NOME REGION. 141 
operations were conducted on a few scattered streams, probably the 
most extensive being on Buster Creek. 
At present the buried beaches of the Nome tundra occupy the 
center of the mining stage, and the efforts of all operators have been 
given to the exploitation of old placers or the search for new. Liti- 
gation touching the rights of property, however, has seriously 
obstructed the development of much of the most valuable ground, and 
may be expected to continue to do so as long as the present methods 
of acquiring and holding mining property are in force. 
Mining is carried on most actively just now along the two ancient 
shore lines whose locations and principal features have already been 
described, but there has been more or less work on different streams, 
such as Dry and Bourbon creeks, and extensive drilling in various 
other parts of the tundra. On the first or present beach practically 
all work was suspended. Along the second beach many of the old 
properties were worked and some very good new ground was discov- 
ered in the vicinity of Otter Creek. The third beach is the principal 
producer of the region. 
The third beach was discovered in the late fall or early winter of 
1904, but when the summer closed in 1905 operations were confined to 
Rock 
Beach 
SEA. 
Fig. 7. Diagram showing the manner in which gold is concentrated north of Nome in shallow depres- 
sions or on sides of cusps of the third beach. 
the immediate vicinity of Little Creek. An account of this locality has 
been published elsewhere." During the winter of 1905-6 the eastward 
continuation of the beach was located to a point within a short distance 
of Nome River. Between Moonlight Creek or the railroad and McDonald 
Creek it is traced continuously. To the west and east of these localities 
it is not definitely known. Remarkably rich ground was exploited 
near Little Creek and between Holyoke and Bourbon creeks, and nearly 
all the claims between Little and Dry creeks have shown good values 
in gold. East of Dry Creek less work has been done, but most of the 
shafts have struck good pay. Nevertheless, some claims or parts of 
claims are of little value with the present cost of mining, for while the 
beach gravel deposits are continuous the pay in them is not so. 
There are intervals along the line where gold is present in small 
amount or is almost lacking. These places are sometimes referred to 
as " blanks." Further, the gold is not evenly distributed through any 
of the gravel. The writer was informed that in the shallow depres- 
sions such as occur at intervals along the beach a much greater 
concentration of gold took place on the east ends (see fig. 7), and that 
a Moffit, Fred H., Gold mining on Seward Peninsula: Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 284, 1906, p. 1*34. 
