literal Description Hone Distrkl
The Nome Minin* District, coin prising 22.700
unre miles of territory, occupies a large section of
irthwestern Alaska known geographically as Seward
ninsula; is bounded by the Arctic Ocean on the North
d Bering Sea on the West and possesses some 000 miles
coast line. Nome, with a population varying from 850
winter to 2.000 in summer, is the chief port and com
•roial center of the entire district, the regions farther
rth and a vast section of the Northoast coast of Siberia,
me is the mail distributing center for the entire district
1 is also the Judicial headquarters for the Second Al
ia Division. In practically all things the entire divi
n is served from this port. The country generally is
rolling character with wide valleys and numerous lakes
1 streams. The lowlands merge into low rounded hills
nting a single lofty rang - which crosses the heart of
district. The mean, summer temperature ranges be
«en 40 and 50 degrees; the mean annual temperature
ween 25 and 40 degrees. Extremes of temperature re
ded at Nome are around 77 degrees in July to 30 de
es minus in January Annual precipitation is about
inches. t
The district is unquestionably one of the most
hly mineralized regions of the known earth. ~ Gold
:ke chief resource but numerous varieties of lesser
lerals are found over a large portion of the district
petroleum is known to exist in the region of Point
row, a short distance to the north of the peninsula.
indications are also found within the district at sev
1 points. The only real tin mines tn Alaska and the
rest known deposits of tin in America are located in
Port Clarence section and coal beds of Important ex
exist in the Kugruk and Cape Llsbunfe regions near
northern coast.
Since the discovery of gold 22 years ago. the
le District has produced more than $$1,999,000 in
l and silver, in addition to tin, tungsten, antimony and
*r metals valued at several millions. Copper and
>hite are known to exist In exploitable quantities and
gold quartz in small bodies and tow grade quartz
irge bodies has been found at numerous points,
ost all the best known metals are found In exploita
quantlties The gold produced la a!fboat Mrttrely
l placers, quartz mining not having reached a state
stive development as yet. Dredging has become the
f method of gold extraction .although numerous hy
ilic and "open cut” plants are operated . A very
e part of the known mineralized areas have been
lly more than prospected. remoteneO* tad Inadequate
sportation facilities having greatly hfaderbd develop
t in the past, and many new placer* tad other min-*
discoveries may be expected in the future when the
•let is thoroughly exploited.
In addition to its great mineral resources, the
e District also contains tremendously important pos
ition in Its thriving reindeer Industry. Which, altho
ly more than started on a commercial scale, has al
y yielded revenues approximating $$,000,090
Pish of various spectes abound in the lakes,
ims and coastal water* and form the basis for a
t industry. Herring are particularly plentiful and
pronounced by experts unexcelled by any herring
rn to the world’s markets. Salmon and other va-1
>s are also plentiful.
The district also produces a large variety of fur,
ing animals which yield a large ami dal revenue, in ^
ion to game animals and wild fowl fh large nUtrtbers.
ies and wild flowers grow in abundance in the un
lg daylight of summer. Although the district as a
e is devoid of timber larger than willows, plant life
s in great profusion and the low hills and valleys are ;
•ed with a vast carpet of thick moss and grasses.
nsportation Hoads are the first essentials to
levelopment of a new territory- As a result of an
mely short sighted and illiberal policy on the part
e federal government, inadequate and costly trans
lion facilities have been the chief drawback to ex
ve exploitation of the great mineral wealth known
ist in the Nome District. Within the nearly 23.000
•e miles of territory there are less than 250 miles of
anent roads and more than 25 per cent of the total
ge is found within 20 miles of Nome Develop
cannot proceed save at a slow pace under such con
is. During the past year or two the government
nclined to more liberal spirit and prospects are now
t for important extensions of present highways
i will prove of vast benefit. A projected govern
extension of the Nome-Kougarok railway through
eart of the district to the Kugruk coal fields will not
open a great area of mineral lands to exploitation
dll also enable the acquisition of cheap fuel, the ab>
of which has been a powerful deterrent to mining
ndustrial development In all lines.
i Minimi The Nome District has been the
e of nearly one fourth of the mineral wealth pro
I in the Alaska territory during the past 20 years,
/ithal it is the least developed portion of the country,
is largely due to the fact that only the districts eas
>f access have received the attention of the miner
>rospector. There are still, hundreds of square
of known mineral bearing territory untouched by
and of industry owing to the absence of roads and
tant difficulties of transportation.
SLUICING WINTER DU Ml'
.The noted geologist. Dr. Alfred H. Brooks, of th<
d States Geological Survey Bureau, has estimated
here are over 210 square miles of placer gold de
within the confines of Seward Peninsula* In ad
there are numerous sold deposits in lode font
red throughout the district. Of these 210 squan
of placer gold areas scarcely more than fifty squan
have been touched by the miner, although, theii
has been known for years, while among the liter
undreds of quartz deposit presenting product I v«
lilities there is not one mducing values. This re
markable condition la doe almost entirely to absence of
highways during the greater part of the two deetder of
gold prAluctioo.
