eral Description Home District
The Nome Mining District, comprising 22,700
) miles of territory, occupies a large section of
western Alaska known geographically as Seward
nils; is bounded by the Arctic Ocean on the NoTth
jring Sea on the West and possesses some 600 miles
fit line. Nome, with a population varying from 850
»ter to 2.000 in summer, is the chief port and com
tl center of the entire district, the regions farther
and a vast section of the Northeast const of Siberia.
,is the mail distributing center for the entire district
also the judicial headquarters for the Second Al
Division. In practically all things the entire divi
■i served from this port. The country generally is
ing character with wide valleys and numerous lakes
reams. The lowlands merge into low rounded hills
ng a single lofty range which crosses the heart of
strict. The mean summer temperature ranges be
40 and 50 degrees; the mean annual temperature
en 25 and 40 degrees. Extremes of temperature re
*1 at Nome are around 77 degrees in July to 30 de
minus in January. Annual precipitation is about
The district is unquestionably one of the most
r mineralized regions of the known earth. Gold
> chief resource but numerous varieties of lesser
•als are found over a large portion of the district
letrolcum is known to exist in the region of Point
w, a short distance to the north of tbfe peninsula,
dications are also found within the district at sev
loints. The only real tin mines in Alaska and the
it known deposits of tin in America are located in
ort Clarence section and coal beds of important ex
»xist in the Kugruk and Cape Lisburne regions near
3rthern coast.
Since the discovery of gold 22 years ago. the
t District has produced more than 181.000,000 in
ind silver, in addition to tin. tungsten, antimony and
metals valued at several millions. Copper and
iite are known to exist in exploitable quantities and
gold quartz in small bodies and low grade quartz
-ge bodies has been found at numerous points,
st all the best known metals are found in exploita
uantities. The gold produced Is almost entirely
placers, quartz mining not having reached a state
tive development as yet. Dredging has become the
method of gold extraction .although numerous hy
ic and “open cut” plants are operated . A very
part of the known mineralized areas have been
y more than prospected, remoteness and inadequate
portation facilities having greatly hindered develop
!n the past, and many new placers and other min-*;
discoveries may be expected in the future when the
let Is thoroughly exploited.
In addition to its great mineral resources, the
a District also contains tremendously important pos-,
ties in its thriving reindeer industry, which, altho
ly more than started on a commercial scale, has al- I
v yielded revenues approximating $3,060,000.
Fish of various species abound In the lakes, I
.ins and coastal waters and form the basis for a .
t industry. Herring are particularly plentiful and
pronounced by experts unexcelled by any herring !
vn to the world's markets. Salmon and other va-1
28 are also plentiful.
The district also produces a large variety of fur
ing animals which yield a large annual revenue, in
tion to game animals and wild fowl in large numbers,
•ies and wild flowers grow in abundance in the un
ng daylight of summer. Although the district as a
le is devoid of timber larger than willows, plant life
^ in great profusion and the low hills and valleys are
red with a vast carpet of thick moss and grasses.
asportation Roads are the first essentials to
development of a new territory. As a result of an
emely short sighted and illiberal policy on the part
tie federal government, inadequate and costly trans
ation facilities have been the chief drawback to ex
Ive exploitation of the great mineral wealth known
xist in the Nome District. Within the nearly 23,000
ire miles of territory there are less than 250 miles of
nanent roads and more than 25 per cent of the total
tage Is found within 20 miles of Nome. Develop
it cannot proceed save at a slow pace under such con
pns. During the past year or two the government
inclined to more liberal spirit and prospects are now
rht for important extensions of present highways
ch will prove of vast benefit. A projected govern
lt extension of the Nome-Kougarok railway through
heart of the district to the Kugruk coal fields will not
y open a great area of mineral lands to exploitation
will also enable the acquisition of cheap fuel, the a fr
ee of which has been a powerful deterrent to mining |
I industrial development in all lines
'/</ Minin4 The Nome District has been the
rce of nearly one fourth of the mineral wealth pro
ved in the Alaska territory during the past 20 years,
t withal it is the least developed portion of the country,
is is largely due to the fact that only the districts eas
t of access have received the attention of the miner
i prospector. There are Still hundreds of square
les of known mineral bearing territory untouched by
>1 hand of industry owing to the absence of roads and
mltant difficulties of transportation.
SLUICING WINTER IHTMP
.The noted geologist, Dr. Alfred H. Brooks, of the
nited States Geological Survey Bureau, has estimated
aat there are over 210 square miles of placer gold de
osits within the confines of Seward Peninsula' In ad
ition there are numerous gold deposits in lode form
cattered throughout the district. Of these 210 square
ailes of placer gold areas scarcely more than fifty square
ailes have been touched by the miner, although their
alue has been known for years, while among the liter
.Ily hundreds of quartz deposits presenting productive
tossibillties there is not one producing values. This re
markable condition is due almost entirely to absence ot
highways during the greater part ot the two decades or
gold production.
Despite the deterring conditions under which li
labors, the Nome District was the most prosperous of the
Alaska placer mining regions in 1920. It produced
gold valued at $1,317,819.00, compared to a combined
total of $1,668,076.00 from all other placer districts.
