Arctic Chief
Index:
Arctic Chief is an area that has changed significantly over the years. It started as a small underground mine that was later converted to open pits, changing the landscape significantly. The adjacent Corvette and Verona claims, and the Polar group of claims farther south, were not particularly significant in the early 1900s.
Arctic Chief chronology
- 1899: Arctic Chief staked by steamboat captain John Irving
- 1902–1907: work progressed slowly on a large magnetite ore body
- 1904: shipped 170 tons (154,000 kg) of ore
- 1904–1905: work stopped due to low copper prices
- 1906: work resumed
- 1907: 350 ft (107 m) adit
- 1907: shipped 10 tons (9000 kg) daily to Whitehorse using the Grafter Road, which ran through northern part of the nearby Verona claim
- 1907: had produced 800 tons (726,000 kg) of ore since 1904
- 1908–1909: operated intermittently
- 1963: drilling and exploration in the area conducted by New Imperial Mines
- late 1960s: Arctic Chief East and West were open pitted
- 1969: Arctic Chief was one of the areas feeding the mill in the Little Chief area farther south
- 1969: Arctic Chief mined out
- 1980: diamond drilling by Whitehorse Copper in the area
- 2008: Kluane Drilling drilled in the Verona area near POI 2
- 2024: Gladiator Metals had Kluane drilling in the Arctic Chief area
Polar Chief chronology
- 1907: survey plan for Polar Chief Mineral Claim registered; same plan included Western, Polar Annex, and Polar King mineral claims
- 1907: McConnell report does not mention any of the Polar claims in the inventory of mining activity in the Whitehorse Copper Belt
- 1969: diamond drilling in the area of Polar Lake was conducted by Eagle Geophysics, Vancouver, BC
Access
The Arctic Chief area is just to the west of the Copper Haul Road, southwest of the McLean Lake quarry. In the map below, the T-junction above and right of centre is the where the McLean Lake Road meets the Copper Haul Road. The road that passes through POI 1 is the Mount McIntyre Road. Make your way to the area on the Copper Haul Road either from the north, south, or via the McLean Lake Road (traffic circle at south end of Hamilton Boulevard). Then head a short distance up the Mount McIntyre Road.
The road to the west of POI 1 can be very rough so you may want to park there and walk the rest of the way. POI 1 is on the TransCanada Trail at the north end of the Valerie Lake (Copper) Trail.
The Polar Chief adits (area of POI 7 and POI 8) and the old cabin (POI 6) are very close to the Valerie Lake (Copper) Trail, which is part of the TransCanada Trail at this point. These are in the vicinity of Polar Lake, which is near the north end of the trail. Note that the section of the trail between Polar Lake and POI 1 may be quite wet and muddy but is passable on foot with care.
Points of interest
The map below shows some points of interest (POIs) in the Arctic Chief area. The table that follows gives more info for each POI.
| POI | Description | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | parking area | 60.66533 -135.10936 494023 6725516 |
This is a good place to park if you find the road further west too rough for your vehicle. This point is on the TransCanada Trail and there is a toilet here. The Grafter Road ran right past here through the north part of the Verona Claim. Just to the west of POI 1 where the current road curves southwest, the Grafter Road headed northwest. |
| 2 | drilling area | 60.66394 -135.10903 494041 6725361 |
This may be an area where diamond drilling took place in the 2008. Follow the trail south from POI 1 and then a trail to the east leads directly here. The Verona claim was never a significant producer. |
| 3 | Arctic Chief West | 60.66109 -135.11783 493559 6725045 |
A 1960s dry open pit mine with the entrance on the east side. Go right into the pit. You may see some interesting rock formations on the walls and the usual automobiles pushed off the cliff above. There is a hole high in the north face of the of pit, part of the original early-1900s underground mine. |
| 4 | Arctic Chief East | 60.66107 -135.11591 493664 6725042 |
The access to this pit is on the northeast side. If you don't go into the pit, at least walk all the way around it to appreciate the scale of 1960s operations. |
| 5 | waste rock area | 60.66070 -135.11321 493812 6725001 |
Mines produce large quantities of waste rock. In this area, waste rock was pushed progressively into the valley. The TransCanada (Valerie Lake) Trail from POI 1 runs by the base of this pile. |
| 6 | old cabin | 60.65301 -135.1153 493696 6724145 |
There is the base of an old cabin and a good selection of old (early 1900s) tin cans here. Also a geocache in the area. |
| 7 | Polar Chief north | 60.65014 -135.11362 493787 6723825 |
