Alaska's Gold and Oopper. 143 



was very high when we went down, they are said to have done 

 Avell in the latter part of the season. 



One member of our party, Mark Russell, was equipped with 

 long experience in prospecting both for placer and vein gold, 

 and while the necessity for getting through the country as rap- 

 idly as possible prevented anything like an exhaustive examina- 

 tion, still enough was done to give a fair idea of the resources of 

 the region traversed. While in White River basin we also had 

 the benefit of Mr Bowker's experience. A few " colors " Avere 

 found on most of the branches of White river which we crossed, 

 but it was all fine gold and afforded nothing which could be 

 regarded as a good prospect. The indications of gold-bearing 

 quartz were even less encouraging. Practically no vein quartz 

 was seen between Selkirk and Scolai pass, either in place or 

 among the stream gravels. Along the lower portion of the Niz- 

 zenah and thence southward to near the mouth of Copper river 

 considerable quartz occurs in small stringers through the schist, 

 so that there is a possibility of this region containing gold-bearing 

 veins. 



Copper. — Native copper has long been known to exist in the 

 Cojjper River basin, but exactly where or in what quantity has 

 never been ascertained through actual examination by a com- 

 petent observer. Its occurrence in White River basin also has 

 been suspected from the presence of native copper among the 

 Yukon Indians, although they were known to trade with those 

 living on Copper river from whom they might have obtained the 

 metal. The Pelly Indians whom we secured at Selkirk for 

 packers promised to show us the source from which in the past 

 they had secured copper for making arrow-heads and more 

 recently for making bullets, Avhich are still used to some extent 

 when lead cannot be obtained. While still at Selkirk they 

 told us of great masses of copper as large as houses on a stream 

 called the Klet-san-dek, or Copper creek, flowing into White rivei: 

 near its source. As we approached this locality, however, the 

 masses of copper rapidly decreased in size, first to pieces as big 

 as a man and then to bowlders of such size that they could be 

 lifted by prying with a stout stick, and finally what they actually 

 showed us consisted of small nuggets, the largest only a few 

 ounces in weight. * 



Kletsan creek issues from a narrow gorge in the steep northern 



