Robinson

Site Name

Primary: Robinson
Secondary: Mohawk
Secondary: Franklin
Secondary: Rose
Secondary: Heilig and Creighton

---

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Antimony

---

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks

---

Land Status

Not available

---

Holdings

Not available

---

Workings

Not available

---

Ownership

Not available

---

Production

Not available

---

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

---

Physiography

Not available

---

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

---

Orebody

Not available

---

Structure

Not available

---

Alterations

Not available

---

Rocks

Not available

---

Analytical Data

Not available

---

Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Stibnite

---

Comments

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Robinson mine contains several quartz veins that contain free gold, stibnite, pyrite, and arsenopyrite. The veins cut gray calcareous quartzites with stockwork quartz. Pyrite and arsenopyrite are the two most abundant disseminated minerals in the wall rocks (Freeman, 1992). The initial 1-foot-wide shear zone, exposed in a 180 foot adit, has a strike of N 10 E with a steep dip to the west. A second shear was discovered near the shaft house. This shear strikes N 70 W, dips vertically, and is 8 inches wide (Chapin, 1914). Another shear zone was intersected west of the 50-foot level of an inclined shaft. This high-grade quartz-rich vein is 16 to 18 inches thick and strikes N 20 E and dips 60 NW. A second shaft, known as the Boyd shaft, was located 75 feet northwest of the Robinson shaft and had been sunk to a depth of 30 feet in 1916. The shear exposed in the Boyd shaft contains abundant arsenopyrite; it is oriented N 80 W, 35 SW.? Dump samples collected from the Robinson prospect in 1986 contained from trace to 4.182 ounces of gold per ton, greater than 1,000 ppm arsenic, minor antimony, and trace levels of silver (Freeman and others, 1986).? Accurate production records for the Robinson mine are not available, however, based on mine maps provided by Charles Lazeration, production is estimated at approximately 5,000 tons of ore (Freeman, 1992).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = By 1912, a 180 foot adit had been driven on a 1-foot-wide, quartz-rich shear zone (Smith, 1913; B 525). By 1913, the prospect was being explored by L. Goyett through a 50-foot inclined shaft on a 4-foot-wide shear zone (Chapin, 1914). At the 50-foot level, the shaft becomes vertical for 25 feet, at which point a 20-foot cross-cut was driven to intersect an 8-foot-wide shear zone. A second shaft, known as the Boyd shaft, was located 75 feet northwest of the Robinson shaft and had been sunk to a depth of 30 feet by 1916 (Mertie, 1918). By 1917, the Robinson prospect was known as the Heilig and Creighton mine, and was equipped with a Little Giant mill (Martin, 1919). No new development work had been conducted on the prospect in 1917. Work was continued in 1918 but no production was reported (Martin, 1920). In 1934, the Robinson shaft and Boyd and Shaw shaft were flooded and the open cut between the two shafts filled with debris and water (Spencer and O'Neill, 1934). In 1934, Fred C. Robinson was living on the Robinson prospect but no work had been done on the prospect for several years (Spencer and O'Neill, 1934). In 1938, Fred Robinson cleaned out the Robinson shaft and repaired the mill. The Robinson prospect was examined as a possible source of antimony in 1942, but no additional exploration was recommended due to insufficient potential for significant tonnage (Killeen and Mertie, 1951). ? Saarela (1951) reported active mining at the Robinson prospect in 1950 by Vern Jokela and Charles Lazeration. Ore was milled at the Cleary Hill mill. Mr. Lazeration, presently residing in Fairbanks, has provided two mine maps of the Robinson mine which show workings on the 60-, 100- and 200-foot levels from a shaft driven to a depth of approximately 210 feet (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1986). Drifts on the 200-foot level had been driven 470 feet along the shear to the northeast and 250 feet to the southwest. A ventilation shaft at the 190 foot station of the southwest drift connects with the surface. At the 470-foot station of the northeast drift on the 200-foot level, a stope had been worked to the 100-foot level and nine ore draw points had been installed and were ready for use. The 100-foot level was driven 470 feet to the northeast and 190 feet to the southwest where a ventilation shaft connected it with the surface. The 100-foot level was mined out over its entire 470-foot length on the northeastern side of the 100-foot level and over its entire 190-foot length on the southwestern side of the shaft. The 60-foot level was mined out over a 90-foot length from the raise to the ventilation shaft connecting the three levels on the southwestern side of the shaft. The Robinson shaft currently is flooded and inaccessible (Freeman, 1992).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Freeman, 1992

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Gold, stibnite, sulfide-rich quartz veins.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = the Robinson mine was previously known as the Creighton mine but was sometimes called the Franklin mine (the owner at one time was Duane Franklin).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = By 1912, a 180-foot adit had been driven on a 1-foot-wide quartz-rich shear zone (Smith, 1913; B 525). Two tons of ore from this adit were custom milled in Fairbanks and produced a large amount of sulfide concentrate and an unspecified amount of gold. By 1916, the prospect was known as the Mohawk prospect and produced 46 tons of ore over a four month period. Work was continued in 1918 but no production was indicated (Martin, 1920). Active mining was being conducted on the Robinson prospect in 1950; the ore was milled at the Cleary Hill mill (Saarela, 1951). Accurate production records for the Robinson mine are not available, however, based on mine maps provided by Charles Lazeration; the production is estimated at approximately 5,000 tons of ore (Freeman, 1992).

---

References

Reference (Deposit): Chapman, R.M., and Foster, R.L., 1969, Lode mines and prospects in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-D, 25 p., 1 plate.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1918, Lode mining in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-H, p. 403-424.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-819, 241 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542-F, p. 137-202.

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Lode mining near Fairbanks, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 321-355.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 153-216.

Reference (Deposit): Hill, J.M., 1933, Lode deposits of the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-B, p. 29-163.

Reference (Deposit): Spencer, W.W. and O'Neill, W.A., 1934, A survey of gold quartz veins on the north flank of Pedro Dome: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Bachelor of Science thesis, 52 p.

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1919, Mining in the Fairbanks district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-F, p. 321-327.

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52.

Reference (Deposit): Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.

Reference (Deposit): Freeman, C.J., 1992, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 2: Historical summary of lode mines and prospects in the Golden Summit project area, Alaska: Avalon Development Corp., 159 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)

---

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.