Work History

Coal float was discovered by Wm. Ogilvie at the mouth of Coal Creek in 1887 and the source was located by J. McAuley in 1888. In March, 1896, Ogilvie staked the showing together with C. Constantine and C.H. Hamilton on behalf of North American Trading & Transportation L. The mine was opened in 1903 and was operated by Coal Creek Mg CL until the fall of 1906, when it was sold to Sourdough Coal CL. Development in 1903 consisted of a 19.3 km railway from the Yukon River and a 149.4 m decline.
The coal was used initially in river boats and for domestic heating in Dawson City. Production was about 24 251 tonnes in 1906 and 5512 tonnes in 1908. By 1907, a steam generating plant had been constructed at the mine and was supplying electricity to Dawson via an overland transmission line. The mine operated until at least 1913, when the generating plant was owned by Northern Light, Power and Coal CL.
Ten coal grants were later transferred to B. Levielle.
E. Halvorson and R. Lavoie staked Roger cl (YB67469) overtop Lots 36 and 26 in Sept/95.

Capsule Geology

Tertiary strata in the Coal Creek area occupy a 3 km wide belt in the Tintina Trench. Four coal seams are exposed along the creek within 800 m of the southwest side of the belt. The GSC analyzed one sample from each of the Upper Eocene in 1979. Net coal thicknesses were 3.0 m, 8.5 m, 0.6 m and 1.25 m. Ash contents were 8.3%, 19.6%, 10.9% and 26.9%; volatiles were 35.8%, 29.8%, 28.2% and 26.1%; fixed carbon contents were 36.4%, 32.4%, 31.9% and 26.2%; and sulphur contents were 1.47%, 0.56%, 0.48% and 0.57%. Rank of the coal seams is subbituminous A, B, B and A, respectively, with calorific values of 17.60, 18.24, 17.20 and 14.59 MJ/kg.
Stratigraphic relationships between the coal seams are not known. The presence of coal float along the 800 m of creek exposure between the upper and lower showing and in the adjacent creek valley 3 km to the northwest suggests that coal may occur over a relatively wide stratigraphic interval.