Holloway Bar Placer Mine - Picture of the Week

Placer mining is a seasonal affair. Once the ground is covered with snow and the water frozen, the mine closes for the season. The only easy access to the property is on the bridge over McDame Creek. In the winter, it's easy to see if the property is secure as it's impossible to move through several feet of powder snow without leaving tracks. Scott can easily check for signs of activity from the highway above as he works in the area driving a snow plow. So far, the snow on the bridge is untouched, so no one's been around. The gold's still safe in the ground - waiting for us to start our 2007 mining projects!

People living in the North - the "Top of the World" - often say they live close to heaven. When you have the opportunity to climb aboard a snowmobile and head up into the mountains, you really are climbing up to the heavens. You can see for miles on a clear day and the possibilities for snowmobile touring are pretty much endless. On this day, Scott headed into the Yukon mountains west of Watson Lake in the Rancheria area, about 100 km directly north of the Holloway Bar property. As you can see, it was a beautiful day that resulted in some breathtaking views of untouched winter wilderness.

Watson Lake is probably most famous for its 'Sign Post Forest'. Started by a homesick GI during WWII, it's grown to include thousands upon thousands of signs. Tourists and other travellers driving the Alaska Highway have been stopping here to post signs representing their hometown for decades now, and most every continent is represented. If you don't see anyone nailing a new sign on in this photo, it's because the temperature was -43 C on this day. That's a little cold to be outside with a hammer and nail!

Gold was discovered on McDame Creek in the early 1870's. Henry McDame probably walked most of the way to the area. Some 25 years later, gold was discovered in the Yukon's Klondike near Dawson City. Early prospectors arrived at Skagway, hiked over the Chilkoot Pass, and then floated the Yukon River on makeshift rafts and boats. A few years later, the Yukon riverboats took over the transportation of miners from Whitehorse to Dawson City. The SS Klondike hauled its share of gold seekers in its day, but now rests in Whitehorse on the banks of the Yukon river, teeming with tourists in the summer, but cold and silent surrounded by the winter's snows this time of the year.

Watson Lake's airport was originally built by the US military forces during WWII as part of the northwest staging route. This meant that thousands of aircraft destined for Alaska and Russia passed through here during wartime. The tradition has continued and many aircraft, such as the two helicopters shown here heading south, still stop at the Watson Lake airport for fuel. These two appear to be Sikorsky Blackhawks likely owned by the US military, on their way back to south of the 49th parallel from Alaska. Aircraft spotters can find many types of aircraft in the area if they look for them.