Following the Money - Wasilla, Alaska
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 61° 34.827 W 149° 26.409
6V E 370458 N 6829869
Gold rush historical marker in Wasilla, Alaska.
Waymark Code: WMAPV0
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 02/08/2011
Views: 4
Text of marker:
Following the Money
Orville G. Heming, manager of the Klondike & Boston Gold Mining & Manufacturing Company, was the most successful place miner in the Willow Creek district, but he made even more money as a merchant.
Grubstake Gulch Discovery
Ten thousand prospect stampeded to the Cook Inlet area during the Turnagain Arm Gold Rush of 1896 - 1898. M.J. "Billie" Morris and L.H. "Doc" Herndon discovered gold in 1897 at the mouth of Grubstake Gulch, 30 miles up Willow Creek in the Talkeetna Mountains. That discovery brought miners pouring into the area and led to organizing the Willow Creek Mining District.
Leading to Profits
Orville G. Heming staked or purchased claims along Grubstake Gulch and Willow Creek on behalf of the Klondike & Boston Gold Mining & Manufacturing Company. The company built dams and ditches and brought in hydraulic mining equipment. Pressurized water was used to move the gravel to retrieve the gold. Under Heming's leadership, the Klondike & Boston outfit mined most of the placer gold recovered in the Willow Creek District during the 1904-1905 seasons. Disappointing results in 1906 led to Heming's resignation and the company abandoned its claims.
Making a Living
An astute businessman, Heming started the Knik Trading Company in 1905. Originally based in Knik, his company became part of the lucrative supply chain to the placer and lode mines in the Talkeetna Mountains. When the Alaska Railroad bypassed Knik he was one of the first merchants to relocate to the rail stop that would become Wasilla. The store he built in Wasilla still stands. Heming made a better living supplying other miners than he ever did mining gold.