The Silver Bow Basin , often written as Silverbow Basin , is a valley located 2.4 miles (3.9 km) northeast of Juneau, Alaska , USA. It is situated on Gold Creek in an area north of Icy Gulch, and approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Gastineau Peak . A trail from Juneau leads directly to the mountainside. The basin was the site of the earliest gold discovery in the Juneau area, leading to the establishment of the town called Juneau.
16-526: There are opposing theories as to who named the basin. One version states that it was named by Richard Harris after the mine in Silver Bow, Montana . Another theory is that it was named by a party of Montana miners in honor of their last camp in Montana. Placer was found in the basin's Gold Creek in 1880 by Richard Harris and Joe Juneau . This gold discovery led to the creation of the town called Juneau. Over
32-498: Is filled with gravels from several creeks including Gold, Icy, Lurvey, Nugget, as well as Quartz Gulches. The basin ores are principally gold with small amounts of silver, zinc, or lead. Granite rocks are located in the northwestern part of the basin. Silver Bow Basin is approximately 3,000 feet (910 m) long and 1,000 feet (300 m) wide, at an altitude of 1,250 feet (380 m). Richard Harris (prospector) Richard Tighe Harris (October 31, 1833 – October 11, 1907)
48-416: Is now the site of the city's Federal Building) to Silver Bow Basin . Today, a creek on Douglas Island is named Kowee Creek . After the discovery of gold in the area, Harris and Juneau carried approximately 1,000 pounds of gold ore back to Sitka. The settlement founded by Juneau and Harris was originally called Harrisburg or Harrisburgh, and later Rockwell. Miners often used both names in their records. There
64-446: The moraines , excavated the depression that forms the basin. Subsequently, it was occupied by a lake that was separated from the lower portions of the creek by a solid rock divide. Lurvey Creek forks into North Lurvey Creek and East Lurvey Creek above the basin. The basin's lake beds are auriferous. Although the creek was filled with ice, there are patches near the basin which were not subjected to glaciation . The postglacial lake basin
80-620: The Juneau area. There, Kowee took them beyond Gold Creek (which today flows beside the Hurff Ackerman Saunders Federal Building and Robert Boochever U.S. Courthouse ) to Silver Bow Basin . Today, a creek on Douglas Island is named Kowee Creek . After the discovery of gold in Juneau , Harris and Juneau loaded approximately 1,000 pounds of gold ore back to Sitka . The town did not take its current name immediately; originally, it
96-757: The Silver-Bow Basin Mining Company, of Boston, while the Eastern Alaska Mining and Milling Company's mill was at the extreme end of the basin. In 1890, the Silver Bow Basin Mining Company properties were transferred to the Nowell Gold Mining Company, which worked the placer deposits until 1902. In 1897, the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining Company incorporated and it purchased over two dozen claims in
112-455: The basin between the Perseverance and Ebner mines in order to lode mine their low grade gold ore. The Lervey Basin placer claim was opened in 1899 a mile above Silver Bow Basin. In 1915, it was reported that a 2 miles (3.2 km) tunnel was being driven through the ridge between Sheep Creek and Silver Bow Basin, to connect with a crosscut from the shaft on the thirteenth level. The purpose of
128-534: The basin, but because of climatic conditions, it was impossible to carry on milling operations in the basin itself for more than five or six mouths during the year. The largest of the mines was the Perseverance . The Fuller First Mine was the first quartz location in the basin. In 1890, Archie Campbell installed a revolving Dodge mill on the Fuller First. Over fifty placer claims on the basin's level floor were owned by
144-442: The next nine years, sluicing operations recovered thousands of ounces of gold. Sitka engineer George E. Pilz is closely connected to development in the basin, as well as having grubstaked the prospectors Harris and Juneau. By the end of the decade, large scale hydraulic mining was in operation. The mines were reached by a 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wagon road that zig-zagged across the hill. Both quartz and placer mines operated in
160-401: The political capital of Alaska since 1906. His Native American guide in southeastern Alaska was Chief Kowee. Kowee is credited with discovering much of the Juneau area. Richard and Joe were sent with Kowee by George Pilz, an entrepreneur from Sitka . Harris and Juneau traded with the natives much of their grubstake for hoochinoo . When they returned to Pilz empty-handed, he sent them back to
176-705: The tunnel was to transport mined ore to the mills on the Gastineau Channel . Total production estimates exceed 50,000 ounces (1,400,000 g) of gold. A parish of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary , mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau , was created in 1885 for the growing mining community. A glacier, which formerly extended to the mouth of Gold Creek and built up
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#1732858749452192-402: Was Chief Kowee , who is credited with exploring much of the area later named for Juneau. Harris and Juneau were sent with Kowee by George Pilz , an entrepreneur and mining engineer from Sitka . After trading much of their grubstake for hoochinoo , or homebrew, they returned to Pilz empty-handed but were promptly sent back to the Juneau area. There, Kowee took them beyond Gold Creek (near what
208-542: Was a French Canadian miner and prospector known for co-founding, with Richard Harris , the city of Juneau, Alaska , United States. The city has been the political capital of Alaska since 1900. Joseph Juneau was born in the Lower Canada town of Saint-Paul-l'Ermite (later renamed Le Gardeur and now incorporated into the city of Repentigny ) to François Xavier Juneau dit Latulippe and Marguerite Thiffault Juneau. Juneau's Native American guide in southeastern Alaska
224-412: Was also a proposal to name the town Pilzburg in honor of Pilz. The town received its current name at a miners' meeting on December 14, 1881, at which the name Juneau received 47 of the 72 votes cast, while Harrisburg received 21 votes and Rockwell only four. Joe Juneau reportedly bought drinks for fellow miners to persuade them to name the city in his honor. Juneau traveled to Dawson City, Yukon during
240-517: Was an Irish American miner and prospector . Richard Harris was born in Banbridge , County Down , Ireland . He then attended Girard College , a private boarding school in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He is most famous for co-founding, with Joe Juneau , the city of Juneau, Alaska . The first major gold discovery in Juneau or Douglas Island (across from Juneau) was around 1880. It has been
256-549: Was known as Harrisburg, Pilzburg, and Rockwell. Juneau was able to buy votes from enough of his fellow miners for the name to be changed. Today, Harris Street still exists in Juneau. Harris lived most of the remainder of his life in Juneau; later he was moved to a nursing home in Oregon , where he died. Both Harris and Juneau are buried in the city's Evergreen Cemetery . Joe Juneau (prospector) Joseph Juneau ( French: [ʒozɛf ʒyno] ; May 28, 1836–March 1, 1899)
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