Crow Creek drains an area underlain by rocks of the Valdez Group of Late Cretaceous age intruded by felsic dikes (Nelson and others, 1985). Placer gold occurs in four types of gravels on Crow Creek: high bench gravels, recent stream deposits, glacial gravels, and avalanche debris. The bench and recent stream deposits are the highest in grade and have historically produced most of the gold. The glacial and avalanche debris deposits are of low grade but may locally contain a significant concentration of gold. The highest grades appear to be associated with old channels in high benches, which likely consist of gravels deposited prior to the most recent glacial advance (Jansons and others, 1984).

Historically, mining on Crow Creek has been concentrated in two areas: (1) the lower part of the creek, extending from its junction with Glacier Creek to a point about 2 miles upstream, and (2) the upper basin (Anchorage quadrangle), which is covered by a group of patented claims known as the Girdwood property (U.S. Mineral Survey No. 753). Most of the production came from the lower part of the creek, primarily from a feature known as the (so-called) big cut that was created by hydraulic mining. The big cut is 1,800 feet long, 600 feet wide, and has a maximum depth of 230 feet (Johnson, 1912).

Prior to 1903, most of the mining on Crow Creek was done by pick and shovel on the most easily accessed gold-bearing gravels, but hydraulicking subsequently became the dominant mining method. In 1915, four hydraulic giants were working the Crow Creek mine (Capps, 1916). Mining was more or less continuous until 1938, when hydraulic mining ceased because the amount of gold recovered no longer supported the mining activity.

A mineral patent examination (U.S. Mineral Survey No. 748) was done by R. Shirley, U.S. Forest Service, in 1965. Shirley's conclusion was that the property was essentially mined out and contained insufficient reserves to support any successful mining operation.