View source for Treadwell gold mine

{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
[[Image:Treadwell Mine.jpg|thumb|Treadwell mine, circa 1890s]]
[[File:Stamp mill 1908.jpg|thumb|Treadwell [[stamp mill]]s, 1908]]
The '''Treadwell gold mine''' was on the south side of [[Douglas Island]], {{convert|.5|mi|km|adj=on}} east of downtown [[Douglas, Alaska|Douglas]] and southeast of downtown [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]], owned and operated by [[John Treadwell (miner)|John Treadwell]]. Composed of four sub-sites, Treadwell was in its time the largest hard rock gold mine in the world, employing over 2,000 people.<ref name="att">[http://home.att.net/~c.walljr/gold.html "TREADWELL GOLD MINE".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214155948/http://home.att.net/~c.walljr/gold.html |date=February 14, 2008 }} Accessed May 17, 2008.</ref> Between 1881 and 1922, over 3 million [[troy ounce]]s of gold were extracted. Not much remains today except for a few crumbling buildings and a "[[glory hole (mining)|glory hole]]". Although John Treadwell had twelve years of experience in both placer and lode mines, he was a carpenter and builder by trade who had come to Alaska prior to the [[Klondike Gold Rush]].

==Beginnings==
[[File:Treadwell Mine Glory Hole.JPG|thumb|left|The Glory Hole, 2012]]
[[Image:Treadwelldike.jpg|thumb|right|Miners working in the Glory Hole, circa 1900s]]

In 1880, prospectors [[Joe Juneau (prospector)|Joseph 'Joe' Juneau]] and [[Richard Harris (prospector)|Richard Harris]] discovered gold in [[Silver Bow Basin]]. This brought waves of prospectors to the region, including John Treadwell, whose first move was to purchase a lode claim on Douglas Island from Pierre Joseph Erussard ("French Pete") on September 13, 1881.<ref name=Spencer>{{Cite book |author=Arthur C. Spencer |title=The Juneau Gold Belt, Alaska, USGS Bulletin No. 287 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |year=1906 |pages=2–3}}</ref>

Treadwell formed a partnership in Sept. 1881 with Erussard de Ville, D.P. Mitchell and Dave Martin under the name of The San Francisco Company. For unknown reasons he later backed out of this, and in early December 1881 he devoted his attention solely to the Douglas Island property. He then went on to buy two claims neighboring his property from D. W. Clark. Treadwell extracted twenty two samples from his three claims which he sent to [[San Francisco, California]] for a mill test, yielding encouraging results.

On December 27, 1881, Treadwell organized the Alaska Mill & Mining Company and began operations at the Treadwell Dike. Shortly after this, five men from California bought over $10,000 worth of stock in the business. These men were James Freeborn (1828 - June 21, 1894), San Francisco banker and mining magnate John Douglas Fry (July 1, 1819 - February 3, 1901), Horace Lewis Hill (1840 - November 6, 1912), Howard Hill Shinn (born April 4, 1857) and E. M. With these men funding him, Treadwell began running a tunnel and discovered that much of the vein he was mining was not on his property. Because word of his strike had not yet gotten out he was able to buy many of the adjoining claims for very little money, after which he returned to San Francisco to secure more backing for a much larger mill. His financial benefactors agreed to invest more and the major mining operation had begun.<ref>Hard Rock Gold, David & Brenda Stone, Vanguard Press, 1987</ref>

By 1882, a 5-[[stamp mill]] was operating.  In 1887, a 120-stamp  mill was erected, which was doubled in size the next year.  Between 1883 and 1896, three more mills were added to the Treadwell Complex. These served the Mexican, Seven Hundred Foot, and Ready Bullion mines. A second mill, with 300 stamps, was added to the Treadwell Mine in 1899.In 1889, Treadwell sold his stake in the company for $1.5 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1500000|start_year=1889}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) and returned to California.<ref name="Houdek" >{{cite web |url=http://www.litsite.org/index.cfm?section=Digital-Archives&page=Industry&cat=Mining&viewpost=2&ContentId=2743 |title=Treadwell Gold Mines, 1881-1917 |website=LitSite Alaska |first=Jennifer |last=Houdek |access-date=September 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727035235/http://www.litsite.org/index.cfm?section=Digital-Archives&page=Industry&cat=Mining&viewpost=2&ContentId=2743 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{-}}

