Review of Mining
Potentialities Of
Seward Peninsula
By HOWARD LYNG
Territorial Senator
The eighth in a series of articles
exclusive to the Nome Nugget
Koyuk River
Easterly over the hill from
Death Valley, the Koyuk River
wends its way to the sea down
through the Haycock Mining area,
better known through the years
as “Dime Creek,” a once thriving,
small placer mining camp. With
the advent of World War II and
the cease and desist gold mining
order of 1942, most of the Hay
cock families migrated to other
parts of Alaska—Fairbanks and
Anchorage, particularly.
Today, only one hydraulic oper
ation holds forth in this once
thriving area: Charley Moon and
partners, on Sweepstakes in the
Peace River section. Charley states
he has a number of years of prof
itable mining yet before him.
The Koyuk River empties into
Norton Bay, an arm of Bering Sea.
It is the last of the Seward Penin
sula rivers, for directly east stands
the range of mountains that sep
arates the Bering Sea area from
the Yukon River basin.
Ungalik River
The Ungalik River has its source
in these mountains and enters the
Bering Sea on the south side of
Norton Bay. Along this gold-bear
ing stream two small dredges are
sitting, one owned by old timers
Shaw and Cook, the other by the
Ungalik Syndicate of New York.
In this same district a large block
of patented dredging ground is
owned by long-time camp cook
and prospector, George Gemalis
of Nome.
Travelling west from the Koyuk
towards Golovin Bay, the old port
of entry for Council, one finds a
number of creeks and two rivers
inviting the prospector’s pick and
shovel or the more modem drill,
for, according to the well-known
Brooks Reports, they are for the
most part gold-bearing and other
wise mineralized.
At Bluff, 30 miles west of Golo
vin, Jack Hoogendorn and Lyman
Madden have been drilling on
California Creek for the past
month for Pilot Bill Munz. A vest
pocket dredge has been sitting on
this creek for a number of years,
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Gale-Force Winds Hit
Northern Pacific Coast
PORTLAND, Ore., UR — Storms
struck the northern Pacific coast
yesterday sending rivers over
their banks and raking coastal
areas with gale-force winds. More
bad weather is expected today.
Hardest hit was the southewest
ern Oregon Coquille Valley region.
Two towns and several farming
communities, with a total popula
tion of 3,500, were isolated by the
rain-swollen Coquille River.
Further south near Grants Pass,
a coffer dam was swept away by
the flooding Rogue River. Project
officials estimated the loss at
$50,000.
The Williamette Valley to the
north also was threatened with
lowlands floods as torrential rains
continued to pound the area.
Riverside farm lands are expected
I to be under water in some areas
late today.
A number of Oregon highways
were blocked by slides and high
water.
a one-foot-bucket miniature.
Solomon River
The Solomon River Valley is
located but a few miles west of
Bluff and 32 miles east along the
coast from Nome. Long a major
producer via dredges even as far
back as 1907 during the era of the
coal burners, two modem dredges
are operated today by the pioneer
Nome minihg family consisting of
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Lee Sr. and
their two sons, Allen and Richard
Jr.
The upper dredge is a 3Vfc-foot
bucket model; the lower one has
a 5-foot bucket capacity. The Lee
operation gives employment to 25
40 persons during the season and
is connected with Nome by an ex
cellent 40-mile stretch of grav
elled road—eight miles to tide
water and 32 miles of coastal road.
Others mining along the Solo
mon River and its tributaries dur
ing the past season are Jack Titus
and partners at the mouth of Bun
ny Creek, Herk Edwards on the
Quigly ground near Big Hurrah
and Quartz Creek, Sam Kumukuk
and Tom Kutkialuk on West
Creek, and Fred Cook on Kasson
Creek.
Lode Gold Mine
Forty-five miles via road from
Nome, on Big Hurrah Creek, a
tributary of Solomon River, is
located the Nome country’s only
lode gold mine. Acquired in 1900
by Chas. D. Lane, head of the old
famed Wild Goose Mining and
Trading Company, it is now man
aged by a grandson, Travis P.
Lane, in conjunction with his as
sociates from Portland, Ore.
The mine consists of twelve full
lode claims and three fractions,
all contiguous and patented. In
1903 a ten-stamp mill was in
stalled and ten more stamps added
in 1904. Operated until 1907 and
producing half a million dollars in
gold, the mine was flooded and
shut down.
This fall Mr. Lane brought in
large pumps and other modern
machinery from the States and
pumped out the mine to the 250
foot level, where the main, and
several other veins, were sampled
and the mine otherwise inspected.
A crew of ten are now engaged
in setting up the main camp, re
building the mill, enclosing the
cyanide tanks, installing new die
sel engines and readying the entire
operation. Mr. Lane expects to
have his mine once more in pro
duction by the end of next Jan
uary—quite a shutdown while it
lasted—46 years.
(To be Continued)
Peak ’53 Population Of
Anchorage About 53,900
ANCHORAGE, UP) — The peak
1953 population of the greater
Anchorage area has been estima
ted at 53,900 by Victor Fischer,
city planning director.
The present estimate is 51,000,
highest ever listed for this time
of the year.
Fischer said the estimates are
based on the.number of dwelling
units, checked in cooperation with
the school tax assessor.
The figure listed for Anchorage
proper at the July 1 peak was
17,650. That compares with 11,254
in the official 1950 census.
Inventory Blanks at Nome Nugget
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Hagen’s
Jewelry Store
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FIRST AVE. & LANES WAY PHONE MAIN 113
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Thanksgiving
Dinner
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Tantalizing, Premium Hams — Alaska Reindeer
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CAULIFLOWER . PEARS ."""".."" 1 '
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CABBAGE TOMATOES POMPOMS
CORN ON COB SWEET POTATOES ROSES
EGGPLANT YAMS c . . „ , .
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REGULAR MERCHANDISE
APPLES JELLIES
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ONIONS FILMS AND FLASHBULBS
POTATOES for your DINNER PICTURES
A FULL LINE OF FROZEN PARTY AND AFTERNOON
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES DRESSES
CANNED FRUITS with all the accessories ,
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