made quite a few big expeditions. I had big malamutes, freight dogs, so we did lots of cross-country stuff. I worked as a VIP helping the park service train its dogs for freighting. It was a lot of fun. I always had Alaska malamutes. I stuck with purebreds and showed them too.” It was another family friend who whetted his appetite for mining in 1945. His stepfather often brough home military veterans, as commander of the local American Legion Post, and one was a former member of the fa- mous Black Sheep Squadron from the Pacific War, a medal of honor winner. “He was a geologist, working in South America, and he came back with a mineral set, which got my curiosi- ty up. I’d done a little prospecting in Southeast Alaska and always had that interest in mining and minerals. So, it whetted my whistle.” It was the wild people of Alaska as much as the wildlife that he came to love. He befriended a homesteader in Icy Strait who sparked his interest in mining. “Joe Ibach had been a fox farm- er, guide, entertained famous people who wanted to come and hunt. He was also interested in mining. He’d built his fireplace with gold and copper ore which he’d mined.” He had also befriended another older timer who died, leaving a poke of gold. “He gave me a nugget that I kept until I gave it to girl from college that I married.” “I worked on the pipeline, was a la- borer, had a lot of crazy experiences. They were a rough and tumble group but since I’d left home, I’d been able to take care of myself. Roger worked the pipeline, made good money, and bought the old Grant Mine, on Esther Dome near Fairbanks. He has been working that property for close to 48 years. He enjoyed hardrock underground mining and worked for Silverado Gold Mine at Nolan Creek. “We had some good years and some tough years.” Nolan Creek is legendary for the large gold nuggets it has produced. “We did quite well, but of course when we did well, the price of gold dropped to $260 an ounce. We had some of the finest placer gold in Alaska but no market at that time.” The largest nugget Silverado mined was 43.75 ounces, and many others of 18 to 20 ounces. For decades, he has served Alaska,
advising, and advocating for resource development efforts and organiza - tions. “While I was mining and develop- ing the mine, I became active in the Miners Association. I was the state - wide president back in 1983-1984 and am a director emeritus. “I got involved in different organi - zations and advisory groups, because I’ve always be interested in people and politics.” His banking background also proved invaluable on boards where fi - nancial expertise was often lacking. He is an Alaska pioneer and also remains
active in Fairbanks civic events and the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Com- merce. In 2014, the Alaska Chamber of Commerce named him the William Egan Outstanding Alaskan of the Year, in recognition of his many years ad- vocating for resource development and education. “I had no inkling,” he said at the time. “I still am sort of shocked. I’ve just sort of done things as they’ve come along. “It’s been a good life.”
Sustainability at Teck Responsibly mining the critical minerals needed for a low-carbon future. www.teck.com/RedDog
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Fall 2022
The Alaska Miner
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