Despite the deterring conditions under which it
labors, the Nome District was the most prosperous of the
Alaska placer mining regions in-1920. It . produced
gold ralued at $1,317,819.00. Compared to a combined
total of $1,888,076.00 from all other placer districts.
Eighteen drbdges, about seventy live open cut mined and
thirteen deep or underground placers were operated;
about 550 men being employed. Regarding the future
placer outlook. Dr. Alfred H. Brooks of the U. 8. Geologi
cal Survey, says. “It was estimated some years ago (1908)
that the value of the gold reserves In the grave? plain,
ancient beach and high beach placers of Seward Penin
sula was about $215,000,000.00. 8ubstracting the
amount of gold that has since been mined from these de
posits leaves the value of the reserves $200,000,000.00.
Though the above estimates of the available placer re
serves may appear extravagant to some, a comparison
will be shown that they are moderate, t 1. With the
return of normal conditions, development has Increased
steadily in recent months and several important small
strikes have been made as a result of renewed prospect
ing efforts.
PMinum valued at $34,087.00 was produced In Al
aska In 1920, a large portion being obtained in the Nome
District. The bulk of the Nome output Arts mined from
the Dime Creek placets, although recoveries of consid
erable value were made on Her r and Sweepsttkesr Creeks,
add at Willow Creek. Until 1916 no effort was made to
I recover this valuable metal, but each succeeding y#»T wit
nesses an Increased output as efforts ai recovery are ex
CUMgSttH bearing lodaa wen developed at Pair
banks and Nome when the war needs led to abnormal de
mand • • • • . Considerable Tungsten was shipped
from these properties between 1916 and 1918 and Schel
lite was recovered from concentrates of gold dredges at
Nome • • • • . In all about 37 tons of Alaska Schelllte
concentrates have been mined and marketed. t 1.
Silvtr bearing ores are found in many places in the
Nome District. The Omalik stiver-lead mine On PMb
River has produced considerable ore in the past but sus
pended operations with the decline in silver sortie years
ago. Promising lodes are located at Various other
points, notably on the Kugruk River, where extensive
development work has been dong daring the poet two
years; although transportation difficulties have so far
prevented shipment of ore. t 2.
Jflttimony ore. In the form of stlbuite, is one of the
most widely distributed minerals 1A Alaska • • • •. Tie
high price and ready market for antimony during the
war led to development of sttbftite ores at sfctefll Id
ealities in the Nome District • • • • . The facta In feMrd
indicate that there are large reserves of antimony ore in
this district, t 1.
Cvppet deposits have been found on Seward P6UtB
sula and some of these have been developed fn a small
way A few test shipments hate been made * * • * .
Copper lodes have been located in several places id the
Nokatak-Kobuk region of Northern Alaska. Consider
able prospecting has been done on some of these deposits
near Shugnak, in the middle Kobuk rttfey * • • • .
Were those deposits not so Isolated, they would undoubt
edly have been mined. t 3.
tin Alaska has produced about 972 tons of metallic tin,
which has nearly all come from the placers of the York
District at the west end of Seward Peninsula. A num
ber of discoveries of lode tin have been made in thd York
section. The only development has been at the Lost
River Mine. The best hope of the continuation of Al
aska tin mining is based on the lode tin in the York Dis
trict. The Lost River mine Is the only property suffi
ciently developed to justify the belief that it will soon
BEACH MINING AT NOME
become a producer; yet there are other deposits in the
region which deserve further prospecting, t 3.
7t0n A work haa been done on iron deposits on
Seward Peninsula located about twenty five miles north
! west of Nome. An analysis of samples from one deposit
[showed fifty four percent of iron, no titanium and 0.13
per ce t of P-2 0-5. The surface evidences indicate
that the mineralising agents have affected considerable
areas. t 3. .
Graphite in considerable quantities has been found
in the Keewalik Mountains, 40 miles north of Nome, and
accesfrtble to the tea from Imaruk Basin, which is con
nected by tidal estuary with Port Clarence. The grap
hite in this district occurs os lenses in quartz-biotite
schists, which are themselves graphitic. These deposits
are of sufficient size to justMgr the hope that they can be
profitably exploited. t 1.
Coal The largest areas of inaccessible coals are those
on the Arctic slope, where there are believed to be exten
sive fields. The coals are chiefly of low grade but in
| elude some excellent bituminous coals. Most of these
coals are not now available, but some of them near Cape
Lisburne can be developed for use at Nome and fn other
parts of Seward Peninsula. (U. S. Geogolical Survey
Bulletin No. 174, P. 46.) Coal has been obtained for a
number of years from the Kugruk ctfal beds, having been
mined at Chicago Creek and on the Kugruk, between
Reindeer and Montana Creeks. This coal is used ex
tensively in Candle and Deering • * * • . t 1. Coal
deposits located near the Kugruk River also supply the
local needs of that section.
