© All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

This Bronze Sculpture was commissioned by the city & borough of Juneau during its centennial anniversary year & is dedicated to the men whose work provided the lifeblood of Juneau during its first six decades.
In the late1800's compressed-air machine drilled & replaced hand drills as the principal tools of hard rock miners. This development enabled miners to handle great quantities of ore at an acceptance low cost. As a result, lodes containing low-grade ore deposited, such as those in the Juneau Goldbelt, became profitable, to mine. In this sculpture the pneumatic drill is a generalized version of many different types used over the years. The drills were fed air by hose from surface steam engines & used pistons to work the "Steels" back & forth in the drill holes. Traditionally a pattern of seven holes & charges would be employed when cutting a tunnel. A team of miners drilled the face of a tunnel through a single eight- or ten-hour shift & blasted it just before quitting. The sequence of cleanup, more drilling & blasting would begin anew in the next shift. The Alaska-Juneau mine, which opened in 1897, ceased operation in 1944, bringing an end to an era. The total output of the Juneau Goldbelt was over seven million ounces of gold.
Sculpture of Juneau Artist Ed Wat

© All Rights Reserved

Historic Alaska Hotel & Bar
Entrance to the Bar

© All Rights Reserved

Historic Alaska Hotel & Bar
Entrance to the Hotel

© All Rights Reserved