Latitude: 64°49'58"N
Longitude: 147°59'56"W
Location: The mining at the Cripple Creek mine covered about one square mile beneath and south-southeast of the town of Ester. The coordinates are the center of this dredge pond near the section line between sections 8 and 17, T. 1 S., R. 2 W., Fairbanks Meridian. The mine is locality 45 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]).
Geology: Boswell (1979) described the Cripple Creek pay channel as an ancient channel of Ester Creek (FB034) which branched from the present course of Ester Creek roughtly opposite the mouth of Ready Bullion Creek. The auriferous gravels at Cripple Creek are very deep; they are overlain by several hundred feet of barren gravel and reworked loess or so-called muck that washed into valley from the surrounding hillsides. Beds of clay several feet thick were found at various elevations. Subsequent to deposition of the gravels there had been considerable faulting and tilting that has resulted in grades of 5 to 8 percent on the surface of the gravel as well as the bedrock The gravels vary in thickness from 60 to 167 feet; these are overlain by muck that varied in thickness from 100 to 187 feet. There was almost certainly deep, early drift mining on Cripple Creek in the early days of mining in the Fairbanks district but it was probably attributed to Ester Creek mine (FB034) or simply Ester. In the 1930, United States Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company (U.S.S.R.&M) consolidated most of the property in Ester and Cripple Creeks, and this was one of the major centers of placer mining in the Ester area until the dredges stopped mining in the late 1960's. U.S.S.R.&M. began extensive churn drilling on the Cripple Creek pay channel in 1933; they began stripping muck in May 1935 and barren gravel in September 1939. Dredge no. 10 started digging in August 1940 and, except for a closure during World War II, it continued on working Cripple Creek until 1964. It was the last dredge U.S.S.R.& M. operated in the Fairbanks area and remains in its pond south of Ester.
Workings: There was almost certainly deep drift mining on Cripple Creek in the early days of mining in the Fairbanks district, but it was probably attributed to Ester Creek mine (FB034) or simply Ester. In the 1930's, United States Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company (U.S.S.R.& M) consolidated most of the property in Ester and Cripple Creeks, and this was one of the major centers of placer mining in the Ester area until the dredges stopped mining in the late 1960's. U.S.S.R.&M. began extensive churn drilling on the Cripple Creek pay channel in 1933; they began stripping muck in May 1935 and barren gravel in September 1939. Dredge no. 10 started digging in August 1940 and, except for a closure during World War II, it continued on working Cripple Creek until 1964. It was the last dredge U.S.S.R.& M. operated in the Fairbanks area and remains in its pond south of Ester. Boswell (1979) provided considerable detail on dredging operations on Cripple Creek specifically.
Age: Quaternary placer.
Production: There is no record of the amount of gold produced by dredging on Cripple Creek but it was undoubtedly large. Dredge no. 10 was a large, modern dredge when it was constructed, and it operated every year from 1940 to 1964, except for two years during World War II.
Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Sn
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
References
Boswell, J.C., 1979, History of Alaskan operations of United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company: Mineral Industry Research Laboratory, University of Alaska, 126 p. Brooks, A.H., 1907, The Alaskan mining industry in 1906: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314-A, p. 19-39. Brooks, A.H., 1908, The mining industry in 1907: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345-A, p. 30-53. Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 357-362. Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p. Ellsworth, C.E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-F, p. 230-245. Ellsworth, C.E., 1912, Placer mining in the Fairbanks and Circle Disctricts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520-H, p. 240-245. Ellsworth, C.E., and Davenport, R.W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542-F, p. 203-222. Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p. Prindle, L.M., 1908, The Fairbanks and Rampart quadrangles, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, with a section on the Rampart placers, by F.L. Hess, and a paper on the water supply of the Fairbanks region, by C.C. Covert: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 337, 102 p. Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152. 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.
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