Between this point and POI 8, there are three open adits and several smaller excavations into the side of a very steep slope. Plumes of waste rock below indicate the presence of open adits above. These were probably the Polar Chief Mine, which never amounted to much and never produced. WARNING: The slope is very steep here and the waste rock in front of each adit may be quite unstable. The adits have largely collapsed and the entrances are partially blocked. Do not go inside due to risk of further collapse and/or bad air. |
| 8 | Polar Chief south | 60.64988 -135.11346 493796 6723796 |
Between this point and POI 7, there are three open adits and several smaller excavations into the side of a very steep slope. |
| 9 | machine-dug trench | 60.6506 -135.09676 494709 6723875 |
This is a machine-dug trench just off to the side of the trail. Maybe from the 1960s or 1970s? There is evidence of diamond drilling in the area. |
| ... | see also | The Copper Mines Branch passed through this area. See especially POI 12 and POI 13 on the Copper Mines Branch page. |
Downloads
| POIs for GPS | map for GPS |
|---|---|
| file of POIs in GPS format for this project and all others in the Whitehorse Copper Belt that you can download | GPS map for this project that you can download |
Photos and more info
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Overview of the Arctic Chief area: pits in the centre and the cone of waste rock (POI 5) to the left of centre. |
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Drone overview of the Arctic Chief area. The open area to the upper right at the end of the sequence is the McLean Lake quarries. |
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At the entrance to Arctic Chief East, which slopes down to the left, looking up to the entrance to Arctic Chief West, which is in the centre gap. The Mount McIntyre Road snakes up to the right. This photo shows how much the ground has been disturbed even in the area that was not actively mined. |
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Arctic Chief West (POI 3, upper left), Arctic Chief East (POI 4, lower right). |
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Arctic Chief West (POI 3, top), Arctic Chief East (POI 4, centre). Mount McIntyre Road is on the right. |
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Arctic Chief West (POI 3) seen from the north side |
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Looking down into Arctic Chief West (POI 3) from the entrance |
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Interesting old sediment pattern and newer additions in Arctic Chief West (POI 3) |
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Inside Arctic Chief West (POI 3) |
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Looking back up the entrance ramp from inside Arctic Chief West (POI 3) |
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Drift (tunnel) high on the north wall of Arctic Chief West (POI 3). This was part of the original early-1900s mine, exposed by open-pitting in the 1960s. The entrance is partially blocked; the mine rail protruding from the fill below the hole has some rope tied to it. The last photo is a grab from the video. Video © 2025 Elizabeth MacDonald. |
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Looking across the top of Arctic Chief East (POI 4) from the north side. You can't see the bottom of the pit here. |
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Entrance to Arctic Chief East (POI 4) |
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Farther into the entrance to Arctic Chief East (POI 4) |
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Even farther into the entrance to Arctic Chief East (POI 4) |
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Looking back up the entrance ramp from inside Arctic Chief East (POI 4) |
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Starts looking vertically down into Arctic Chief East (POI 4),tips up to Arctic Chief West (POI 3) and the horizon. Then pans back looking vertically down into both pits and ending at the start point. Note the almost-vertical walls on Arctic Chief East. Video © 2025 Elizabeth MacDonald. |
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Waste rock area (POI 5). Note TransCanada Trail skirting the waste rock through a wet area, right hand side. |
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Polar Chief adit, 1 of 3 between POI 7 and POI 8. |
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Polar Chief adit, 2 of 3 between POI 7 and POI 8. |
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Polar Chief adit, 3 of 3 between POI 7 and POI 8. |
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Machine-dug trench hidden in the woods at POI 9. |
TimmiT History Exploration Notebook