Alaska-Gastineau Mine

The Alaska-Gastineau Mine (alternate: Perseverance Mine)[1] was a gold mine in Perseverance, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Juneau, Alaska, USA.[2] It was briefly the largest gold mine in the world.[3] The mine was operated by the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Company.[1]

Alaska Perserverance Co. mine and buildings at Silverbow Basin, August 1910

Geography
Map of the Gold Creek area showing the location of the Perseverance shaft (top right)

The Alaska-Gastineau Mine was located within the Silver Bow Basin. Its concentrating plant was situated near Thane.[4] The mine had a 2 miles (3.2 km) shaft running through Mount Roberts that reached the Perseverance Mine near Gold Creek.[5] It adjoined the Alaska-Juneau Mine.[6] The mine's low-grade ore is situated on a mountain above the Gastineau Channel. Its ore body covered approximately 2,000 acres (810 ha), more than 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, with 20 miles (32 km) of tunnels and crosscuts. According to Jackling, the block of ore had at least 100,000,000 tons above sea level.[6] The property consisted of a group of claims whose lode system covered 11,000 feet (3,400 m).[2] It was operated on a 6,000-ton daily capacity.[7]

History

The mine's large scale development began in 1912.[2] In 1913, while it was under construction, Emile Gastonguay was hired as the mine's chief electrician[8] by managing director, Daniel C. Jackling.[9] Bartlett L. Thane was the manager.[9] Becoming unprofitable, it was shut down in 1921.

Features

For a period of time preceding World War I, the Alaska-Gastineau Mine was the largest gold mine in the world.[3] Its mills were said to be the largest and most modern gold-crushing plant in the world.[6] For its time, the ore was handled more economically than in any other Northwest mine.[10] "The mill avoided chemical processing with cyanide (cyanidation) or mercury amalgamation circuits by smelting all the concentrate."[11]

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References
  1. Alaska. Mine Inspector; Smith, Sumner Stewart; United States. Dept. of the Interior (1914). Report of the Mine Inspector for the Territory of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior for the fiscal year ended ... G.P.O. pp. 16–. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers: Coal Division; Society of Mining Engineers of AIME (1920). Transactions. pp. 464, 467. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  3. "Barlett L. "Bart" Thane (1877-1927) Family Letters; 1911- 1915". consortiumlibrary.org. Archives & Special Collections Department, University of Alaska Anchorage & Alaska Pacific University. September 2007. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  4. Fire Underwriters' Association of the Pacific (1917). Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Fire Underwriters' Association of the Pacific. pp. 109–. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  5. The Milepost. Morris Communications. 1 January 2009. p. 701. ISBN 978-1-892154-26-2. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  6. Copper curb and mining outlook: the truth regarding mining and investments throughout the world. O.F. Jonassen & Co. 1916. pp. 5, 27, 29. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  7. United States. Dept. of the Interior (1918). Reports of the Department of the Interior. Gov. print. off. pp. 421–. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  8. "Alaska Historical Collections Gastonguay, Emile, 1886 - Emile Gastonguay Papers, 1911-1932". library.state.ak.us. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  9. Moderator-topics. Lansing, Mich. June 15, 1916. pp. 772–. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  10. Forty years on the Pacific; the lure of the great ocean, a book of reference for the traveler and pleasure for the stay-at-home. Oceanic Publishing Company. 1920. pp. 242–. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  11. Charles Caldwell Hawley (2014). A Kennecott Story. The University of Utah Press. p. 97.

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