North to Aalska - the Rush is on, BLM lifts 1.3 million acres of withdrawls

[winners58]

looks like some new areas of the interior, Yukon river, Fortymile district would be opened for mining claims?
might be that some areas could be open within 30 days? first ones on the ground would get the best claims?
Alaska Journal | BLM lifts Alaska land withdrawals, opens 1.3 million acres
I put ? as someone wanting to get in on staking a claim would need to dedicate some time to research/due diligence.

 

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[BillA]

I would have to suspect that AK miners are on top of this, billions at stake

 

[alaskaseeker]

Really! A lot of that area is very difficult to get to and believe me the old timers were all over that country.. Those tough old B.......ds would dig a hole just to check the ground and I've seen a lot of those holes. I've read a lot of interesting threads here about prospecting, those guys had picks shovels and they wore them slap out...Burning daylight, that's just what they did. I had the good fortune to meet a couple of those tough old guys , one worked at the truck shop where I did in the 70s.. I still grin when I remember those Hand dug trails to the trash pit, the outhouse, hell everywhere....

 

[BillA]

as, yes the oldtimers have some amazing tales (all over the world, eh)

in the '80s when the oilfield had a periodic collapse I found several airworthy Bell helos, and a trailer to ship and then haul around AK
never had the stamina to be hiking with a pack across the tundra
I did not buy a helo but sure learned a lot about them - and going down in the middle of nowhere

 

[Jimoutside]

Well not that I'm about to hop on up there and stake a claim, but I must say that doing it today would sure be a huge amount easier than it was 100 or even 50 years ago.

Turn of the century gold rushes: From the time you leave home, even if home is California, til you reach a site where you could dig: >2months. Hospital care, medivac, emergency services: Nil. Metal detectors: Non existent. Gasoline engines: In their infancy, not available for small power tools or local transport. Solar power: Unheard of. Plastic: Barely invented, not in regular use yet. Electronics: No such thing. GPS: Science fiction. Radio: Not available yet. Internet for research, etc.: Hahaha. Communication with family and support people "back home": 4-month turn around through snail mail. Winters: Stay, you die, evacuate, you lose valuable time. Chiropractors: Also not invented yet. (just saying).

Today: So much easier. Get from any airport on earth to the Yukon digs in 5 days or less. Much greater communication, transportation, support, and medical infrastructure available now. Modern technology, innovations, inventions, electronics, and materials like plastic, carbon fiber, aluminum, fiberglass, nylon, etc. make it far easier to detect, collect, and protect your gold. Established law enforcement far reduces robbery, theft, claim jumping, etc.

Now is this a good idea for getting rich quick? Oh probably not. But could it be lots of fun for someone who is prepared for the adventure? Quite possibly.

 

[BillA]

Had a great uncle who went to AK for their initial gold rush, no gold but a roomful of Intuit stuff; kayak & paddle, lances, clothing, toys, etc.