Nuggets mined from the heart of Denali National Park
by the hand and fortitude of a beloved fellow UU
Louise pans gold along Friday Creek.
Louise holds one of the larger nuggets she discovered on her claim.
ABOUT THE GOLD
Tri-fold brochure summarizing who and where the gold nuggets came from.
The gold was a gift from Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (AUUF) elder Louise Gallop, who left it to the fellowship in her will. Louise had purchased a gold claim in the Kantishna District in the heart of Denali National Park & Preserve, after vacationing at the wilderness lodge Camp Denali in 1960. Inspired by the park's wild beauty and intrigued by gold rush lore, Louise joined the summer staff as camp cook, and became very interested in gold panning.
She purchased a gold claim along Friday Creek near the site of Fannie Quigley’s famed and historic claim. Known as Kantishna Lou, she brought Camp guests to the creek and showed them how to pan.
In 1982 and 1983, Louise had her claim mined professionally, while living in a small cabin on the property. Some large nuggets were found during this process, one of which is on display in the Anchorage Museum's exhibit on the Alaska gold rush. More information about the Kantishna Gold Rush and the Friday Creek placer gold mining activity, check out the Nugget Origin page.
In 1995, Louise’s claim was purchased by the National Park Service. Her cabin, now used by rangers and researchers, is still known as the Gallop.
Louise Gallop's cabin in Kantishna, Denali National Park - winter and summer.
Gallop's Gifts to the Fellowship
In addition to her mined gold, Louise bequeathed real estate and cash, and her generosity enabled the fellowship to purchase its current larger facility in 2014. Her gift also provided seed money for the AUUF Endowment Fund, established to provide financial support to AUUF in the future.
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Stephenie and Paul Wheeler led an effort to prepare, organize and publicize the sale of the gold to allow AUUF members, friends and visiting UU travelers to obtain a very special keepsake of Alaska and the Anchorage UU Fellowship. This unique and limited opportunity was available in 2016 and 2017. At the time, gold prices were calculated, in part, based on the market value of gold (noted in dollars per troy ounce, which equals 31.1 grams) and the weight of the gold pieces and nuggets (ranging from a half gram to 2-1/2 ounces). Prices incorporate standard multipliers for gold valuation, which account for size and composition of the nuggets and suitability for use in jewelry. A number of the larger gold nuggets were intertwined with quartz, and other pieces were imprinted with the patterns of quartz crystals that shaped the gold as the nugget formed. The presence of quartz is an indication that the gold was discovered close to the source of formation. This added to the nugget value.
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All of the gold was finally sold in 2017. Nuggets sold to Anchorage gift shop owner Elaine Baker, and the dust sold to Oxford Metals. Proceeds from the sale of the Gallop Gold Collection went directly to the Endowment Fund. For more information about the Endowment Fund: