Gold Mining

Gold Mining. Sea and Sky: Juneau's Links to the World. Although most materials needed by the historic mining industry came in downtown, one important commodity was off-loaded at the Dupont Dock, about 5 miles south of town. Dynamite was considered too much of a threat to deliver to the town's commercial core and its populace., Industrial materials for-the big hard-rock mines and scores of smaller ones crossed the waterfront docks. Gold worth millions of dollars went out., At the time the town was founded, Gastineau Channel was bordered by broad mud flats with only a narrow strip of flat land against the mountainside. Juneau's shoreline was permanently changed by waste rock and tailings from the Alaska Juneau mill., Mining operations produced large amounts of crushed rock. At first, it was dumped offshore, towed to deep water on specially built barges that were self-dumping and self-righting. At the designated location, a plug was pulled from the barge. With the tow vessel standing by, the barge took on water, overturned and dumped its load. The plug was then reinserted and the barge brought back for another load with the former top-side turned down. Later more land was created by filling the tide flats to create the waterfront we have today., Captions , (Left) A reversible barge for dumping waste rock. (Photos: Juneau-Douglas City Museum Collection) , (Right) Above, the Alaska Juneau Mining operation. Left, stock certificates for the A-J and the Alaska Mexican Gold Mining Co. on Douglas. Right, stock certificate emblem. (Photo, Winter and Pond Collections Alaska State Library-PCA 87-517. Certificates and emblem, Last Chance Mining Museum Collection)