The Alaska citizen., 1910-09-19
MOST PROSPEROUS
 IN HISTORY
THAT IS WHAT ALFRED BROOKS SAYS ABOUT LAST YEAR
 IN THIS DISTRICT.
TIE OUTPUT WAS S1I,50O,OOO
Fairbanks District Alone Accounted for se.65o,ooo. as Compared With s9,20o,o0o. the Production of Gold In 1908.

in Alaska for the year 1909. Al fred H. Brooks says that the Alas ka-Yukon districts had the most prof itable season that had been eNperi- enced since mining began nearly q quarter of century ago.
 The estimated value of the gold output of the Alaska-Yukon placer districts. for the year 1909 has been estimated at $1t,5S0,uoo, as compared with $l0.323.o .ooo in the pre- vious year
 While practically the Alaska-Yukon camps made an increased production in 1909 as compared with the pre- yious year. those of the Panama val ley were the most prosperous. The various districts tributary to the lower Panama are estimated to have produced gold To the value of over s1o150.o0O. Of this. Fairbanks made an output estimated al $9.65O.oUo. as compared with s9200.000 in 1908 The general prosperity is also indi- Cated by the value of the merChan- disc shipped To the Tanana Val ley from the United States. which was S2,G37,47G during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, as compared with a total of $2,o4o.62N for the pre- yious fiscal year
 In, of gr.it, it can not be denied that the time is rapidly approaching when the gold production of Fairbanks dis trict will decline unless some radi- cal changes are made in mining methods. So far as present meth ods of exploitation are concerned. many of the richest creeks are near ly worked out. Little appears to have been accomplished in the matter of preparing to mine grayels of lower gold tenor. though some plans for dredges are under way. Meanwhile. much enterprise has been turned to- ward the search for aurifcrous veins. which should yield results assur- ing permanency to the camp. A lode mining industry. however. is not likely to develop fast enough to make up for the decreased produc- tion of placers. The Fairbanks min CTS could we'll follow the lead of those of the Fortymile district, where three large plants are hold ing up the gold output in spite of the decrease in small operations.
 Probably the most important foa- ture of the years mining industry in the Yukon is the general drift to the Innoko region, for there is in every camp a large class of rest less prospeCtors who are ready for tinued increase in gold production of the kOyukuk is worthy of mention. though the high costs of operating have prevented a proportionately prosperous community. The contin- ued success of the dredges in the Fortymile district has already been referred to as an important fea- ture of the years mining.
 BonnifieId District
 Considerable more work was done in the Bonnifield district in 1909 than in any previous year. This work in part consisted of mining, but more important were the steps taken to install a large hydraulic plant on Gold King creek, where there is said to be a large body of auriferous gravels. As preliminary to this in stallation a wintr sled road was cut through from Fairbanks. a distance of about 40 miles Considerable work was also accomplished in the in stallation a winter sled road was cut pected to be operating in 1910. The gold values of the gravels are said to be low, but there is reported to be ample water for a hydraulic plant Gold King, Grubstake and Platt creeks are the chief gold pro ducers of the district The total gold output, in 1909 is estimated to have value of over s50.000.
 kantishna District
 There appears to have been but little mining in the Kantishna dis district during 1909. The gold output, all of which came from small oper- ators did not exceed few thousand dollars in value
 Gold Hill District.
 There was renewed activity in the Gold Hill district during 1909. Productive mining appears to have been confined to Mason and Grant creeks, but good prospects were also reported on other streams In the fall of 1909 twelve claims were be- ing opened on Grant creek, and the results will probably indicate def nitely whether the gravels carry values. Placer has long been known to occur in this district, but it has never been carefully prospected.
 lnnoko District.
 A new movement of population in to the Innoko district was brought about by the discovery of gold plac- CTS on Otter creek, a northerly trib-