History

The settlement of Kantishna was founded in 1905 as a mining camp near the juncture of Eureka and Moose Creeks. Gold in the region brought a flurry of prospectors in the early days, but as the gold began to run out so did interest in mining the Kantishna Hills.

Kantishna's Mining Past - by Bill Sherwonit

Prospectors Joe Quigley and Jack Horn sparked the rush of stampeders into interior Alaska's Kantishna Hills when they discovered "paying quantities" of gold at Glacier Creek in 1905. After staking the creek, Quigley and Horn returned to Fairbanks where news of their strike created quite a commotion. Thousands of gold seekers streamed into the Kantishna Hills during the fall and winter of 1905. "Practically every creek that heads into the Kantishna Hills was staked from source to mouth and intervening ridges were not ignored."

Several mining camps were established, complete with rowdy saloons and gambling halls. Winter camps include places named Glacier City, Diamond, Roosevelt, and Square Deal, while the primary summer camp was Eureka, later to be renamed Kantishna. During the first summer, Eureka was home to about 2,000 people.

Miners lucky enough to stake land along Glacier and Eureka Creeks found good paying deposits, but little gold was found elsewhere. As in most stampedes, the large majority of treasure-seekers ended up empty-handed. By the spring of 1906, only about 50 miners remained.

Known production of metals from Kantishna Hills from 1905 through 1985- when all mining was stopped by the federal government- amounted to nearly 100,000 ounces of gold, 309,000 ounces of silver, five million pounds of antimony and about 1.5 million pounds of combined lead and zinc. Total value of the metals has been estimated at nearly $24 million and some geologists suspect that the Kantishna Hills still contain gold, silver, and antimony deposits worth up to $1.2 billion.

Think of us as your ambassadors to Alaska and Denali National Park. When you stay with us, experience the Doyon difference.Our facilities are a perfect Denali destination for any traveler interested in sampling the regions abundant activities and sights such as flightseeing around Mt. McKinley, white water rafting down the Nenanna River, wildlife tours and excursions into the heart of Denali Park, and guided access into the Kantishna Historical district.