frindle.] FORTYMILE REGION. 53 
to these possible sources of gold. The stream which formerly occu- 
pied the old valley of the Fortymile had its meanders and deposited 
its travels in about the same wav as the stream is now doing 1 at a 
level from 500 to GOO feet lower. As in the present valley only a few 
localities are found where pay occurs in quantities of economic 
importance, so in this older, larger valley there were also some locali- 
ties more favorable than others for the deposition of gold. In pros- 
pecting these gravels, then, the form of the old valley, the probable 
position of the stream within it, its relations to the bed rock, and the 
lateral spurs and the probable location of the old bars should be 
carefully studied. The old conditions should be restored so far as 
possible in the mind of the prospector, and those localities selected 
for prospecting which seem to have presented in the older time the 
best conditions for the concentration of the gold. 
Miller Creek is a small branch of Dome Creek about 2J miles in 
length, which has its source in the divide between Dome and McKin- 
ley, and flows in a southerly direction through a comparatively open 
valley, bounded on either side by the broad spurs which slope gradu- 
ally from the divide to Dome Creek. Gold was discovered here in 
1893 by men who packed in their supplies from Nugget Gulch. The 
bed rock belongs to the schist formation and most of the gravel is 
schist. Pieces are found up to a foot or more in diameter, and a few 
well-rounded bowlders of quartz of somew T hat larger size occur. 
There are about 8 feet of gravel covered by a variable thickness of 
muck and moss. The pay, which occurs near the bed rock, in about 
10 inches of dirt, over a width of about 20 feet, is said to be mostly 
coarse and rough, but to include also some smooth pieces. No gold 
has been found in the other tributaries of the Dome or in the Dome 
itself, except just below the mouth of Miller Creek, where good pay 
was found. The locality is interesting in showing an isolated occur- 
rence of gold in a region where there are large areas of similar bed 
rock. 
EAGLE AREA. 
American Greek. — At present the most important gold -producing 
area in the vicinit}^ of Eagle is that of American Creek and its tribu- 
tary, Discovery Fork. American Creek heads in the divide, about 16 
miles southwest of Eagle, flows in an irregular northeasterly course, 
and enters Mission Creek about a mile above its mouth. From the 
i divide at the source to the mouth there is a fall of more than 3,000 
feet. Discovery Fork is formed by the union of several small tributa- 
ries, flows in a northerly direction, and joins American Creek within 
the headwater area. The main stream and tributaries flow, with a 
swift current, in narrow V-shaped valleys, deep within the inclosing 
ridges, as shown in PI. XII, A. 
