Coal Resources of Alaska 



1 73 



Northeastern Alaska has been but 

 little explored. It includes the drainage 

 basins of rivers between Point Barrow 

 and the international boundary. The 

 geology and mineral resources of this 

 region are unknown. The occurrence 

 of coal in Alaska, as in the western 

 United States, is limited to the rocks of 

 the later geologic periods (the Mesozoic 

 and Tertiary) . The rocks of these ages 

 have an extensive distribution in the 

 territory, and at a number of widely 

 separated localities workable coal beds 

 have been found. 



In 1852 the Russian- American Corn- 

 pan}' prepared to open coal mines at Port 

 Graham, on the western side of Kenai 

 Peninsula, but soon abandoned their 

 operations, though an American com- 

 pany mined coal at Port Chatham and 

 supplied the Russian company's steamers 

 for about ten years longer. In 1868 a 

 few tons of coal were mined at Kootz- 

 nahoo Inlet, Admiralty Island, for the 

 United States Steamship Sagi?unv, and 

 in 1868 coal was reported near Point 

 Gardiner, Admiralty Island. Consider- 

 able prospecting has been done at Kil- 

 lisnoo, Admiralty Island, and the Fire- 

 stone mine has been worked for local 

 use since 1880. The Admiralty Coal 

 and Fuel Company did considerable de- 

 velopment work in 1900 at Point Gar- 

 diner. 



In 1872 coal was mined at Coal Bay, 

 L'nga Island, for the United States 

 Steamship Humboldt, and the mining of 

 these southern Alaska coals has gone on 

 in a small way for a number of years. 

 In 1888 the Alaska Coal Company began 

 mining at Kachemak Bay, west of 

 Kenai Peninsula, and since 1899 the 

 Cook Inlet Coal Fields Company seems 

 to have controlled this field, and are 

 now operating extensively. Since 1893 

 the Alaska Packers' Association has 

 been mining intermittently at Chignik 

 River, southeastern Alaska Peninsula. 

 In 1889 the development of coal mines 

 at Herendeen Bay, western Alaska Pen- 



insula, was begun, but without great 

 success. 



The coals of the Yukon River at- 

 tracted little attention until the discov- 

 ery of gold in the Klondike region, in 

 1897. Within a year there were prob- 

 ably upward of a hundred steamers on 

 the Yukon River, with wood selling at 

 from $8 to $20 a cord, and with no 

 wood to buy on the lower Yukon below 

 the Holy Cross Mission. Soon some of 

 the larger companies established a coal- 

 ing station at St. Michael for the use of 

 river steamers, but with the resultant 

 disadvantage that the steamer must take 

 most coal when she has most freight. 

 Much investigation of the coal supply 

 of the Yukon River has taken place. 

 In addition to coal mines in British 

 Northwest Territory, the Alaska Ex- 

 ploration Company started some devel- 

 opments about 60 miles above Circle 

 City, on the upper Yukon. The oldest 

 mine is Drew's, opposite the mouth of 

 Hess Creek, where the workings are 

 extensive, and the equipment includes 

 steam hoisting apparatus, coal bunkers, 

 etc. The Pioneer mine, below Hess 

 Creek and 30 miles above Rampart, is 

 similarly equipped. Both mines pro- 

 duced considerable coal in 1900. Near 

 Nulato, farther down the Yukon, the 

 Blatchford and the Pickart mines pro- 

 duced some coal, and the Clemens Thein 

 mine and the Williams mine, both be- 

 tween Nulato and Anvik, were small 

 producers in 1900. As a result of the 

 development of the Cape Nome gold 

 fields, the Cape Lisburne coal deposits, 

 in northwestern Alaska, have attracted 

 renewed attention, and the Corwin 

 Trading Company is now engaged in 

 endeavoring to develop these deposits 

 to supply Nome and the whaling ships, 

 which have heretofore brought their 

 coal from Puget Sound. 



The coals are chiefly lignites, with 

 some bituminous coals, and in a few local- 

 ities semi-anthracites. Developments so 

 far have been entirely along waterways. 



