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Viewing Try a Fun Vacation Panning for Gold in AlaskaTry a Fun Vacation Panning for Gold in Alaska
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Nowadays, gold panning is fun for families, vacationers, and children, just for a feel of what it must have been like to be a part of the early Alaskan culture. You can almost see the glint of gold in the hills. Here is a mini-history of Alaska gold. By Jeff Austin Gold panning in Alaska is a fun thing to do that still has sparkling results today! For the longest time, mining has been a huge part of Alaska's history. The first spotting of gold in Alaska occurred in Southeast Alaska in 1872 near the city of Sitka. The second discovery was made in Windham Bay in 1876. The largest primary discovery of gold was in the 1880's in Juneau by Richard Harris and Joseph Juneau. Harris and Juneau ended up finding 1000 pounds of ore on their initial trip. This discovery was made on a small river that now coincidently has the name of Gold River - catchy, isn't it? Kind of makes you want to hop on a plane right now, right! With the discovery of gold in Juneau, gold panning in many undeveloped cities began to thrive, which gave many of the cities their 'big break'. With cities thriving, Alaska in itself was thriving. In the 1890s, a gold strike in the Klondike caused chaos and huge developments in the city. In 1898, a gold rush occurred in Nome, bringing thousands of fortune seekers to the 'Last Frontier'. With all of these new inhabitants, Alaska needed more than just a bunch of gold to keep them there. By 1902, Fairbanks was an established trading post and the center of mining activity. In 1917, Wasilla was established as a gold town - due the fact that it was extremely close to an export dock of the Alaskan Railroad, which would make gold exports for money very easy. Although this was very popular back in the days of gold panning, nowadays it is not such a hit, and the population sits at a low of 200 people. Believe it or not, people are still mining there. Just recently an underground mine, Independence Mine in the Talkeetna Mountains, was renovated for historical purposes. Now, people can walk, or even wheel, their way through the amazing mines and have a feel for what the miners must have felt like when they were working such long days. Today, mining is not as crucial for survival as it was back in the early 1900s. Nowadays, gold panning is mainly a fun thing to do for families, vacationers, and children - just for a feel of what it must have been like to be a part of the early Alaskan culture. You can almost see the glint of gold in the hills... About the Author: For more information on Alaska Vacations visit inside-alaska.com, where you will find tips on Alaska attractions, Alaska fishing and hunting, Alaska railroad tours, the Barrow adventure, and more. Article source: 111 Travel Directory: Triple1.com (triple one dot com) |
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