Goldstream Creek

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Tin, Tungsten

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Mineral occurrence model information
Nearby scientific data
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10308829
MRDS ID	A015329
Record type	Site
Current site name	Goldstream Creek
Related records	10002851, 10160666

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-147.62595, 64.95467 (WGS84)
Relative position	More than 5 miles of Goldstream Creek has been mined by suface pits, drift mining, and dredging. The tailings that extend for as much as a mile across Goldstream valley are shown on current topographic maps. The coordinates for this site are located near Fox at about the center of the area that has been mined throughout the 1990's. Most mining has taken place on lower Goldstream Creek north of the mouths of Little Queenie and Calder Creeks in sections 1 and 2, T. 1 N., R. 1 W., Fairbanks Meridian.

Geographic coordinates:

-147.62595, 64.95467 (WGS84)

Relative position

More than 5 miles of Goldstream Creek has been mined by suface pits, drift mining, and dredging. The tailings that extend for as much as a mile across Goldstream valley are shown on current topographic maps. The coordinates for this site are located near Fox at about the center of the area that has been mined throughout the 1990's. Most mining has taken place on lower Goldstream Creek north of the mouths of Little Queenie and Calder Creeks in sections 1 and 2, T. 1 N., R. 1 W., Fairbanks Meridian.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fairbanks North Star(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Fairbanks D-2(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Big Delta NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Fairbanks(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country	State
United States	Alaska

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Tin Critical	Secondary
Tungsten Critical	Secondary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Cassiterite	Ore
Gold	Ore
Scheelite	Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	119
USGS model code	39a
Deposit model name	Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number	54

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-147.62595, 64.95467	ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

Geologic Description = Goldstream Creek is one of the most productive gold placers in the Fairbanks mining district. The creek has been mined almost continuously from the junction of Gilmore and Pedro Creeks to several miles below Fox, with dredging as much as a mile wide in places. Mining on the creek began in 1903 and is still active today. In 1913, productive ground averages 6 feet thick and 225 feet wide (Prindle and Katz, 1913). United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company Dredge no. 2 worked on Goldstream Creek from 1928 to 1942 and from 1947 to 1949. Dredge no. 8 was built in 1928 and 1929 on Goldstream Creek and worked there from 1929 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1947 (R.M. Chapman, USGS unpublished memorandum, 1978). Polar Mining Inc., the current operator, operates an open-pit placer mine year-round near Fox (May and Bundtzen, 1996).
Age = Quaternary placer.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Past Producer
Commodity type	Metallic

Comments on exploration

Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name	Fairbanks

Comments on the production information

Production Notes = Production from the Goldstream basin between 1903 and 1924 amounted to about $15,520,000 in gold (more than 750,000 ounces of gold) (Smith, 1926, p. 13). Information on the amount of gold produced in recent years is not available, but it is undoubtedly large, considering the many years of dredging and surface mining on Goldstream Creek since 1924.

Comments on the workings information

Workings / Exploration = Goldstream Creek is one of the most productive placer gold streams in the Fairbanks mining district. Mining on the creek began in 1903 and is still active today. In 1922, a total of 72 men were employed in mining operations on the creek, including a Bagley scraper plant and another pit being worked with a trolley excavator (Wimmler, 1922, p. 17). In 1924, principal workings consisted of five large Bagley scraper operations (Wimmler, 1924, p. 71). Development work in 1925 preparatory to dredging brought a close most of the Bagley scraper operations that had been so typical of placer mining on the creek (Wimmler, 1925, p. 53). This development work consisted of prospecting dredgeable ground by shaft sinking and drilling and ditch construction; summer employment ranged from 300 to 500 people (Wimmler, 1925 [ATDM MR 195-8, p. 54]). United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company (U.S.S.R. & M.) Dredge no. 2 worked on Goldstream Creek from 1928 to 1942 and from 1947 to 1949. Dredge no. 8 was built in 1928 and 1929 on Goldstream Creek and worked there from 1929 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1947 (R.M. Chapman, USGS unpublished memorandum, 1978). In 1940, U.S.S.R. & M. (F.E. Co.) began hydraulic stripping on the 1,290-acre parcel of patented claims that had once belonged to Alaska Gold; Goldstream Creek was diverted into a 4-mile-long ditch (May and Bundtzen, 1996). These stripping operations were halted by World War II and never restarted in the lower Goldstream valley (May and Bundtzen, 1996). Polar Mining Inc. (PMI) is the current operator and is running a year-round placer operation that has been active since 1987 when PMI acquired a lease from Alaska Gold Co. and began work on the Sheep Creek property (FB052). During 1991, PMI processed about 600,000 cubic yards during summer workings, and about 1.5 million pounds of explosives were used to blast frozen overburden during the winter months (Bundtzen and others, 1991, p. 32). In 1995, PMI moved 3,600,000 cubic yards and washed 505,000 cubic yards of pay gravel from its lower Goldstream Creek operation (Bundtzen and others, 1996, p. 28). The ore grade from this material was 0.00286 ounce of gold per ton (May and Bundtzen, 1996). In 1996, PMI moved its operation to a large placer gold deposit in lower Goldstream Creek near Fox (Bundtzen and others, 1996, p. 28).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID
USGS	Alaska Resource Data File	ARDF	FB085
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	A010718
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	A015329
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	D002645

