LODE MINING IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA. If) 
former Keystone group, which has been relocated under a new name. The total production 
of these claims the last year has not been enough to rank them with ore producers, and 1 heir 
specific description is reserved for the more complete report. 
UNUK RIVER. 
Unuk River is one of the few large streams in southeastern Alaska, and is very difficult to 
navigate even in a small boat. It rises about 55 miles from the head of Burroughs Ray, in 
Behm Canal, and traverses the entire granite portion of the eastern Coast Range. A low 
divide connects its head with a branch of Iskoot River and thus serves as an easy entrance 
way into the interior of British Columbia. The upper 25 or 30 miles of the river drain (he 
schist-argillite belt lying east of the Coast Range granite, which is characterized along its 
entire extent from British Columbia to the Skagway district by good silver- and gold-bearing 
veins. At the head of Portland Canal, on several of the Stikine River tributaries, especially 
Clearwater River, in the Atlin district and still farther north, this belt is known to carry 
both placer deposits and quartz ore bodies. It has long been known that similar deposits 
occur in the Unuk River region, and recently a company began the construction of a wagon 
road from salt water along the northwest bank of Unuk River to a group of claims 42 miles 
inland across the boundary in British Columbia territory. Both placer and quartz claims 
have been located and will probably become ore producers as development proceeds. Now 
that access to the region has been made possible by the road, it is to be expected that during 
the coming season many prospectors will avail themselves of the opportunity to visit it and 
give it a thorough test. This field is not described in detail, because its mineralized bell, 
like that lying inland from the head of Portland Canal, appears to be entirely on the Canadian 
side of the boundary. 
SKAGWAY DTSTRICT. 
PORCUPINE CREEK. 
Placer operations on Porcupine Creek were begun early in the spring and successfully con- 
tinued until the latter part of June, when an excess of water in the creek destroyed the large 
dam, filled the pit, and buried the sluice boxes and portions of the plant under many feel of 
gravel. A rebuilding of the dam and the removal of the debris was immediately begun, and 
at the end of the season it was reported that mining was again under way. 
Hydraulic operations were continued on a small scale on both Nugget Creek and Salmon 
River, though no important progress was made. 
LITUYA BAY. 
In this bay and along the coast for a few miles to the northwest the beach gravels have 
been successfully worked in a crude way since 1890 and considerable gold realized from 
them. During late years many locations have been made and companies formed to work 
these deposits, but their attempts have apparently not been successful. 
WRANGELL DISTRICT. 
During the year 1905 no gold was produced in the Wrangell district. Several of the pros- 
pects show good surface indications, but have not been developed to any extent. As a 
whole the district has not yet been prospected thoroughly enough to permit an opinion on 
its mineral deposits. 
SITKA DISTRICT. 
Mining in the Sitka district, as in the preceding one, has been unusually quiet the last 
year. Assessment work only has been done and no metal has been produced. 
Low-grade gold- and silver-bearing quartz is the principal ore of the district and has been 
found near Sitka, in the vicinity of Silver Bay, at the Cache, Silver Bay, Lucky Chance, and 
other mines and prospects. The discovery of auriferous quartz veins near Cape Edwards, 
