Innoko district.—In
1909 the Iimoko district produced gold to the value of probably
$.300,000. This indicates that systematic mining has begun. In
midsummer placer gold was found on Otter Creek, which flows into the
Iditarod, a northeastern tributary of the Innoko. The information at
hand indicates that these placers lie in what would be an extension of
the Innoko auriferous zone. So far as prospected the gold seems to be
more uniformly distributed than in the Innoko gravels. This information
appears to form the basis for the "stampede" to the Iditarod which
took place from Fairbanks and other points in Alaska late in the summer
of 1909. The fact that gold has been found also on the Tuluksak, a
tributary of the Kuskokwim, in what appears to be an extension of the
Innoko and Iditarod belt, makes this general field attractive to the
prospector.
SEWARD PENINSULA.
In
1909 the placer districts of the Seward Peninsula produced gold to the
value of .14,302,000, compared with a production of $5,120,000 in 1908.
This falling off was largely owing to the fact that many of the richest
placers have been mined out and no adequate preparations have been
made for exploiting the extensive bodies of low-grade gravels. It is to
be expected, therefore, that the value of the annual production will
continue to decline until large plants are constructed.
Five
large dredges, besides a number of small ones, were operated during the
season of 1909. In addition to these, several others were in process of
erection. Aside from the work of these dredges the most important
mining operations were near Nome,in the Solomon Basin, on Ophir Creek,
on the Kougarok and its tributaries, and in the Fair-haven precincts.
The shortage of water for most of the large enterprises forced many
miners who had previously worked for companies to seek employment by
working for themselves. As a result, there were more small mining
operations in 1909 than there had been for years.
ARIZONA.
By V. C. Heikes.
PRODUCTION.
There
were 268 producing mines reported in Arizona during 1909, of which 2.5
were placers. The value of the combined yield of these mines was
$44,053,023 for gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. Although copper
production increased more than 6 per cent, Arizona, which was the
leading copper producer in 1908, was second to Montana in 1909. The
material increase in gold production may be credited to the siliceous
ores, as the output from copper ores decreased. Mines in Cochise,
Mohave, Yavapai, and Yuma counties produced most of the gold, and the
greatest increase was in Yuma County; the production was also larger in
Mohave, Pinal, and Maricopa counties. A very small part of the gold
output was credited to placers. Copper production increased generally,
the only important decrease being in Graham County. There was a slight
increase in output of lead, the production being small, except in
Cochise County. Zinc ore was produced in Cochise and Mohave counties.
Arizona made a gain of more than $2,000,000 in value of total output in
spite of decreases
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