Eighteen dredges, about seventy five open cut mines 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. S. Geologi
cal Survey, says. “It was estimated some years ago (1908)
that the value of the gold reserves in the gravel plain,
ancient beach and high beach placers of Seward Penin*>
sula was about $215,000,000.00. Substracting 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
1 strikes have been made as a result of renewed prospect
ing efforts.
Platinum valued at 134.087.00 was produced In Al
aska in 1920, a large portion being obtained in the Nome 1
District The bulk of the Nome output was mined from
the Dime Creek placers, although recoveries of consid
erable value were made on Bear and Sweepstakes Creeks,
and at Willow Creek. Until 1916 no effort was made to
recover this valuable metal, but each succeeding year wit
nesses an increased output as efforts at recovery are ex
Cungsten bearing lodee were developed at Fair
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 Schelltte
concentrates have been mined and marketed. t 1.
Stiver bearing ores are found in many places In the
Nome District. The Omalik silver-lead mine on Fish
River has produced considerable ore in the past hut sus
pended operations with the decline in silver some years
ago. Promising lodes are located at various ether
points, notably on the Hugruk River, where extensive
development work has been done during the past two
years; although transportation difficulties have so far
prevented shipment of ore. t 2.
Jlntimonf ore. in the form of atibnlte. is one of the
most widely distributed minerals in Alaska • • • •. The
high price and ready market for antimony during the
war led to development of stihnite ores at several lo
calities in the Nome District • • • • . The facta in hand
indicate that there are large reserves of antimony ore in
this district. t 1.
Copper deposits have been found on Seward Penin
sula and some ef these have been developed in a small
way. A few test shipments have been made • • • * .
Copper lodes have been located in several places in the
Nokatak-Kobuk region of Northern Alaska. Consider
able prospecting has been done on some of these deposits
near Shugnak, in the middle Kobuk valley ••••-.
Were those depoelts 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 the 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 deaerre further prospecting, t 3.
Inti A little work has 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 mineralizing agents hare affected considerable
areas, t 3.
Graphite *n considerable quantities has been found
in the Keewalik Mountains, 40 miles north of Nome, and
accesisible to the tea from Imaruk Basin, which is con
nected by tidal estuary with Port Clarence. The grap
hite in this district occurs as lenses in qnartz-biotite
schists, which are themselves graphitic. These deposits
are of sufficient size to JustWjr the hope that they can be
profitably exploited .11.
Coal The largest areas of inaccessible coals are those
j on the Arctic slope, where there are believed to be exten
[ sive fields. The coals are chiefly of low grade but in
clude 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 in 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 coal 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 Deerlng * • • * . t 1. Coal
deposits located near the Kugruk River also supply the
local needs of that section. _
tpUfS 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 the
Alaska natives. The natural increase from the original
stock has resulted in a herd, numbering nearly 200,000,
besides which about 100.000 have been killed for food
and skins * * •' •. Shipments of reindeer meat are lim
ited to the cold storage capacity of steamers running to
Nome, and were 90.000 pounds in 1918. 37.000 pounds in
1919, and 257,544 in 1930. There are extensive rein
deer pastures in the interior of Alaska 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. f4.
REINDEER HERD GRAZING
Tisbtrits Salmon fishing in the Nome District over
shadows the rest of the fishing industry. Canner
ies located at the mouth of the Yukon River operate each
year and yield a large return annually. The yearly run
of herring at Golovin Bay, offers an opportunity tor large
investment. Beluga—white whale—frequent the flats
of the Yukon River .but as yet, no effort has been made
to catch and market this valuable sea mammal, de
spite large commercial possibilities. Walrus and hair
seal are numerous, and present strong possibilities as
leather resources, as well as unique game for the sports
man and hunter.
NOME AND NORTHWESTERN ALASKA WILL
PRODUCE 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 iWestem investors sent
into the Point Barrow region of Northwestern Alaska a
number of representatives and several well known geolo
gists to investigate the oil seepages found in that section.
A number of these Investigators went to the district dur
ing the winter by dog team and were followed by the geol_
ogical experts in gas boats during the past summer. These
survey parties made extensive examinations and also loca
tions during the summer and filed for prospecting permits
at the United States Land Office at Nome. Active oper
ations are scheduled to commence next spring upon open
ing of navigation.
The Point Barrow oil region lies in latitude some
what farther north than the Tort Norman oil fields, com
prises thousands of square miles of territory, and will in
all probability become the greatest oil producing area on
the continent as development proceeds. The district is
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 this
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 regulations providing that citi
corporations may locate five claims of 2560 acres each.
Providing oil Is discovered, the prospector can lease one
quarter of the area covered by his permit, with first re
ference on the remainder. Royalty on production is as
low as five per cent.
Nowhere Is there a greater opportunity for oil
land investment and practically all of this vast oil terri- j
tory with its semi-proven acreage Is awaiting the coming .
of capital for development. Prospecting and development j
may be confidently expected to reveal an oil area that will j
HYDRAULIC MIXING SCENE
surprise the 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 reports given out by officials of the
company disclose that favorable oil indications have been
encountered. Back of Nome 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
applled-for. All the oil sections Indicated may be reach
ed by steamers or gas boats.
f 1 U. 8. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 714.
t 2 U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 714 A.
t 3 tX. S. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 71^_F.
t 4 Report of Governor of Alaska, 1920.
Por Further Information Write The Secretary
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OF NOME
Photos by Lomen Bros, Nome,
Thta P«i« Contributed by Tbe Nome Nugget.