Valdez in Chugach Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

2100 Pounds of Gold Abandoned on Thompson Pass

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 29, 2026

1. 2100 Pounds of Gold Abandoned on Thompson Pass Marker

Inscription.
The south side of Thompson Pass was the steepest part of the military trail across the mountains. Savage snowstorms could make travel through the pass difficult and dangerous. On two occasions freighters left gold unattended while they sought emergency shelter.
No Easy PassIn 1899, the U.S. Army blazed a pack trail over Thompson Pass as part of the Trans-Alaska Military Road. The seven mile ascent on the south side of the pass was particularly hard. Stampeders and freight haulers had to make numerous trips, carrying small loads up the steep trail. In summer they carried outfits on their backs or packhorses. In winter they used hand pulled or horse drawn sleds.

Winter Makes it WorseDeep, loose snow could make travel over the pass treacherous. Thompson Pass is infamous for snowfalls that can measure 5 feet in one day and 81 feet in a year. The pass is above tree line and has no shelter. Some travelers suffered frostbitten fingers and toes. Several lives were lost crossing the pass.

Safer than the BankIn December 1905, a sudden storm caught the V.T. Freighting Company in Thompson Pass. The crew sought refuge at a roadhouse several

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miles away. They left 2,100 pounds of gold valued at $508,000 ($12,768,000 in 1998 dollars) in the pass. The next day they retrieved it untouched. The following November, another storm caught Theodore Kitterson and Percy Charles in the pass. The storm forced them to abandon their load of several thousand pounds of gold and retreat to Wortman’s Roadhouse. The “gold was safer,” Kitterson recalled, “covered with snow on the trail than it would be anywhere else.” A significant historical month for this entry is December 1905.

Location. 61° 10.029′ N, 145° 42.846′ W. Marker is in Valdez in Chugach Census Area, Alaska. It can be reached from Worthington Glacier Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is at the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 28.7 Richardson Hwy, Valdez AK 99686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southcentral Alaska.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically,

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 29, 2026

2. 2100 Pounds of Gold Abandoned on Thompson Pass Marker

it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Worthington Glacier (here, next to this marker); Ice Creatures?! (a few steps from this marker); Cracked Ice (within shouting distance of this marker); Worthington Glacier Through Time (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Where to Find a Glacier (about 400 feet away); Gold Rush Pioneer Trail: The Richardson Highway, Oldest Highway in Alaska (approx. 5.2 miles away); Horse and Sled Trail (approx. 8.3 miles away); Old Railroad Tunnel (approx. 8.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Valdez.

More about this marker. Three photographs on the marker show different parties on the Thompson Pass in deep snow.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.