Gold Creek (Juneau, Alaska) graphite and calcareous slate with quartz veining. The gold ore comes from the quartz veins containing pyrrhotite, pyrite, galena and zinc blende. Ore is also found in pyrrhotite within diorite dikes. Gold Creek (Juneau, Alaska) Gold Creek is a waterway in the southeastern section of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located in Silver Bow Basin at the edge of Juneau. In 1880, Chief Kowee revealed to prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris the presence of gold in Gold Creek; the city of Juneau was founded in the same year. Named by miners, it was first published in 1883.
Joe Juneau (prospector) exploring much of the area later named for Juneau. Harris and Juneau were sent with Kowee by George Pilz, an entrepreneur and mining engineer from Sitka. After trading much of their grubstake for hoochinoo, or home brew, they returned to Pilz empty-handed, but were promptly sent back to the Juneau area. There, Kowee took them beyond Gold Creek (near what is now the site of the city's Federal Building) to Silver Bow Basin. Today, a creek on Douglas Island is named Kowee Creek. After the discovery of gold in the area, Harris and Juneau carried approximately 1,000 pounds of gold