Juneau, Alaska

Joe Juneau and His Golden Discoveries

Gary Speck

Locked onto its site by America’s grandest scenery, Juneau, Alaska clings to a narrow flat below Mt. Roberts and Mt. Juneau. Dumping into the backside of the city is Gold Creek, which flows out of Silverbow (Last Chance) Basin. The city is fronted by the narrow Gastineau Channel, which separates it from Douglas Island and the city of Douglas. A paved highway clings to the narrow strip between mountains and water, stretching about six miles south past Thane, and about 30 miles to the north.

One hundred twenty years ago this was a wild, isolated wilderness populated only by the Tlingets (pronounced Kling-its). With three and four thousand-foot mountains soaring almost straight out of the narrow Gastineau Channel, there is still no land access to this region. Rain, fog, and frigid waters laced with thousands of islands, narrow channels, bays and coves still hamper access by sea. Today however, cruise ships and airplanes have supplanted the ship-borne fur traders who once prowled the coast in search of otters, seals and other fur-bearing mammals.

As word of the region expanded, a few folks figured gold might be found up here, especially with gold rushes to the Fraser and Cariboo regions in British Columbia. After the region came under American control in 1867, prospectors began to drift into what was then a very inhospitable area.

Depending on which version you want to believe, the first discovery was made between 1867 and 1874. Somewhere north of Wrangell, along the mainland, two or three prospectors found traces of gold along a fast moving stream. They worked their way upstream, panning as they went. Eventually they discovered rich diggings, and set up a rocker to help work the stream gravels. They were attacked by some of the local inhabitants, and only one of the men escaped. Although seriously injured, he made it to their small boat with a sack of nuggets. Casting off from shore he reached the cold waters of Stephens Passage. A Hudson’s Bay Co. Steamer found him, and picked him up. He showed the gold, told his story, and a rush was on to find the Lost Rocker Mine.

This was only the beginning. Now that there was proof gold could be found in the region, expeditions poked into all the islands, bays, streams and coves lining the Inside Passage.

In 1874 gold was discovered in the Cassiar region near Dease Lake in northwestern British Columbia (150 AIR miles directly east of modern Juneau). The favored route of travel was by sea to Wrangell, then overland along the Stikine River. 2000 miners flocked to the diggin’s, pulling out about a million dollars in gold in 1874 alone.

This created more interest in the Alaskan coastal strip, and more men spread out in search of the precious metal. Discoveries were made in the Sitka area in 1875. Another rustle of excitement occurred deep in the Yukon, but the Chilkat Indians refused any miners entry, so that one faded quickly (but only for about 20 years!)

In 1880 prospectors were looking everywhere in the upper Inside Passage area. In August of that year, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris were led to the Gold Creek placers by Chief Kowee of the Auk Indian Tribe. Gold Creek runs out of the Silverbow Basin behind present-day Juneau.

By October the Harris Mining District had been established, and the first claims staked by Harris and Juneau. A lot of controversy surrounds the early discovery and the establishment of the district, but one fact remains clear: gold was discovered, and gold brought a huge influx of people to this wild land.

Other mines were quickly discovered, and small mining camps popped up like mushrooms at the mines on Mount Roberts, further up Gold Creek, and on Douglas Island (across the channel). A main camp was set up along the Gastineau Channel’s narrow, east shore at Miners Cove. The camp was named Harrisburgh, after Dick Harris. In February 1881 a miner’s meeting was held to rename the budding town Rockwell. In December another meeting and another renaming occurred.

Juneau was born.

Back in the Silverbow Basin, the smaller mines were consolidated into two giant mines: the Alaska-Juneau and the Alaska-Gastineau. Over on Douglas Island, the Treadwell Mine took over many of the smaller mines surrounding it. These mines all operated strongly for about 50 years, but generally declined by the 1930s, and by 1944 they were all closed. Between 1880 and 1944, the Alaska-Juneau, the Alaska-Gastineau and the Treadwell Mines (closed in 1917), were three of the largest gold-mining operations in the area, yielding almost $160 million in gold.

JUNEAU:

· NE¼ Sec 22, Sec 23, T41S, R67E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.3019444 / 58° 18' 07" N

· Longitude: -134.4197222 / 134° 25' 11" W

Below are details of some of the mines and support camps around Juneau.

