84 FORTYMILE, BIRCH CREEK, AND FAIRBANKS PLACERS, [bull. 251. j 
entirely from the rocks outcropping in their drainage areas, and the 
conditions of their deposition by stream action were practically the 
same. No foreign wash was observed. The gold, too, is found on all 
of the creeks under about the same conditions. The pay gravels are 
generally distinguishable from the rest by the yellow, sticky clay 
which they contain. The gold found at the head of .Wolf Creek is] 
very rough and can have been carried but a short distance. It is ; 
believed the origin of the gold on all of the creeks is to be found in 
the small quartz scams which occur generally in the schists; that it 
has been weathered out from them, and finally become concentrated 
in the gravels where it is at present found. 
The percentage of gold in the gravels and their extent seem suffi- 
cient to give the camp a permanence like that of the other placer 
camps in the Yukon-Tanana region. The depth of the deposit has 
made development slow and expensive, the cost consuming probably 
one-third to one-half the output. In this respect the creeks are 
having a history like that of Chicken Creek in the Forty mile region, 
which during the past two years has produced about $200,000. 
It is impossible for the prospector to accomplish much by rushing 
hurriedly through this kind of a region. The establishment of sta- j 
tions at different points along the Tanana River where supplies can 
be obtained has rendered possible the slow, patient work necessary to 
secure results. Those who have done well in the Fairbanks region are 
mostly men who have worked hard for several years under the condi- 
tions of the country, and the one important point to be kept in mind 
by those who come into the country for the purpose of prospecting 
is that gold requires much time, hard work, and expense for its dis- 
covery and exploitation. 
