Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-01-12
new STAMPEDES IN
ALASKA NEXT YEAR
Predictions of Great Activity In the
Iditarod Placers, the Chitina
Copper Region and Sushitna' S
Gold Quartz Belt.

Gold Quartz Belt.
Three different mining stampedes
each distinct in character, are predict
ed for Alaska next summer, and one
Of them is on in the depth of this pres
ent winter. 10 the Iditarod placer dig
gings men are now toiling over the
snow trails in a wild chase for a
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 as soon as the
snow has gone to follow UP the recent
Moose pass and Willow creek strikes.
it 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 a most inn
| portant milestone in the development
of the northern territory. Placer min
ing produces much gold but it is not
| permanent resource, does not make q
permanent population or even warrant,
as a rule, the building of railroads.
Quartz mining does. The placer fields
of the Iditarod and lnnoko rivers
which are said to be larger in extent
even than the KlOndike fields, are sure
to yield many large fortunes If the
field proves as rich as the present
showing would indicate the district
will have population of 10000 within
twelvemOnth Already there are
1000 men where Il year ago there were
hardly a dozen. The excitement re-
sulting will be great, and the romantic
story Of the Klondike and Nome will
be repeated. But it would be most ex-
ceptional il 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 Cbitina cop
per region. There is a known belt Of |
mineralized rock l20 miles long and
eight or ten miles wide. and, though
this belt may also be said to be not
half prOspected, there are thirty-fve
or more groups of claims on 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 $10,000,000 on a
railroad from the sea 200 miles inland
to tap it. Yet there is every possibil-
ity that dozens of other properties still
unknown may equal that one or two.
The Chitina region had never been en-
tered except by a few miners, en-
gineers and Indians. so that when the
now 100 miles inland, reaches
the mouth of the Chitina river, thirty
dve 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 I
ent ingress iS possible only by long s
rail trips over Il very rough country, a ,
condition that will be changed almost ,
l flash within few months. The ,
'eSult to those who know what pioneer
conditions are is apparent
Another new mining field that gives
great promise of attracting large num- /
)ers of pioneers next summer is that I
north of Seward, on Kenal peninsula. 1
rhis is old placer country, in which
some of the mother lodes have recent I
v been discovered and are proving :
'ery rich. This country is still very
liliiCult OF access beyond Cook inlet
Is there are not even government !
rails, but a railroad is on its way in I
ana To the Matanuska coal fields, and /
he Alaska road commission has prom
Sed next summer To build trail I
lorthward in this valley and across G
he mountains to the headwaters of :,
he kuskOquim on the way to the
ditarOd diggings. This will give a
,reat impetus TO both quartz and
'lacer mining along the line and will
How the development Of several Ii
tuartz propositions.
The railroad out of Seward already d
rosses the peninsula seventy miles n
nj with new government trails has +
his last year made available much !;
old quartz country OF great promise.
On the whole. the most conservative
must admit that Alaska's Il
reatest mining days are OF the future {
nd that the mineral wealth produc- o
lon will be IN the steady ascendant b
rom now onward L