ALASKA-GASTINEAU MINE

This gold mining camp is located on the west side of Gold Creek, in the Silverbow Basin, about 3.5 miles southeast of Juneau, and about two miles beyond the Alaska-Juneau (A-J). The mill was at Thane, several miles south of Juneau.

Like the A-J Mine below, this was a consolidation of several smaller mines, some of which included the Jumbo and Perseverance mines. They date back to the original discovery in 1880. They were consolidated in 1911. At both this and the A-J Mine, trams carried the ore over the hill to the mills, located along the Gastineau Channel south of Juneau. The massive foundations are still visible.

MINE: Not shown on GNIS (approximate coordinates)

· N½ Sec 20, T41S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.305070

· Longitude: -134.336443

MILL (Thane):

· NE¼ Sec 5, T42S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.2641667 / 58° 15' 51" N

· Longitude: -134.3302778 / 134° 19' 49" W

ALASKA-JUNEAU MINE (A-J Mine)

This gold mining camp is located off Gold Creek Road, about 1.5 miles east of Juneau. A museum ($) is on site. (We elected not to pay at the time of our visit in 1998). At that time, the remaining buildings were rapidly being covered by lush greenery.

A number of smaller mines were also located here. Some of the names included the last Chance Mine, Jualpa and Ebner mill site.

The original discovery occurred in 1880 and the Alaska-Juneau Mine boomed in the early 1900s after all the smaller properties had been consolidated. The main camp consisted of a huge 100-stamp mill, blacksmith, bunkhouses, mess hall, cabins, a school and a post office, among other amenities. The mine is not shown on GNIS, but appears to be the same as what they have marked as “Glory Hole” at the east end of the Alaska-Juneau Adit. The location of the camp is in the Glory Hole area.

The mill ruins are on the hillside overlooking the cruise ship dock/Mt. Roberts lower tram terminal off South Franklin Road, just south of downtown. After producing nearly $80 million, the A-J Mine closed in 1944 when it was declared a “nonessential wartime activity”.

MINE (The Glory Hole):

· NE¼ Sec 19, NW¼ Sec 20, T41S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.3061111 / 58° 18' 22" N

· Longitude: -134.3427778 / 134° 20' 34" W

MILL:

· SW¼ Sec 24, T41S, R67E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.2952778 / 58° 17' 43" N

· Longitude: -134.3930556 / 134° 23' 35" W

AMALGA/AMALGA LANDING

Amalga was located at an elevation of 1608’. The original gold discovery was made in 1902 and a year later the mines were purchased by the Eagle River Mining Company. A busy little mining camp quickly developed at the mine. It consisted of an assay office, blacksmith, bunk houses, general store, and other typical amenities, including a post office which operated from 1905-1927. The mine closed in 1923. The name is derived from the word AMALGAM. Mercury was the only product that was commonly available that could absorb free gold, and when it did, the mixture was known as amalgam. That amalgam could then be processed, and the gold removed.

By clicking on the online map, GNIS shows Amalga WAY TOO FAR to the north. I don’t know what the error is, but the Eagle River Mine is indicated on the east side of the mountains overlooking the Eagle River valley south of the Eagle Glacier, about seven miles north of Amalga Landing. That indicates the correct location. It appears that the Latitude coordinates was a victim of a typo, which placed the “dot” too far north. Amalga is listed at 58.7416667, and the Eagle River Mine at 58.5741667 (note the missing “5” to the right of the decimal. All other numbers were the same. That appears to be the error. In any case, it is actually located about four miles northeast of the mouth of the Eagle River, 5.5 AIR miles north of Amalgam (Dotson’s) Landing, 22 miles northwest of Juneau.

Amalga Landing sat along the edge of the Favorite Channel at Amalga Harbor. It consisted of a wharf and warehouse in Amalga Harbor, 19 miles northwest of Juneau. A seven mile long plank road led to the Eagle River Mine and its support camp. GNIS shows it at Dotson’s Landing in Amalga Harbor, about 12 AIR miles northwest of Mendenhall

AMALGA (Eagle River Mine):

· SW¼ Sec 13, T38S, R64E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.5741667 / 58° 34' 27" N

· Longitude: -134.7752778 / 134° 46' 31" W

AMALGA LANDING:

· E½ Sec 14, West edge Sec 13, T39S, R64E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.4916667 / 58° 29' 30" N

· Longitude: -134.7847222 / 134° 47' 05" W

BEAR’S NEST MINE

Rubble remains of this gold mining camp located at the north end of the Treadwell Mine complex, just south of Sandy Beach on Douglas Island. It was an independent mine, but was absorbed by the Treadwell Mine. Not shown on GNIS, it was probably located between Douglas and the Treadwell Mine.

