Jul 28

Written by:
7/28/2002 12:00 AM 

POCKET OF GOLD BEACH NUGGETS MINED

Weldon Webb and his beach box partner Lynda Knott were happy and surprised when they mined a small pocket of ”pickers” Monday evening and Tuesday. The first small nugget was seen late Monday on the black mat of the beach box. Excited, they continued running the black sands from the same area Tuesday, and more little “nuggets” were found. Weldon put seven or eight in a small vial to carry in his pocket for luck. As many of you know, most of the gold found on the beach is fine flour gold, but small coarse gold pieces are also found. For Weldon, this trip has been bittersweet. He and his wife Ramona, had been planning to come to Cripple River since 1994. Ramona became ill, and eventually died. It took until this year for Mr. Webb to finally be able to come to our camp in Alaska. With tears in his eyes, Weldon dedicated this year’s trip, and the beach nuggets to his beloved wife’s memory. Love lives on.

The beach gold is plentiful this year, and miners are on the beach for many hours each day, come rain or shine, getting Cripple River Gold. Gold is also being found in Artic Creek, and at the Ketchmark Camp, where highbankers, sluices, and gold pans are used. Some gem and mineral specimens are also being found. Susan Tausch found one large rock that Sam Rua identified as Jade (40 lbs.).

Perry Massie took a group of participants on a trail ride to the trommel, a very popular outing. On the ride up, the group stopped by a field of blueberries that were ripe for the picking. Some people picked and ate fresh blueberries on the spot, while others saved some of their blueberries for their Sunday morning pancake breakfast. The salmonberries are also golden and ripe, as are the low bog cranberries.

Bird watchers have been busy this summer, as there are a myriad of unusual birds on the tundra. Willow ptarmigan, the Alaska State Bird, are numerous this year. And there have been sightings of many species of terns and sea gulls, of ducks and loons, and even a pair of bald eagles up on Upper Artic Creek. The different species of Artic Flowers continue to bloom in great colorful patches, with the purple of Alaska Fire Weed, the blue of bluebells and the yellow of wild roses adding grandeur to the green of the tundra.

On my trip back from Artic Creek, at the top of the hill I rode through a cloud bank so thick and quiet that I was cut off from the rest of the world. All that existed was me and my 4-wheeler. As the mist kissed my face, a sense of peace filled my soul. I shut off my engine and the silence became eerie. Total utter quiet! Not even a bird called. I was totally alone on this earth. I soaked in the solitude, then when my heart was full, I started up my ATV and rode down the hill, back to camp. What a beautiful, wonderful, exotic place Alaska is, and especially the gold camp at Cripple River. A once in a lifetime experience.

The Friday night Gold draw was a hit, with lots of good gold, and some platinum. The number one nugget was drawn by Joy Dean Smith, who proudly showed it off to her fellow miners. All gold is beautiful, but the number one nugget is always magic. When asked about the other numbers drawn I must confess, there is no such thing as a bad draw number.

This starts the fifth week of camp, and improvements are still being made. The garage is getting its roll-up door installed, and the final structural welding is being completed by John Henard. Work is still going on refurbishing the wooden sidewalks and porches. The shower / shaving areas are getting tables, and most important the Mitsubishi diesel tractor has been repaired and driven by Jon Hagen. This tractor pulls the trailer that transports the beach miners and their concentrates from camp to their claims and back. This saves a lot of walking, making the beach miner’s life easier. The stained glass windows made by Sandy Massie for the chapel were installed this week by Clarence Hill and they’re a beautiful crowning touch to the chapel. Gloria Jones, a certified ”hairologist”? gives haircuts on Saturday mornings free of charge; she donates any tips to the Chapel fund. Don’t just get one hair cut, have her do all of them.

The ATV rental fleet has been a great success as it allows people the mobility to visit the more remote areas of the claim, and enjoy a wider range of experiences. The trading post is selling fishing licenses, (for the state) at a good pace, and angling is always popular, be it catch and release or catch and cook. The fish smoker has also seen some action. A wide range of wildlife continues to be seen and photographed, with a large seal posing for cameras near the beach. Speaking of wildlife, Chip and Laverne Yorde’s sons Duane, and Dennis and grandson Jake have finally arrived in camp. Chip has been so excited awaiting their arrival we almost had to tie her up. To Chip, her family is her gold.

How Nome got it’s name is a subject of great debate. The most popular and quasi-documented version is that an officer on a British ship off the coast in 1850 noted on a manuscript map that a nearby prominent point was not named. He placed a ? name, next to the point. Another draftsman thought the ? was a ‘C’ and the ‘a’ in name was an ‘o’ and so the British Admiralty christened Cape Nome through a spelling error. Another tale is that Nome was derived from the Eskimo phrase Kno-no-me meaning I don’t know, and could have been an Eskimo reply when asked the name of the area. The town was also know as Anvil City for much of 1899 but the U.S. Postal Service insisted on calling the town Nome so as not to get confused with the village of Anvik on the lower Yukon. So, take your choice as nobody knows for sure. Having bad hand writing myself, I can believe the first explanation.

I’ll write more next time, but my trusty mule (ATV) and my sourdough partner (Jim) are ready to take our grubstake and go find that gold!!! May your life and the bottom of your pan turn golden.