Valdez Creek facts for kids

Valdez Creek is one of the small headwater tributaries of Susitna River in the U.S. state of Alaska.

Geography

The stream rises in the foothills of the Alaska Range and flows in a general southwesterly direction for about 12 miles (19 km). It is approximately 160 miles (260 km) north-northwest of Valdez, or 120 miles (190 km) directly south of Fairbanks. Valdez Creek has cut its present channel through deep gravels and has intrenched itself in the underlying schist bed rock.

History

Gold placers were discovered in Valdez Creek in 1903. Mining was restricted at the time to two localities on the stream—Lucky Gulch and the vicinity of Discovery claim at the mouth of Willow Creek. A hydraulic plant was installed on Valdez Creek below Willow Creek in 1908 with about 120 men engaged in mining on Valdez Creek during that summer.