Coal Creek Steam Boiler and Permafrost Thawing
Allan C. 2014. Coal Creek Steam Boiler and Permafrost Thawing
During the Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush, steam quickly became important to the mining process. Southern miners were unaccustomed to the permafrost and frozen ground encountered in the north. After experimentation, the "steam point" became the standard for thawing ground. The contraption included a steam boiler and hoses to target the frozen ground. In 1935, Gold Placers, Inc. imported an industrial-scale gold dredge to Coal Creek, along with a 40-horsepower steam boiler to prepare the ground for mining activities. The equipment still resides in the Coal Creek area in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Allan, Chris
- Date of Issue
- 2014
- Units
- YUCH
- Keywords
- Coal Creek, Klondike-Alaska gold rush, permafrost, steam boilers, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve