Coal Creek Historic Mining District, Gold mining district in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, United States
Coal Creek Historic Mining District covers the last 8 miles (13 km) of Coal Creek before it reaches the Yukon River, within Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. It holds 26 contributing buildings, 12 structures and 3 sites, mostly built between 1934 and 1940, including a diesel-powered floating gold dredge and the functional mining camp at Beaton Pup.
The district dates from 1934, when the first camp was set up near the mouth of Cheese Creek. The camp moved to Snare Creek in 1941 and to Beaton Pup in 1952; the first site was dredged over. The dredge, built in 1935 by the Walter W. Johnson Company of Oakland, California, was shipped to Skagway, railed to Whitehorse and barged down the Yukon River. The operation was managed by mining engineer Ernest Patty, later president of the University of Alaska. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 4 May 1995.
The buildings show how miners lived and worked together in this remote frozen landscape during the early 1900s. Visitors can see the communal spaces and workshops where daily routines kept the operation running.
The site sits in remote wilderness accessible mainly during warmer months from late spring through early fall when snow and ice are absent. Visitors need to prepare for extreme cold, isolation, and rugged conditions since this location lacks typical amenities and services.
The gold dredge at this location was exceptionally powerful for its era, capable of processing enormous quantities of material each day from the creek and surrounding ground. Visitors today can see the scale of this mechanical operation and understand the environmental footprint such mining left on the landscape.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,024 contributors worldwide.