The True North gold mine is a structurally controlled, disseminated gold deposit on the northwest flank of Pedro Dome (Masterman, 1998). Gold was recognized on the property as early as 1913, but early production was limited to stibnite ore from the Hindenburg/Markovich Mine (ARDF site LG054), which became part of the True North Mine.

The mineralization at True North consists of thin quartz-carbonate veins, often with stibnite, in a heterogeneous, high-grade metamorphic package of calcareous eclogite, carbonaceous schist and quartzite (Swainbank and others, 1998). Gold occurs in a northeast-trending zone, 2,500 feet wide and 5.000 feet long, west of the northeast-trending Eldorado Fault. Gold-bearing ore bodies are typically 20 to 60 feet thick in gently dipping shear zones and along faulted lithologic contacts (Masterman, 1998). Alteration is characterized by quartz, manganese-oxides, ankerite, mariposite, sericite, and carbon. The gold grade averages 0.05 to 0.10 ounce of gold per ton (Masterman, 1998). The mineralization is probably 90 Ma, the same age of many deposits in the vicinity.

Exploration activities at the True North from 1991 to 1997 consisted of 9,832 top-of-bedrock soil samples, 15,621 feet of trenching, 40,133 feet of core drilling, and 153,914 feet of reverse-circulation drilling (Masterman, 1998). Soils were auger sampled in 1998 (Szumigala and Swainbank, 1999, p. 10).

In 1999, Kinross Gold Corporation acquired the True North property (Quandt and others, 2008). By 2008, the prospect consisted of a large block of State of Alaska claims that Kinross Gold Corporation had leased from several private individuals. Open-pit mining began at True North in April, 2001, and the mine eventually consisted of several large open pits spread over an area about 2 kilometers in diameter; the ore was trucked to the Fort Knox mill (FB115). In 2004, mining was suspended. From 2001 to 2004, the True North Mine had shipped 11,026,722 tons of ore to the mill. By 2009, permits had been submitted to close the mine, all the mine buildings had been removed, and revegetation of the mine workings had begun.

The following history of exploration is based on an abstract presented by Steve Masterman, Newmont Exploration Limited, at the 1998 Alaska Miners Association Meeting. In 1990, Dick Swainbank brought the property to the attention of AMAX Gold, Inc. (AGI). AGI acquired the claims and conducted soil sampling, trenching, and 6,332 feet of reverse-circulation (RC) drilling. In 1994, after drilling 14 more RC holes under an exploration agreement, LaTeko acquired the property from AGI. During the summer of 1994, LaTeko expanded the soil grid, excavated additional trenches, drilled 52,000 feet of RC and 2,040 feet of HQ core. In 1995, Newmont Exploration Ltd. began exploration on the property,after entering into a joint venture with LaTeko. Exploration activities on the True North property from 1991 to 1997 consisted of 9,832 top-of-bedrock soil samples, 15,621 feet of trenching, 40,133 feet of core drilling, and 153,914 feet of RC drilling (Masterman, 1998). In 1998, most exploration work consisted of soil sampling by auger (Szumigala and Swainbank, 1999, p. 10).

In 1999, Kinross Gold Corporation acquired the True North property (Quandt and others, 2008). By 2008, it consisted of a large block of State of Alaska claims that Kinross Gold Corporation had leased from several private individuals. Mining began at True North in April, 2001 and the ore was trucked to the Fort Knox mill (FB115). Mining was suspended in 2004.

From 2001 to 2004, the last year of production, the True North Mine had shipped 11,026,772 tons of ore to the mill.