PROPOSED SURVEYS IN ALASKA IN 1902 

 By Alfred H. Brooks, U. S. Geological Survey 



SINCE 1898 the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey has been making 

 systematic geologic and topo- 

 graphic surveys of Alaska. The annual 

 -appropriation by Congress for this work 

 has been recently increased from twenty- 

 five thousand to sixty thousand dollars 

 in order to extend the investigation of 

 Alaska's mineral resources. This in- 

 crease has not been adequate to the 

 needs of the work. The mineral inter- 

 ests have developed so rapidly in the 

 past few years, and surveys in this dis- 

 tant province are so expensive, that it 

 has been impossible with only sixty 

 thousand dollars yearly to satisfy many 

 of the urgent demands for work in 

 various parts of the territory. 



For three years past special attention 

 has been given to the placer gold region 

 of Nome, and the larger part of this 

 area has been surveyed and investigated 

 in some detail. The Koyukuk gold 

 fields have also received considerable 

 attention. In both of these fields, how- 

 ever, there is still much reconnaissance 

 work to be done, besides the detailed 

 work yet to be begun. Unfortunately, 

 there is no money for the work to be 

 carried on in these regions this coming 

 season. 



Southeastern Alaska is rapidly forg- 

 ing ahead in mineral production, and 

 there are pressing demands on the Geo- 

 logical Survey for topographic and geo- 

 logic surveys in this area. 



During the season of 1901 it was im- 

 possible to continue the work of the 

 previous year in the Copper River basin. 

 in view of the importance of this area, 

 it is deemed desirable to spend there a 

 large part of this year's appropriation. 

 The copper deposits of the Chitina 

 River, a tributary of the Copper, have 



excited a great deal of interest among 

 miners and capitalists. There have 

 been many parties outfitted to prospect 

 this region, and some preliminary de- 

 velopment has been made. Prospecting 

 has also been done in a second copper 

 belt in the northern part of the Copper 

 River and in the upper Tanana and 

 White River basins. These two belts 

 are to be the subject of special investi- 

 gation during the coming season. The 

 Chistochina gold fields, also included in 

 the Copper River basin, have become 

 important producers of placer gold. A 

 survey of their entire area is contem- 

 plated. The surveys of the Copper 

 River basin will also throw a good deal 

 of light on the proposed railway route 

 from Valdes to the Yukon River, and 

 they will cover large areas which are 

 believed to have value for stock raising 

 and for cultivation. 



The work in this region has been 

 divided. One party will be in charge of 

 Mr. F. C. Schrader, geologist, with Mr. 

 D. C. Witherspoon, topographer, and the 

 other will be in charge of Mr. T. C. Ger- 

 dine, topographer, with Mr. Walter C. 

 Mendenhall, geologist. Mr. Schrader's 

 party will map the upper Copper River 

 basin and adjacent portions of the 

 Tanana basin. They will connect the 

 previous surveys of the Tanana River 

 ' with those of the Copper and give 

 special attention to the upper northern 

 belt. Mr. Gerdine's party will map the 

 Chistochina gold fields and will give 

 attention to the southern copper belt, 

 which was studied in 1900 by Messrs. 

 Schrader and Spencer. The outfit and 

 provisions for these two parties were 

 shipped north in the latter part of Feb- 

 ruary, and were transported across the 

 coast range by a party led by Mr. D. C. 



* Published by permission of the Director of the U. S Geological Survey. 



