The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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Explore the chilling stories of infamous criminals who preyed the mining frontiers of Alaska and Canada at the turn of the 21st century. As the nights grow longer and the chill of October creeps in, we gather around the flickering glow of campfires, drawn to glimmering tales of the Gold Rush and a darkness drawn by the riches pulled from northern streams and golden beaches. The Far North, with its untouched wilderness and promise of wealth, drew all sorts: brave souls seeking...
Alaska Miners Association celebrates 85 years of service, advocating for growth and sustainability in Alaska's mining industry. As the Alaska Miners Association celebrates its 85th anniversary, the organization's vital role in advancing the state's mining industry comes into sharp focus. Founded in 1939 at the onset of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the AMA was similarly established to advocate for fair labor practices and safe mineral development in the Last Frontier. Over...
Plucky prospectors, with a dash of spite, set out to prove the wealth of Alaska; despite expert opinions none existed at all. Nestled on Alaska's Prince of Wales Island, the Ross-Adams uranium mine tells a tale steeped in Cold War ambitions. Discovered in the 1950s and shuttered quietly by the 1970s, this historic site is one of many that perhaps invites a reexamination in the context of today's search for sustainable energy sources and offers a glimpse into America's...
Embark on a journey through Radium Point, a pioneering uranium mine that shaped the history of NWT and perhaps the entire world. With the recent ban on Russian uranium imports, the United States has initiated a countdown on the pressing need to diversify its sources for this crucial clean energy metal. While the nation currently enjoys a three-year supply buffer before potential challenges arise in securing its uranium supply, revisiting the legacy of Radium Point – a h...
Starting off on rocky footing, the relationship between Yukon and Alaska is more than just accommodating northern neighbors. Today, it is widely known that the 141st meridian west serves as the international border between Alaska and Canada, but it was not always this way. While the Yukon and Alaska share a mutual respect for shared realities of Arctic living, when the Klondike Gold Rush hit, it became evident that demarcation between countries would need to be put in to quell...
Undertake an adventure through the riveting tale of Nellie Cashman, perhaps one of the most inspiring women of the 18th century. Perhaps no other individual could be regarded as true an American pioneer as Irish immigrant Ellen "Nellie" Cashman. Easily regarded as a quintessential gold mining stampeder with her acumen in business and the nose to sniff out opportunity, she traveled the width and breadth of America, leaving success and hope in her wake. Known as the Angel of...
Discovering Alaska's hidden wealth, the journey of Indigenous explorers in the land of platinum, Goodnews Bay Mining District. In the heart of Alaska's wilderness, two Alaska Native men stamped their names in state history with the discovery of the largest platinum deposit ever found in the Last Frontier. Both born into Yup'ik heritage, the journey of Walter Smith and Henry Wuya begins with early prospecting as little more than teenagers, to the landmark 1926 discovery on the...
In the annals of outlaw lore, a figure less infamous but no less intriguing than other notorious ne'er-do-wells left his mark on the world. Amidst the Klondike Gold Rush, a time speckled with countless renegades and hustlers, a man by the name of Soapy Smith remains a local enigma around his various stomping grounds, his notoriety now persisting as a fanciful tale of the Wild West. There were many dangers faced by people flooding the American West in the late 19th century....
A murderous plan was set in motion at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1899. Read about the pre-meditated killings that were as cold as Christmas Day in the Yukon and the brilliant detective work that brought the killers to justice in Gord Allison's four-part series on The Christmas Day Murders at Yukon History Trails....
Navigating the tumultuous waters of controversy and impassioned discourse, let us take a step back and embark on a journey through the history of an Alaska copper project that has proven to be as divisive as it is essential. Perhaps by exploring the compelling narrative of the Pebble Mine project, where the pursuit of precious resources indispensable for a zero-carbon future intersects with the call for environmental stewardship to safeguard heritage and a very way of life,...
Like many other northern regions, Canada's North was settled because of its mineral resources. When the Canadian Dominion Government first purchased its arctic regions from the British Crown in the late 1800s, the Northwest Territories was seen as a vast stretch of cold, inhospitable land and was thus largely ignored at the time. However, due to the Klondike Gold Rush, the future of these northern lands would change forever. These days, a new rush has arisen, a white gold...
