THE RAMPART GOLD PLACER REGION, ALASKA. 
By L. M. Prindle and F. L. Hess. 
GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 
By L. M. Prindle. ■ 
GENERAL STATEMENT. 
The Rampart region is in the central part of Alaska, near the intersection of the 
one hundred and fiftieth meridian and the sixty-fifth parallel. It is in the western 
part of the large area — embracing approximately 40,000 square miles — delimited by 
Yukon and Tanana rivers and by the international boundary, 300 miles to the east, and 
is located where the distance in a north and south direction between the two rivers 
is hardly 50 miles (PI. I). 
The Rampart region is one of the four most important gold- producing regions in 
this interstream area. The Fortymile, near the boundary, the Birch Creek, and the 
Rampart regions are adjacent to the Yukon at intervals of about 140 miles westward 
from the boundary. The Fairbanks region, the most recently developed and at the 
present time the most productive, is in Tanana Valley about 12 miles north of the 
river and about 260 miles from its mouth. The Rampart region is about 80 miles 
northwest of the Fairbanks region, and all the creeks of present economic impor- 
tance are within 30 miles of the Yukon and belong to the drainage systems of both 
Yukon and Tanana rivers. 
The region has passed through many stages characteristic of the life of a placer 
camp. Some of the creeks were prospected as early as 1893 and became active pro- 
ducers by 1896, when the region became of equal prominence with the Fortymile 
and Birch Creek regions. Many were attracted by the favorable results, and during 
the winter of 1898-99 the town of Rampart, the supply point for the camp, contained 
about 1,500 people. After the preliminary stage of prospecting and the subsequent 
excitement of the boom days, with their excess of hopes and population, the camp 
settled down to the laborious existence of an average producer, influenced from time 
to time by the discoveries of gold in other portions of Alaska and rewarded occa- 
sionally by discoveries in its own territory. During the last two years discoveries 
have been made which have contributed to the permanence of the camp and illus- 
trated the possibilities still existing in a region which has already been under inves- 
tigation for several years. The recent introduction of hydraulic methods, too, 
entailing the expenditure of considerable capital, has given further importance to 
the locality, which during 1904 had a population of about 300 and a production of 
approximately $235,000. 
"An abstract of this paper was published in Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 259, pp. 104-119. 
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