Lower Sweepstakes Creek (ARDF #CA005) Au

Lower Sweepstakes Creek

Mine, Inactive

Alternative names

Eagle, Circle, Rampart and Fairbanks claims
A. Johnson
Moon
W. Porter
J. Winder

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities	Au
Other commodities	Pt; Th; U
Ore minerals	gold; platinum; pyrite; uranothorianite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale	CA
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale	B-5
Latitude	65.34
Longitude	-161.31
Nearby scientific data	Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy	The lower Sweepstakes Creek placer mine is along Sweepstakes Creek at Bear Gulch, an eastward-flowing, informally named tributary which drains Bear Mountain. The mine is in section 3, T. 2 S., R. 13 W., of the Kateel River Meridian. At various times, the claims at this site also have been referred to as Eagle, Circle, Rampart, and Fairbanks; A. Johnson; Moon; W. Porter; and J. Winder. Cobb, 1972 (MF-389), location 41.

Geologic setting

Geologic description Placer mining at this site was mainly in low bench deposits along the east side of Sweepstakes Creek. On these benches 2 to 6 feet of muck overlies 3 to 6 feet of gravel. Gravels in the creek bed are 6 to 14 feet deep. On lower claims depth to bedrock is 15 feet. Partially decomposed bedrock was excavated during mining to a depth of a few inches. Mining was mainly for gold, but a little platinum was recovered near the mouth of Bear Gulch. Sweepstakes Creek drains the southwestern part of the Cretaceous Granite Mountain monzonite pluton. Samples of concentrates or syenite-rich stream gravels contained chrome spinel, garnet, hematite, hydrothorianite, ilmenite, magnetite, uranothorianite, and zircon (Gault and others, 1953).
Geologic map unit	(-161.312631587862, 65.3393223865032)
Mineral deposit model	Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Mineral deposit model number	39a
Age of mineralization	Quaternary.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration	Small-scale gold placer mining took place at this site from the 1900s until the 1950s. Some activity was reported in the area in 1989-1991 (Bundtzen and others, 1990; Bundtzen and others, 1992). In 1947 the U.S. Geological Survey sampled the placer to evaluate its radioactive mineral potential.
Indication of production	Yes; small
Production notes	Gold worth $10,000 and an ounce of platinum reportedly were mined in 1917 (gold at $20.67/ounce) (Harrington, 1919). On Moon's claims 9 and 10, a placered area of 1,500 square feet consisted of 6 feet of gravel overlain by 6 feet of tundra. The paystreak was in a half-foot of gravel and 1 foot of bedrock. Moon recovered 9 ounces of gold at $28.50 per ounce (Gault and others, 1953).
Additional comments Stream gradient approximately 50 feet per mile.

References

MRDS Number	A015725; M045361
References Anderson, Eskil, 1947, Mineral occurrences other than gold deposits in northwestern Alaska: Alaska Territorial Division of Mines Pamphlet 5-R, 48 p. Brooks, A.H., 1913, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1912: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 308 p. Brooks, A.H., 1921, The future of Alaska mining, in Martin, G.C., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-A, p. 5-57. Brooks, A.H., 1923, The Alaska mining industry in 1921: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739-A, p. 1-50. Brooks, A.H., and Martin, G. C., 1921, The Alaska mining industry in 1919: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-A, p. 59-95. Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Wood, J.E., Clough, A.H., 1991 (1992), Alaska's Mineral Industry 1991: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 46, 89 p. Cass, J.T., 1959, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Candle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-287, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cathcart, S.H., 1920, Mining in northwestern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-G, p. 185-198. Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Candle Quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-389, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p. Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Candle, Holy Cross, Norton Bay, Nulato, and Unalakleet quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-866, 102 p. Eakin, H.M., 1915, Placer mining in Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622-I, p. 366-373. Gault, H.R., Killeen, P.L., West, W.S., and others, 1953, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in the northeastern part of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 1945-47 and 1951: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 250, 31 p. Harrington, G.L., 1919, The gold and platinum placers of the Kiwalik-Koyuk region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-G, p. 369-400. Harrington, G.L., 1921, Mining on Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-F, p. 229-237. Martin, G.C., 1919, Alaska Mining Industry in 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-A, p. 11-42. Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1923, The occurrence of metalliferous deposits in the Yukon and Kuskokwim regions: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739-D, p. 149-165. Smith, P.S., 1926, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1924: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 783-A, p. 1-30. Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926 and Administrative Report: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797-A, p. 1-50. Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927 and Administrative Report: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64. Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72. Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81. Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83. Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81. Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91. Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94. Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91. Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95. Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107. Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113. Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113. Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106. Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102. Wedow, Helmuth, White, M. G., and Moxham, R. M., 1952, Interim report on an appraisal of the uranium possibilities of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 52-165, 124 p.
Reporters	Anita Williams (Anchorage, AK)
Last report date	1/12/2000