The United States' northernmost state of Alaska has a rich and prominent mining history that is impossible ignore. In fact, the mining industry is to thank for the city of Juneau being Alaska's capital. The nearby gold deposits at AJ and Treadwell mines show just how fertile Alaska's land is for precious metals. Just about every type of mining operation under the sun can be found in the mighty Last Frontier.
From gold, to silver, zinc, copper and coal, the mining industry in Alaska has employed hundreds of thousands of hardworking people and has produced hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Even up until this very date, the mining industry continues to be a major player in the economic pool. However, these 17 very rare photos will show you a side of Alaska's mining history you've never seen before. Get ready to be blown away!
1. The Nome Dredge pictured just 24 years ago in 1993.
2. The downtown streets of Fairbanks were lively as can be in 1955 when the Gold Rush was hot and heavy.
3. Remnants left over from Bremner Mining Camp's Mechanic/Blacksmith's Shop in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
This special place is listed today on the National Register of Historic Places.
4. Here are even more rare artifacts and bunkers from Bremner Mining Camp.
5. Fure's Mining Cabin from the early 1900's in the Naknek area.
Fure was born in 1885 in Lithuania, and came to Alaska in the early 1900s seeking his fortune in the mining industry. He supplemented his income though hunting and trapping, but spent the majority of his time searching for precious metals in an effort to 'make it big'.
6. The town of Hope on the Kenai Peninsula was established in 1896 and a base camp was set up near the shores of Resurrection Creek.
Only a handful of families navigated to this isolated town to seek fortune in the mining industry.
7. Rolling hills along Bonanza Creek near Chisana were the location of extensive gold mining operations in the early part of the twentieth century.
8. A group of people from the Klondike Gold Rush load up and head to Nome down the Yukon River on September 22, 1899.
9. A group of hopeful mining working scattered in tents on the beach in August of 1898 just before gold was discovered on Anvil Creek.
10. An aerial view of Nome looking northwest from the year 1900 shows just how many flocked to find fortune.
11. Then just a few years later in 1903, you'll see that many more hard sided structures were built to accommodate mining workers.
12. In 1914, dog sleds brought boat passengers ashore in Nome.
13. An Alaska native stands proudly in front of Samuelson's Roadhouse and Store in the village of Richardson.
The village of Richardson was located on the Tanana River, approximately 18 miles northwest of Big Delta, on the Valdez-Fairbanks summer trail (a predecessor of the Richardson Highway).
14. Placer mine near Alaska's 'Golden Heart City' of Fairbanks shows ore falling from apron into the sluice-box.
This was a preliminary step to washing out the materials.
15. The roadhouse at Cape Nome was merely just a soft sided yurt in 1901.
16. A rare image that captures the large scale mining operation at Anvil Creek in Nome from 1903.
Lots of moving pieces to such a mighty operation. It's incredible to see how much the enforcement of safety precautions has changed over the years.
17. This historic mining cabin at Rex Beach in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of Rampart, Alaska is said to still partially stand today.
If you enjoyed seeing those, you'll like these 15 very rare photos taken during WWII in Alaska.
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