82 REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF MINES, 1929.

REPORT ON THE TAKU RIVER AREA, ATLIN MINING DIVISION,
NORTH-WESTERN MINERAL SURVEY DISTRICT.

By J. T. Manny, Resipent Minine ENGINEER (HEADQUARTERS, PRINCE RUPERT).

INTRODUCTION.

The Taku river is the drainage-channel for about 5,000 square miles of the north-western
section of British Columbia. The river and its tributaries occupy the next important drainage-
trough of the Pacific slope north of the Stikine river.

The mouth of the Taku river is about 140 miles north-westerly of the Stikine River mouth.
It empties into the head of Taku inlet about 25 miles north-east of Juneau, Alaska, and about
320 miles north of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The British Columbia-Alaska boundary
crosses the river about 20 miles from its mouth, throwing the important extent of the area in
Canadian territory east of the Alaskan Panhandle. The area is reached by direct and frequent
steamship connection from Prince Rupert or Vancouver to Juneau, and thence by launch and
river-boat up the Taku river.

Recent mineral discoveries in the Taku River region give promise of the dawn of a new and
important mining area. The interest aroused by these discoveries in mining circles and amongst
the general public has resulted in many inquiries for information regarding the territory. To
meet this situation it would seem that the best interests of that region and all those seeking
information can be served by the incorporation of all available data in the form of a special
bulletin.

In this report the Taku River area is necessarily treated in only a general way. More
detailed attention is given to that part which lies east of the Alaska-Canadian boundary-line,
and especially that area through which passes the eastern contact margin of the Coast Range
granodiorite batholith. Geological inference and practical experience in the older mineral areas
to the south have definitely established the economic importance of the mineral potentialities of
the eastern contact margin of the batholith. The concrete evidence that these economic mineral
potentialities extend northward in no uncertain manner through the contact-zone in the Taku
River area is of great importance to the future development of British Columbia’s northland.

The section especially embraced by this report, and in which it would seem the best oppor-
tunities for important mineral discoveries exist, is situated east of the International boundary
between latitude 58° 35’ to 58° 50’ north and longitude 133° 10’ to 133° 40’ west, approximately
300 square miles in extent. This section forms part of the Atlin Mining Division, North-western
Mineral Survey District (No. 1).

In view of a possible misleading interpretation that may be placed on statements appearing
in the press, it must be stressed that the Taku River area is totally unsurveyed geologically and
no geological maps exist relative to the area. Unfortunately the Geological Survey of Canada
has hitherto not been able to extend its work to the Taku River trough. The nearest area in
which geological survey work has been carried out is in the Stikine River area, lying about 140
miles southerly. In the British Columbia Minister of Mines’ Annual Report for the year 1923
is the first recorded opinion relative to the mineral potentialities of the district. Now that the
region has shown definite promise of important ore-bodies, it is hoped the Geological Survey
of Canada will take steps to systematically map the area, and correlate its rock formations
with those of the southerly lying Stikine River area.

The area is as yet unserved by roads or trails, but is very easily accessible by water route
from seaboard. The nearest settlements are Atlin, about 143 miles north of the mouth of the
Taku river, and Juneau, Alaska, about 30 miles by water route south-westerly. An efficient trans-
portation system has been inaugurated by the Taku River Transportation and Trading Company.
This was made necessary by the 1929 discoveries and the development operations undertaken
by the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company and the United Eastern Mining Company in the
vicinity of the Tulsequah river, the most important tributary near the contact-margin zone.
This transportation system emanates from Juneau by launch to the mouth of the Taku river,
and thence by river-boat to the mouth of the Tulsequah river. With good connections and
tidal conditions over the Taku River bar, it is possible to make the journey from Juneau to the
mouth of the Tulsequah river in one day.