<fUtS Since 1867. Alaska has produced furs to the
value of about $90,500,000, of which about $53,000,000
represent the value of the fur seal skins. The raising;
of foxes and other fur bearing animals is on the increase
and promises to become a most important industry- The
evidence in hand indicates that this section of Alaska
will continue to yield a valuable annual fur product, t 4.
Nome is the distributing point for trade with
those engaged in the fur business in Northwest Alaska
and Siberia, and many thousands of dollars worth of fur
pelts are handled annually at this Port.
Reindeer Between 1892 and 1902, the Government
Imported 1,280 reindeer into Alaska for the use of th«
Alaska natives. The natural increase from the original
stock has resulted in a herd, numbering nearly 200,000,
betides which about 100,000 hare been killed for food
and skins • • • •. Shipments of reindeer neat ate lld»
ited to the cold storage capacity of steamers running to
Nome, and were 99,000 pounds In 1918, 37,000 pounds in
1919, and 257,544 in 1920. There are extensive rein
deer pastures In fte Interior of Alaskh and on the shores
Of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. It is estimated
that these pastures should support a total of Ten Million
animals, t 4.
MINRRR HERD GRAZING
TlsbtrltS Salmon fishing in the Name District over
shadows the rest of th# Ashing Intiestfy Canner
ies located at the month of the Yukon River operate each
year and yield a large return annually. The yearly run
Of herring at Golovin Ray. often an Opportunity for large
Investment. tidings—white Whale—frequent the flats
of the Yniton River hut as yet. no effort has been made
to catch and market this valuable sea mammal, de
spite large commercial posilMffttes. Walrus and hair
seal are numerous, and present strong possibilities as
leather resources, as well as unique game for the sports
man and hunter.
NOKE AND NORTHWESTERN ALASKA WILL
PRODUCT MILLIONS IN OIL
Growing out of the fact that use of oil for power!
and locomotion has created a vast and unprecedented de-'
mand for that product during the past year, the Standard
Oil Company and also a group of (Western investors sent
into the Point Bartow region of Northwesters Alaska a
number of representatives and several well known geolo
gists to Investigate the oil Seepages found in thnt section.
A number of these investigators went to the district dur-!
ing the winter by dog team and were followed by the geol.
oglcal experts m gas boats during the pant summer. These I
surkey parties mads extensive examinations and also loea-1
tlons during the summer and flled for prospecting permits
at the United Staten Land Office at Nome. Active oper
ations are scheduled to commence neat spring upon open
ing of navigation.
The Point Barrow oil region lies In latitude some
what farther north than the Fort Norman oil fields, com
prises thousands of square miles of territory, and will i^
all probability become the greatest oil producing area or
’ the continent as development proceeds. The district f?
i much larger than the combined areas of Texas, Oklahoma.
! Wyoming, Montana, Arkansas and Louisiana, and con
! tains thousands of acres of undeveloped oil lands ^ With
the exception of less than twenty locations, all of thlf
great oil bearing area is still open to entry.
The existence of these vast oil deposits in the Bar
row region has been known for years, but only during the
past winter and summer has there been any effort on the
part of either individuals or corporations to Investigate
the field. Last summer's Investigations were of such
promising character that Nome Is now preparing for an
oil stampede that will equal the great gold rush of 1900.
when 50,000 people came to this section of Alaska in
search of the yellow metal.•/ This time the rush will be
for “Liquid Millions”! It must be said, however, that
those who anticipate coming to this district to locate
should be prepared with sufficient capital to carry on. as
prospecting for oil requires time and money. The gov
ernment has adopted a very liberal policy with respect to
oil locations, the regulation* providing that eitire
corporations may locate five claims of 8560 acres each.
Providing oil la discovered, the prospector can lease one
quarter of tho area covered by his permit, with first pre
ference on the remainder. Royalty on production Is as
low as flve per cent.
Nowhere le there a greater opportunity for oil
land Investment, and practically all of this vast oil terri
tory with Its semi-proven acreage I* awaiting the coming
of capital for development. Prospectlag and development
may be con Aden tly expected to reveal an Oil area that will
HYDRM'UC mining scene
surprise ths world and make Alaska known as one of the
greatest oil sections of the globe.
Drilling for oil is also in progress adjacent to
Nome at present and Sports given out by officials of the
company disclose that favorable oil indications have been
encountered. Back of No*he in the interior of Seward
Peninsula other oil indications have been recently found.
A few locations covering acreage in this section have al
ready been filed. The districts last referred to are ad^
jacent to water and rail transpotation. Drilling is ex
pected to commence next June. Several locations have
also been made in the Port Clarence section and permits
applied for. All the oil sections indicated may be reach
ed by steamers or gas boats.
t 1 U. 8. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 714.
t 2 U. 8. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 714 A.
t 3 U. 8. Geological 8urvey Bulletin No. 714 P.
t \ Report of Oovefrnflr of Alaatl, 1320.
For Further Information Write The Secretary
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. OF NOME
Photos by Lomen Bros, North*,
Thto Pkce Contributed bjr The Nome Nonet.