ten miles wide. and. though
this belt may also be said TO be not
half prospectcd. there nre thirty-five
or more groups Of claims Oh It, One
| or two Of these have been SO far de-
veloped that there Is assurance of a
large ore supply for generations. So
sure is the future of this region that
capital Is spending Sl0O00,000 on n
railroad from the sea 200 miles inland
to tap it. Yet there is every POSSIBLE
| ity that dozens OF other properties still
unknown may equal that one or two.
| The Chitina region had never been en-
tered except by n few miners. en-
gincers and Indians. so that when the
railroad, now 100 miles inland. reaches
| the mouth of the Chitina river. thirty
five miles farther. next summer. prac-
tically an entirely new country. the
future activity of which is assured be-
! forehand. will be opened up. At pres
! ent ingress is possible only by long
trail trips over Il very rough country. a
condition that will be changed almost
In flash within few months. The
result to those who know what pioneer
conditions are Is apparent.
Another new mining field that gives
great promise Of attracting large num-
beers of pioneers next summer IS that
north Of Seward. on Kenai peninsula.
This is old placer country, in which
some Of the mother lodes have recent
| ly been discovered and are proving
! very rich. This country Is still very
difficult OF access beyond Cook inlet.
as there are not even government
trails. but railroad is on its way in
land to the Matanuska coal fields, and
the Alaska road commission has prom
| Used next summer to build trail
northward in this valley and across
| the mountains TO the headwaterS Of
Iditarod diggings. This will give a
| great impetus to both quartz and
| placer mining along the line and will
allow the development Of several
quartz propositions.
The railroad out Of Seward already
crosses the peninsula seventy miles
and with new government trails has
this last year made available much
gold quartz country Of great promise.
On the whole. the most conservative
| investigator must admit that Alaska's
greatest mining days are Of the future
and that the mineral wealth produc-
ton will be in the steady ascendant
| from now onward.