MONTANA BASIN MINES

Located along Montana Creek just northwest of the Mendenhall Valley village complex north of Juneau. The creeks here (Arrastra, Montana and McGinnis) were all scenes of placer mining in the early 1880s. Some lode mining took place in the surrounding hillsides, but little remains other than some rubble. The basin (valley) is centered around the confluence of Montana and McGinnis Creeks. The gold was discovered in 1881 by Edward J. Brennan and John McInnis. Brennan called one stream the Brennan River and McInnis called the other the McInnis River. The Brennan was renamed Montana Creek at a later date, and the McInnis, morphed into McGinnis.

Arrastra Creek was the site of a small arrastra gold mill.

CONFLUENCE OF MONTANA/McGINNIS CREEKS:

· SW¼ Sec 35, T39S, R65E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.4408333 / 58° 26' 27" N

· Longitude: -134.6447222 / 134° 38' 41" W

READY BULLION MINE

Like the Bear’s Nest Mine, this small independent mine was located on Douglas Island, across the channel from, and about four miles southeast of Juneau and about 1.8 miles southeast of the Treadwell Mine. It was absorbed by the Huge Treadwell Complex, and operated until 1922, as it was not flooded in the Treadwell’s cave-in. The mine was along the west side of the Gastineau Channel, at mouth of Ready Bullion Creek, a three mile long stream that runs back onto Douglas Island. The mine was discovered and named in 1880 by prospectors Frank Berry, Antone Marks, William Meehan, John Prior and James Rosewall.

· SE¼ Sec 6, T42S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.2533333 / 58° 15' 12" N

· Longitude: -134.3441667 / 134° 20' 39" W

THANE

Site of the massive Alaska-Gastineau Mining Company mill where Sheep Creek flows into the Gastineau Channel, the town was founded in 1911 or so (GNIS says 1881) and was first called Sheep Creek when the massive A-G mill was built. It was renamed after the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company’s general manager Bartlett L. Thane in 1914. At its peak the little mill town had 421 people. An aerial tram connected the mill to the Alaska-Gastineau Mine over the mountains in Silverbow Basin. Nothing but ruins remain of the massive mill. It is located on the east side of the Gastineau Channel, four miles southeast of Juneau.

· SW¼ Sec 32, T41S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· N-CTR Sec 5, T42S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.2641667 / 58° 15' 51" N

· Longitude: -134.3302778 / 134° 19' 49" W

TREADWELL MINE/CAMP

Discovered by, and named after John Treadwell, this gold mine was located on the northeast side of Douglas Island, across the Gastineau Channel from, and 2.7 miles southeast of Juneau. The mill consisted of a 240-stamp complex, and a larger one of 300 stamps. At the time this was the largest mill of its kind in the world. The first beach placer gold was found in December 1880. Mr. Treadwell sold his interests in the company in 1889. It continued to boom with the mine’s fortunes, and in 1901, the town of Treadwell was incorporated. Through the early 1900s the company camp was a busy small city with a population of 1000. Amenities included a swimming pool, tennis court and a 15,000 book library. The camp was named for the parent company, John Treadwell’s Treadwell Gold Mining Company. Production began slowing, and in 1912, the town disincorporated. In 1917, a cave-in under the edge of the channel caused extensive flooding, and the Treadwell Mine closed after producing around $66 million. The post office remained open until 1926, and the camp still had 13 people in 1940, even though the mine was long closed. The mining camp was located 0.4 miles southeast of the mine.

MINE:

· SE¼ Sec 36, T41S, R67E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.2680556 / 58° 16' 05" N

· Longitude: -134.3766667 / 134° 22' 36" W

CAMP:

· SW¼ Sec 31, T41S, R68E, Copper River Meridian

· Latitude: 58.2644444 / 58° 15' 52" N

· Longitude: -134.3672222 / 134° 22' 02" W

This was our GHOST TOWN OF THE MONTH for September 2001.

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FIRST POSTED: September 03, 2001

LAST UPDATED: August 10, 2014

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