102 



RKCONNAISSANCK IN XHRTHKKS ALASKA TN 1901. 



irrv little quartz being present. It presents a clean, bright surface and is of adeep, 

 rich color. Another nugget, Dearly as large as the above, having a weight of 50 

 ounces and valued at about $1,000, was found on Hammond Creek during the same year, 

 but was not brought out of the country until this fall (1903). It is described bj Mr. 

 Prindle as oblong and elongated in outline, flat on one side and rounded on the other. 

 According to the most reliable information obtained, the production of the 

 Koyukuk district from 1899 to 1903 was about §717,000, distributed among the 

 various creeks and gulches, principally as follows: 



Production of gold in the Koyukuk district from 1900 to 190S. 





1900. 



1901. 



1902. 



1903. 



Myrtle Creek 



§40, 000 



25, 000 



1,000' 



27, 000 



1,000 



2,000 



5,000 



1,000 



500 



1,000 



$7, 000 



60, 000 







Gold Bench ... 







Slate Creek 









40, 000 



2,000 



50, 000 







Clara Creek 







Gold Creek 







Tram way Bar . . 







Twel vemile Creek 



1,500 

 1,000 







Porcupine Creek 















1,000 

 1,500 







Union Gulch . 

















Total . . . 



103, 500 



164, 000 



«100, 000 



*>300, 000 





a Season's yield, including new discoveries. & Season's yield, including North Fork and new discoveries. 



The tqtal of the above table is $667,500. To this should be added §40,000, which 

 is known to be the approximate output of sundry smaller diggings, not given in 

 the above list in 1901; about $6,000 output in 1S99 derived mostly from Slate 

 and Myrtle creeks and various points on South Fork, and §3,000 to §4,000 won 

 from the Tramway and other bars in previous years, all of which to date gives 

 an aggregate yield for the Koyukuk district of about $717,000. 



The relatively low yield, not much exceeding §100,000 for the year 1902, is 

 reported to be due to the exceptional dryness of the season and consequent lack 

 of water for operations ou most of the creeks. On Gold Creek but little sluicing 

 could be done, but while the water lasted the yield was rich. On one claim the 

 owners are reported to have washed out $12,000 in ten days. 



In connection with the above statement concerning gold should be mentioned 

 the reported recent discovery of supposedly promising pyritiferous gold-bearing ore 

 near the head of Alatna River, principally on the divide between it and Noatak 

 River, which flows westward into Kotzebue Sound. The locality is northwest of 

 Bergman, in approximate latitude 67° 40', longitude 155°. The men who made the 

 discovery state that the localit} 7 is 170 miles from Bergman, but this must be by the 

 river route where the distance traveled is necessarilj' greatly increased by the very 



