Author Description

Josiah Edward Spurr led two expeditions of historic importance in Alaska for the United States Geological Survey in 1896 and 1898. In 1896 he led the first expedition to map and chart the interior of Alaska, exploring the Yukon Territory, where gold had been discovered. In 1898 Spurr went down the length of the Kuskokwim River, naming as he traveled previously undiscovered mountains, mountain ranges, creeks, rivers, lakes and glaciers. He made the first scientific observations of the Mount Katmai volcano, and the valley that later became known as the "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes." During these expeditions he encountered Native Americans, Aleuts, traders, missionaries, prospectors, whiskey smugglers and various con artists. His books were seen as the definitive work on Alaskan minerals during the Alaska Gold Rush. They read like an adventure including the expedition's experiences with ice dams bearing down on them and lost provisions, as well as interactions with native Indians and missionaries. Spurr became the world's leading geological consultant, working for clients including the Sultan of Turkey, Bernard Baruch, and the Guggenheims. He was generally regarded as one of the world's foremost geologists. He published well over a hundred articles in scientific journals, books and monographs, as well as poetry and books for a general audience. Named after him is Mount Spurr, Spurr moon crater, and a mineral, spurrite. This book "Digging Through Yukon Gold" documents his journeys throughout the wilds of Yukon gold fields before the 1899 Alaska Gold Rush.