Alaska Gold. A real story (I)
By Eric Prendeville. Elemetal – Anchorage , Alaska
“I still remember the sound of my first nugget hitting the sluice box.” recalls Brian Berkhahn, a long-time Alaskan miner. The conviction in his voice and look in his eye provides a very clear message that gold mining is not just a business venture or pastime to him; it’s a way of life.
Of the many vocations in life, gold mining is one of remarkable distinction, for example, on the drive to work your feet might get a little wet when crossing through a creek or two. On the plus side you won’t have to deal with any traffic, although you may want to keep a look out for bears. You won’t find a computer at your desk, but you will have plenty of controls in the cab of your excavator, which you will need to be able to service yourself by the way. Creative fixes are in high demand; after all, there isn’t an industrial supply store within a couple hundred miles.
You may ponder, why does an individual choose to spend their days out in the remote Alaskan wilderness, submitting themselves to the harsh elements and exerting themselves for uncertain gain? It may seem like it must have something to do with striking it rich. For many miners, the true reward lies deeper than any gold they’re likely to find. There is a sense of pride gold miners have for their gold, their business. The nature of mining demands certain character traits such as self-reliance, independence and perseverance. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who is more in their element than a gold miner working at his mine site.
Prospecting in Alaska dates back before it was purchased from Russia in 1867. A Russian geologist named Peter Doroshin reported finding gold in south-central Alaska in 1848, the same year as the discovery of gold in California. Initially, interest in gold mining in the northern territory paled in comparison with the allure of the California Gold Rush, however there were some prospectors who made their way north in 1861, and again in 1872.
The gold rush in 1861 brought 800 fortune-hunters up to the Stikine River, a river running from Canada into the inside passage, in Southeast Alaska. Thousands more came up in the early 1870’s, this time trekking farther up river, in what’s known as the Cassiar Gold Rush. The peak of the rush was 1874, when a million dollars worth of gold was recovered. Later in 1877, one lucky prospector walked away with a 72-ounce nugget. Many settlements formed during early discoveries developed into communities which still exist today, including Juneau, the state capital. There were also early discoveries in other parts of the state, including Fortymile river, a tributary of the Yukon river, an area still actively mined today.