John Lemon was a

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...

in the U.S. state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. In 1879, Lemon operated a

placer mine Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment. Placer mining is frequently used for pr ...

with James Hollywood in what was the

District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military designation. ...

. Lemon and Hollywood mined for gold in what would later be named Lemon Creek. In the same year, Lemon and Hollywood also worked in Silver Bay. In 1880, Lemon was in the

Cassiar Mountains , photo = Cassiar Highway.jpg , photo_size = 280px , photo_caption = Cassiar Mountains along Stewart-Cassiar Highway near Good Hope Lake , country = Canada , subdivision1_type = Provinces , subdivision1 ...

. He traveled to

Sitka, Alaska russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

early in the year, where he joined the Edmund Bean party, and in the summer of 1880 helped blaze a trail over Chilkoot Pass to the headwaters of the

Yukon River The Yukon River (Gwichʼin language, Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Central Alaskan Yup'ik language, Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq language, Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag language, Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän language, Hän: ''Tth'echù' ...

. The area in which Lemon mined has since been incorporated into modern day

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

Legacy

Several natural landmarks, at least one structure and the neighborhood that grew around the site of his placer mine in present-day Juneau have been named for John Lemon. They include: *

Lemon Creek, Alaska Lemon Creek (Lingít: ''Eixh'gulhéen'') is a neighborhood in Juneau, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska, United States. It is northwest of downtown Juneau. It is the site of the List of Alaska state prisons, Lemon Creek Correctional Center. The neighborhood ...

, a mixed use neighborhood in Juneau, surrounding both banks of its namesake Lemon Creek. * Lemon Creek, a watershed on which John Lemon prospected, and operated a placer mine. The creek is filled by

meltwater Meltwater is water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice, tabular icebergs and ice shelves over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing. Meltwater can be ...

from local glaciers. * Lemon Creek Glacier, the primary source of water feeding Lemon Creek. * Lemon Creek Correctional Center, an Alaska state prison located adjacent to Lemon Creek.Lemon Creek Correctional Center
State of Alaska, Department of Corrections. Accessed September 15, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemon, John Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Gold prospectors People of pre-statehood Alaska