wbight.]      THE    PORCUPINE    PLACER    MINING    DISTRICT,   ALASKA.       63 
and  it  is  difficult  to  break  it  even  with  hammer  and  pick.  The  occur- 
rence of  a  bed  of  glacial  mud  also  entails  the  loss  of  much  fine  gold  in 
the  sluice  boxes. 
Placer  gold  is  found  in  workable  deposits  from  the  mouth  of  Porcu- 
pine Creek  to  McKinley  Creek,  its  eastern  tributary,  a  distance  of  3 
miles,  and  from  this  point  for  a  mile  or  more  up  McKinley  Creek. 
The  total  production  of  the  Porcupine  basin  since  its  discovery  is  esti- 
mated to  be  $450,000. 
Beyond  the  divide  at  the  head  of  McKinley  Creek  lies  Salmon  River, 
fed  by  numerous  glaciers.  In  character  its  valley  corresponds  to  the 
Klehini,  with  its  vast  gravel  bed  over  one-half  mile  in  width.  The  gold 
discoveries  here  are  of  more  recent  date  than  those  of  the  Porcupine, 
and  actual  development  work  was  first  attempted  during  the  summer 
of  1902.  Fine  colors  may  be  panned  from  almost  any  place  along 
Salmon  River,  but  the  coarse  gold  is  all  found  in  a  few  of  the  tributary 
streams  on  the  north  bank.  Nugget  Creek,  20  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  Salmon  River,  is  the  center  of  placer  digging,  and,  on  the  creek, 
Discovery,  two  claims  above  the  mouth,  is  the  only  holding  which  has 
received  much  attention.  The  gravels  on  this  stream  are  worked  by 
the  same  method  that  is  used  on  the  Porcupine,  though  the  creek 
is  much  smaller  and  less  difficult  to  control.  On  the  north  side  of 
Salmon  River  between  Nugget  and  Cottonwood  creeks,  a  distance  of 
nearly  2  miles,  there  is  a  wide  bench  deposit  50  feet  above  the  present 
river,  on  which  eight  claims  have  been  staked.  From  several  pits  an 
average  of  25  cents  per  cubic  yard  is  reported.  Plans  are  being  made 
to  mine  this  extensive  gravel  bank  and  also  to  install  large  dredges  to 
work  the  bed  of  Salmon  River.  It  is  believed  that  these  deposits  will 
yield  favorable  returns. 
On  Bear  Creek,  a  west  fork  of  the  Chilkat,  is  a  third  placer  camp, 
40  miles  north  of  Chilkat  Inlet.  Since  its  discovery  in  1900  the  camp 
las  been  almost  abandoned,  largely  through  difficulties  arising  from 
American  ownership  of  claims  along  the  creek,  which  is  situated  on  the 
Canadian  side  of  the  provisional  boundary.  As  it  is  now  in  Alaskan 
territory,  claims  have  again  been  staked  and  operations  will  begin  in 
the  spring. 
Further  prospecting  and  investigation  of  the  surrounding  region 
may  reveal  other  valuable  placers,  and  possibly  quartz  ledges  as  well. 
If  it  can  be  assumed  that  the  Porcupine  mineral  zone  is  a  continuation 
of  that  extending  along  the  coast  from  Windham  Bay  to  Berners  Bay 
the  belt  should  cross  Lynn  Canal  diagonally  from  Seward  City  to  the 
vicinity  of  Davidson  Glacier,  so  that  the  west  shore  of  Lynn  Canal, 
Dpposite  Sullivan  Island  and  northward,  would  appear  to  offer  favor- 
ible  ground  for  prospecting. 
