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© Kristen Kemmerling, Alaska
Division of Tourism
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Since the purchase of Alaska
from Russia in 1867, gold mining has played a major
role in
Alaska's history. News of northern gold was responsible
for bringing floods of people into or through Alaska;
this, in
turn, created dramatic bursts of population and caused
the foundation of many settlements that still survive,
(Skagway,
Fairbanks, Juneau, and Nome, for instance). In the wake
of the placer mining gold rushes, (in which miners took
gold
located near the earth's surface), hard rock mines opened
that extracted gold from raw ore. Today, gold panning
in Alaska
has all but disappeared, but a number of gold mines still
operate in parts of the state. Visitors to Alaska may
partake
in a variety of gold mining experiences from tours that
provide stocked sand in which to pan for gold to solo
back country
expeditions on public mining sites to even making a claim
yourself. For information on the Gold Rush and gold mining
tours, contact local CBV's
and Chambers of Commerce, read
our Historic
Sites and Gold Rush Attractions page, and visit the Alaska
State Travel Planner.
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