New Nome Gold Rush is on

By Diana Haecker, Nome Nugget

A Canadian start-up company, Millrock Resources Corp. and another Canada-based company, Andover Ventures, were on exploration campaigns this summer near Nome.

Both companies drilled within five miles of each other at different test sites, between mile 22 and mile 27 of the Kougarok   Road. Millrock also drilled for test samples at Inmachuk, near Deering.

The two-month old junior company Millrock focuses on the discovery of giant metallic mineral deposits in Alaska and mainly on the Seward Peninsula, but also intends "to produce from the high grade deposits, and use existing infrastructure for operational bases in its search for large-scale deposits."

Gregory Beischer, CEO and president, said that Millrock intends to not only explore but also develop small to medium size mines. "I consider Rock Creek a small mine," Beischer told The Nome Nugget in a phone interview last week. "If we make a discovery, yes, we may develop and produce," Beischer said.

But Beischer cautioned that the Divide project is in its earliest stages of exploration, that the results of this year’s drillings are not back yet and that no management decision has been made beyond exploring the site.

Millrock drilled five test holes at their Divide project, about 27 miles up on the Kougarok Road, on state land claims. Drilling finished in the last week of August and the company is currently awaiting test results. Millrock also began exploration drilling at Inmachuk on the northern Seward Peninsula near Deering. Millrock has the option to earn a 60 percent interest in the Inmachuk property from Full Metal Minerals. 

Beischer told The Nome Nugget, "If the company makes a discovery of some sort, we will introduce our project to the community.

"We want to be a part of the mining community in Nome, but for now it’s too early to say if we will go into production," Beischer said. Beischer gave a brief background of himself, saying that he divides his time between Alaska and Canada, but resides in Anchorage. He has a position at Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s subsidiary Bristol Environmental and Engineering as a Senior Earth Resources consultant.

Millrock is registered in Canada as most mineral exploration and development business investments are brokered there. According to the Mining News, Vancouver-based Millrock Resources was formerly known as First Factor Developments, which was a shell company that had "something to do with computers," but it was listed on the TSX

Venture Exchange, which made it a convenient springboard for conversion into a mining exploration company. 

According to its website, Alaska has been chosen by Millrock as a primary focus area because of its "outstanding geological pedigree, an abundance of undeveloped, under-explored mineral occurrences and deposits, very low degree of prior exploration, very large area of available land; Government supportive of responsible mineral development and stringent but practical environmental regulation."

On August 14, the company changed the business and its name. On the same day, the company entered into an agreement with a private group of four individuals, including David Lajack, a director of NPN, to acquire a 100 percent interest in a lode gold prospect known as the Divide Property. At the time, Philip St. George was the company’s chief financial officer, but recently changed his position within Millrock to be the company’s vice president of exploration.

Under the terms of the letter of intent with the Canadian Investment Group NPN, Millrock can earn a 50 percent interest in NPN’s rights to the Divide property by paying one half of NPN’s obligations under its Divide option and one half of the costs to explore the property. Millrock functions as the operator and general partner and together with NPN jointly develops work programs and makes decisions on exploration and development. 

On August 30, however, NPN Investment Group Inc.‘s shareholders approved management suggestions to move the company from Ontario to British   Columbia and to change its name to Alix Resources Corporation. The other company exploring for gold opportunities just five miles away from the Divide project is Andover Ventures, also in a joint venture agreement with NPN Investments. Andover drilled seven test holes at their so-called Bulk Gold project, on mile 22 of the Kougarok Road.

Test results are pending. Andover president Michael England, also director at NPN Investments, told The Nome Nugget, "We finished drilling seven holes this summer and are still analyzing the results." England also said that so far Andover has no concrete plans to develop the property. "There are no plans in place yet, we’re just checking it out," England said.

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