Downtown in Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Lode Mining Capital of the World
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
1. Lode Mining Capital of the World Marker
Originally, all gold was deposited within a lode or vein in the rock. Over time, these lodes eroded, resulting in loose placer gold.
A Lasting Legacy
The mines provided employment, as well as electrical power and fire protection, for Juneau from 1880 to 1944. Even today, Juneau owes part of its hydroelectric power grid, water and trail systems to the miners who settled in Lingνt Aanν (Tlingit land).
Placer Mining
At first, miners used sluices to separate placer gold from the sand and gravel in the bottom of stream beds in Silver Bow and Last Chance Basins. Within a dozen years, the gold in creeks and hillsides was gone and underground lode mining, also called hard rock mining, began.
Underground Lode Mining
Alaska Juneau Company Gold Mining (AJ) was founded in 1897 for the sole purpose of lode mining. By 1933, it was one of the world's largest gold mines. After producing $80 million in gold, the mine closed in 1944.
By 1933, AJ Mining Company was one of the world's largest gold mines.
[Photo captions, top to bottom, read]
AJ Mining Co., about 1920. The steam power plant seen in the foreground still stands. Visit Last Chance Mining Museum located in AJ's historic compressor building.
Gastineau Gold Mining Co. from across the Gastineau Channel at the town of Thane with the steamship Alameda, 1915.
Underground lode mining in a Treadwell mine, 1908. The process was called drill, blast and muck; miners first drilled holes in the rock with a large jack leg rotary drill, and then packed it with explosives. After the blast, they mucked out the ore and sent it to the mill.
Erected by Concerned Organizations and Goverments.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 58° 17.962′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Inside Passage, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hard Rock Miners (within shouting distance of this marker); Archie Van Winkle (within shouting distance of this marker); L'eeneidν Kootιeyaa (within shouting distance of this marker); Alaska Airlines (within shouting distance of this marker); Juneau Remembers: (within shouting distance of this marker); Local Airlines (within shouting distance of this
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
2. Lode Mining Capital of the World Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 4, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 296 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 4, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