==Geology==
The geology on Douglas Island consists of a belt of [[volcanic]] greenstones next to [[Stephens Passage]], which alternate with [[slate]] before the transitioning into a belt of slate next to the [[Gastineau Channel]].  The slate band includes many dikes of diorite.  "Secondarily fractured and mineralized [[diorite]] [[dike (geology)|dikes]] constitute the [[ore]] bodies in the Treadwell group of mines on Douglas Island."  Gold-bearing [[sulfide minerals]] impregnate the dikes, principally [[pyrite]].<ref name=Spencer/>{{rp|15,86–116}}
<gallery>
File:Douglas geologic map.PNG|[[Geological map]] of the Douglas area.
File:Treadwell Mines geologic map.PNG|Detailed geological map indication location of the individual mines.
File:Douglas Island gold mines.PNG|Detailed map of the mine shafts and levels.
File:Treadwell Mines Douglas Island.PNG|View of the Treadwell Mines on Douglas Island.
</gallery>

== Operation ==
[[Image:Treadwell Miners.jpg|thumb|right|Miners in an under-sea shaft, 1916]]
At the height of the operation there were five mills with over 960 [[Machine press|stamps]] in continuous operation, closing down only on [[Christmas]] and [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]]. These mills were fed by four mines known as the Treadwell, 700-Foot, Mexican and Ready Bullion. At this time the mine employed over 2,000 people and was the largest hard rock mine in the world. The gold was 55% free milling and 45% embedded in pyrite, which was extracted using [[Halogenation|chlorination]], [[smelting]], and [[Gold cyanidation|cyanidation]]. Power to the complex was supplied by a coal-fired power plant (later switching to oil and two [[hydroelectric]] dams).

Some of the shafts extended as much as {{convert|2400|ft|m}} below the surface.<ref name="Houdek" />

[[File:Joe Kendler delivering milk with his dogteam, Treadwell, Alaska, May 24, 1911 (COBB 276).jpeg|thumb|Joe Kendler delivering milk with his dogteam in Treadwell, May 1911]]
In 1914, many [[Serbs in Alaska|Serbian]] and [[Greek Americans|Greek]] miners at Treadwell, who made up the bulk of the miners, left to fight for their home countries in [[World War I]].<ref>Kelly, Sheila. "Tough Grind of the Hard-Rock Miner." Treadwell Gold: An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin. Fairbanks: U of Alaska, 2010. 111. Print.
</ref>

The Treadwell had its own [[baseball]] field and team that competed with four other teams from Alaska and [[Yukon]]. There was also a [[natatorium]], which housed a swimming pool, as well as basketball courts.<ref>Johansen, Larry. "When Life Was Good: Treadwell before and after the Cave-in." Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper. Juneau Empire, April 23, 2017. Web. June 14, 2017.
</ref>

== Decline ==
[[File:Hoist at the Glory Hole, Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Co mine at Douglas Island, Alaska, May 24, 1911 (COBB 282).jpeg|thumb|Hoist at the Glory Hole at the Treadwell mine, May 1911]]
On March 3, 1910, there was a massive explosion on the 1,100-foot level of Mexican mine. The blast was so powerful a miner on the 900-foot level died in the accident. The explosion was due to eight cases of dynamite stored in a magazine. The area was designed that in the case of an explosion, the fumes would go up through the shaft and not suffocate the miners. Unfortunately, the men killed and wounded were directly in the way of the blast. Thirty nine men and one horse were killed in total. Many of them came from countries far across the ocean. [[Serbia]] alone accounted for 17 deaths.<ref name="Kelly, Sheila 2010"/> The 1910 explosion was the worst disaster in Alaska mining history.<ref name="Kelly, Sheila 2010">Kelly, Sheila. "Tough Grind of the Hard-Rock Miner." Treadwell Gold: An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin. Fairbanks: U of Alaska, 2010. 110. Print.</ref>

The mine was still yielding gold in 1917 when the Treadwell, 700-Foot and Mexican mines (excavated to a depth of more than {{convert|500|ft|m}} below sea level under Gastineau Channel) suddenly began leaking and were evacuated. Hours later the mines collapsed.  At the climax, sprays of water were sent up to {{convert|200|ft|m}} in the air from the mine entrances. The only casualties were a dozen horses and one mule; local lore has it that one man unaccounted for used the opportunity to head for parts unknown.<ref>I Remember Treadwell, Charlotte L. Mahafly, Accra Print, 1983</ref>

Evidence of instability had been noticed around 1909, but there was no indication of impending disaster until 1913, when major geological shifts occurred. Reinforcements were constructed but were ineffective. The last shaft was worked in a limited fashion until 1922.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 522
|1910= 1222
|1920= 325
|1930= 16
|1940= 13
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 6, 2013}}</ref>
}}