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Prindle, L.M., 1905, The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 251, 89 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1907, The Alaskan mining industry in 1906: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314, p. 19-39.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1908, The mining industry in 1907: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345, 294 p.
Deposit

Prindle, L.M., 1908, The Fairbanks and Rampart quadrangles, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, with a section on the Rampart placers, by F.L. Hess, and a paper on the water supply of the Fairbanks region, by C.C. Covert: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 337, 102 p.
Deposit

Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1909, The Fairbanks gold-placer region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379, p. 181-200.
Deposit

Ellsworth, C.E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, 432 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1911, The Mount McKinley region, Alaska, with descriptions of the igneous rocks and of the Bonnifield and Kantishna districts by L.M. Prindle: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 70, 234 p.
Deposit

Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, 325 p.
Deposit

Ellsworth, C.E., 1912, Placer mining in the Fairbanks and Circle Disctricts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520, p. 240-245.
Deposit

Ellsworth, C.E., and Davenport, R.W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 303 p.
Deposit

Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L. M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, p. 340-341.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1915, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1914: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622, 238 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1916, Antimony deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 649, 67 p.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1917, The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 66 p.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1917, The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 153, 89 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p.
Deposit

Martin, G.C., 1919, Alaska Mining Industry in 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692, p. 11-42
Deposit

Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., and Martin, G. C. 1921, The Alaska mining industry in 1919: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714, p. 59-95.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1922, The Alaska mining industry in 1920: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 722-A, p. 1-74.
Deposit

Wimmler, N.L., 1922, Placer mining in Alaska in 1922: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-6, 77 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1923, The Alaska mining industry in 1921: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739, p. 1-50.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H. and Capps, S.R., 1924, Mineral industry in Alaska, 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 1-56.
Deposit

Capps, S.R., 1924, Geology and mineral resources of the region traversed by the Alaska Railroad: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755-C, p. 73-150.
Deposit

Wimmler, N.L., 1924, Placer mining in Alaska in 1924: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-7, 114 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1925, Alaska's mineral resources and production, 1923: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 773, p. 3-52.
Deposit

Wimmler, N.L., 1925, Placer mining in Alaska in 1925: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-8, 118 p.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1926, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1924: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 783-A, p. 1-39.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813, p. 1-72.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 842-A, p. 1-81.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.
Deposit

Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.
Deposit

Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.
Deposit

Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., Killeen, P. L., and others, 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in eastern interior Alaska, 1946: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 331, 36 p.
Deposit

Byers, F.M., Jr., 1957, Tungsten deposits in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1024-I, p. 179-216.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.
Deposit

Mulligan, J.J., 1974, Mineral resources of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline corridor: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8626, 24 p.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p.
Deposit

Orris, G.J., and Bliss, J.D., 1985, Geologic and grade volume data on 330 gold placer deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 85-0213, 173 p.
Deposit

May, D., and Bundtzen, T.K., 1996, Placer mine tour, Little Eldorado Group and Polar Mining Inc. operations, Fairbanks mining district, in brochure for 15th Biennial Conference of Alaska Mining, Fairbanks, Alaska, 12 p.
Deposit

Prindle, L.M., 1906, Yukon placer fields: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 109-127.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810, p. 1-64.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1930, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1933, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1933, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1934, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1939, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1939, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.
Deposit

Smith, S. S., 1917, The mining industry in the Territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 66 p.
Deposit

Smith, S. S., 1917, The mining industry in the Territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 153, 89 p
Deposit

Bundtzen, T. K., Swainbank, R. C., Wood, J. E., and Clough, A. H., 1991, Alaska's mineral industry 1991: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 46, 89 p.
Deposit

Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 357-362.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1975, Mineral resources of Alaska, in Yount, M.E., ed., U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Program, 1975: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 722, p. 37.
Deposit

Moffit, F.H., 1927, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1925: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 792-A, p. 1-39.

Comments on the references

Primary Reference = Cobb, 1976 (OFR 76-662)

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	31-JUL-2001	J.R. Guidetti Schaefer and C.J. Freeman	Avalon Development Corporation

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.

Goldstream Creek

Geologic information

Identification information

Geographic coordinates

Site location context

Geographic areas

Commodities

Materials information

Mineral occurrence model information

Nearby scientific data

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Comments on exploration

Mining district

Comments on the production information

Comments on the workings information

Reference information

Links to other databases

Bibliographic references

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