In the days before Fairbanks' rise to prominence as the economic and transportation hub of Interior Alaska, a small trade camp about five miles downriver was already attracting all the attention. The town, dubbed "Chena," served as the port and resupply point for the multitudes of stampeders traveling up the Yukon and Tanana Rivers in search of riches in Alaska's gold-rich streams. As the fervor of the Klondike Gold Rush began to cool, news spread of gold being discovered on...
Start with the biggest deposit of gold ever reported, add in a dash of remote, inaccessible jungles of Indonesia, and let simmer for almost a decade, and you have a recipe for the largest mining-related scandal in modern history, resulting in the system of standardization regarding mineral reporting for the last twenty years and ideally for many more years to come. It is easy to forget that the systems by which mining companies in Canada report and display information...
The magnitude of metals' role in humanity is made evident through the names of its ages – Stone, Bronze, and Iron – before the loftier eras that sought more esoteric meaning to life than mere survival. Yet, somewhat contrary to the ages of reason and learning, metal was still prevalent in maintaining the status quo for Mankind, and in perhaps the greatest of ironies, the method to test, extract, and refine metal came from the most primitive of gifts from the time earliest man...
"What is the impact of not mining in Alaska?" Liz Cornejo, vice president Dowa Metals & Mining Alaska, asked during the 2022 Alaska's Minerals: A Strategic National Imperative summit. For such a simple question, the implications are enormous. Alaska is practically synonymous with mining. Aside from the strong tourist appeal – which accounts for a large portion of the state's economy – the remaining economic contributors all come from natural resources. Fishing, mining, oil...
Unlike the European prospectors seeking the gold, silver, copper, and the New World's wealth of other metals, oftentimes First Nations, Native Americans, and Indigenous peoples throughout North America sought a different rock that was precious to their very survival, obsidian. From as far north as the Gates of the Arctic national park to as far south as the Gulf of California, and even eastward and at the bottom of the Great Lakes, this microscopically sharp volcanic rock has...
Whether you are involved in the mining industry or not, lifelong Alaskans, at some point or another, have most likely heard the name Usibelli. Perhaps, however, many Alaskans may not be aware that behind the Usibelli Coal Mine is the Usibelli family – owners and operators of the largest coal mine in Alaska. Yet before a titan of Alaskan industry was born, generations of sweat, elbow grease, and raw determination was needed before the name Usibelli would be known. Built from f...
May 10, 2022, celebrates the ninth annual Alaska Mining Day. Established in 2013, Alaska Mining Day was created through legislation sponsored by Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, "to recognize and honor the intrepid individuals and industry that played an enormous role in settling and developing the territory and the state that continue to contribute to the economy of the state." Why May 10? On this day in 1872, the General Mining Act of the United States was approved – w...
Seeking asylum from the persecution of the Klu Klux Klan, Peter Risby fled north to Canada with his family. In so doing, his upbringing would be one of adventure and survival in the harsh arctic lands of the Far North. There, he would be welcomed by the local Indigenes and become a bridge between the First Nations Cree people and the ever-encroaching westernization of European settling. Risby's true pioneering spirit, contributions to mining and exploration in Canada, as well...
On March 18, 2022, Alaska's mining community lost Bill Ellis, a close friend and geologist that was universally loved for his kind spirit and optimism, traits that will live on as a legacy as solid as the Alaska rocks he explored for the better part of half a century. All of us at North of 60 Mining News were blessed to get to know Bill and wish to send our love and condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. In honor of Bill's memory, we would like to republish "Bill...
Spread across the Tanana Valley foothills, accessible by road, rail, and air, Fairbanks is called Alaska's Golden Heart City for a reason. Laying claim to a colorful history, the city at the center of the Last Frontier has its roots dug deep from the many mining discoveries throughout the century within the simply named Fairbanks Mining District. Although early exploration had Russian traders in and around the Tanana region, it would not be until 1885 when Henry Tureman...
With such incredible technologies at mankind's disposal today, it is easily forgotten the ingenuity and sheer gumption that our predecessors brought to solving some of the more rigorous and demanding jobs that construed early development. The ever-present wheel, hand tools, weaponry, and beyond, the plethora of devices humanity has created, only expanded into breathtaking and mind-numbing concepts our forebearers could never fathom. Areas such as animal husbandry, agriculture,...