Treadwell first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census, but was returned with [[Douglas, Juneau|Douglas]], so did not report a separate figure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1890a_v8-01.pdf|title=Population & Resources of Alaska at the 11th Census (1890)|date=1893|website=www2.census.gov|publisher=Department of the Interior Census Office|location=Washington, DC|accessdate=April 9, 2020}}</ref> It first appeared separately on the 1900 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village, and was the 10th largest community in Alaska. In 1901, Treadwell formally incorporated.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rr9RAQAAMAAJ&q=treadwell&pg=PA49 | title=Geological Survey Professional Paper| year=1949}}</ref> In 1910, it reached its apex of 1,222 residents (including 1,175 Whites, 44 Other and 3 Native Americans), and was the 6th largest city in Alaska.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41033927n358-359ch10.pdf |title=Supplement for Alaska |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810083841/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41033927n358-359ch10.pdf |archive-date=August 10, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, in 1912, it disincorporated and the population rapidly fell with the gradual closure of the mines. It fell to 325 residents and 26th place by 1920. It continued to report as a village until 1940, but became effectively a ghost town by the 1920s. By 1970, it and all other places in Juneau Borough were merged into the city of Juneau.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==Today==

[[File:Treadwell Mine Office Building.JPG|thumb|"New" Office Building, 2012]]From the dissolution of the Boston Alaska Mining Company, the property became 99.9% interest to the historical [[Frank Hamilton Nowell|Nowell]] family and specifically George. The Nowell descendants and [[Alaska Electric Light & Power]], have since deeded a portion to the city of Juneau with the stipulation that it be maintained as a historic site. Under the management of the Treadwell Historic Preservation & Restoration Society there are recreation trails with markers identifying various locations. Another portion of the property is leased to a [[zip line]] operator.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Directly above the cave-in site is a concrete pad where the [[Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities|Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities]] placed a 105mm [[howitzer]], which was fired across Gastineau Channel at a shoulder of [[Mount Roberts (Alaska)|Mount Roberts]] to break up [[avalanche]]s before they get so big as to pose a danger to Thane Road and residences there; however, in 2019 the howitzer was removed and avalanche control is now handled by helicopters with attached DaisyBell devices. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Hohenstatt |first=Ben |date=January 17, 2019 |title=New tool directs explosions to prevent avalanches |url=https://www.juneauempire.com/news/new-tool-directs-explosions-to-prevent-avalanches/ |access-date=April 30, 2022 |website=Juneau Empire |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Juneau gold belt]]
* [[Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining Company]]
* [[Juneau mining district]]
* [[Gold mining in Alaska]]
Coal mine disasters:
* [[Smith Mine disaster]]
* [[Argonaut Mine]]
* [[Monongah mining disaster]]

== Sources ==

===Online===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080214155948/http://home.att.net/~c.walljr/gold.html Treadwell family history]
*[http://www.blm.gov/ak/jrmic/museum/trdwlmn/xfeature3.html Bureau of Land Management]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}
*[http://www.juneau.org/history/treadwel.php Treadwell mine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212053743/http://www.juneau.org/history/treadwel.php |date=February 12, 2007 }} City of [[Juneau]] official history site

===Printed===
* ''Hard Rock Gold'' by David & Brenda Stone, Vanguard Press, 1987
* ''History of the Mines & Miners in the Juneau Gold Belt'' by Earl Redman, 1988
* ''The Birdman of Treadwell: Diary of a Treadwell Gold Miner'' by Edwin Warren with Barry Kibler ({{ISBN|9781425960643}})
* ''I Remember Treadwell'' by Charlotte L. Mahafly, Accra Print, 1983

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310043215/http://www.juneau.org/history-old/treadwell_photos.php |title=Historic photos}}
*[http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm/search/searchterm/Alaska%20Treadwell%20Gold%20Mining%20Company/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and/cosuppress/ Photos from the Alaska State Library]
*[https://archive.org/details/cihm_06089 "Notes on the ore-deposit of the Treadwell Mine, Alaska"], by George M. Dawson, 1889. Full text.
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607014735/http://www.oz.net/~markhow/arisgold.htm |title=History of Albert Aris}} Family history site by Mark Howells
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{{Commons category|Treadwell Mines}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Juneau, Alaska]]
[[Category:Underground mines in the United States]]
[[Category:Alaskan gold rushes]]
[[Category:Gold mines in Alaska]]