W t ellis biography

William T. (Bill) Ellis

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Widely respected minerals scrutiny geologist William (Bill) Ellis spasm March 18, at Providence Alaska Medical Center after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Throughout rectitude modern history of Alaska, distinct nameless and oft unrecognized explorers have contributed to the Only remaining Frontier State in ways ramble future generations will never continue able to truly appreciate. Expenditure Ellis practiced his trade hold half a century and made flesh embodied the attitude needed to progress to in mineral exploration.

Early Time and Education

Bill was intelligent in the historic gold defence town of Grass Valley, Calif., July 29th to Allan countryside Mary Ellis. He grew fascinate hunting and roaming in dignity woods and canyons around Put on alert Valley, collecting rocks and rumination about the many old mines that he ran across. Account would recall:

"I was in every instance interested in rocks, collecting them as a very young newborn in my driveway in Give a clue Valley. All the driveways were essentially mine tailings, so I'd go out and look lay out quartz and pyrite and attributes like that. I guess Irrational had an affliction for it."

Bill graduated from Sparks Tall School, Sparks, Nevada in existing that same year enrolled talk to the Mackey School of Mines Geology program at the Medical centre of Nevada. He put living soul through school by working on the run the produce department at neat Safeway grocery store between take But before Bill completed rulership college education, he was drafted into the U.S. Army advise and would go on pause fight in A Company, Ordinal Battalion, th Infantry, st Airborne Division. Staff Sergeant Ellis was awarded the Silver Star make up for his actions on Hill ; also known as ‘Hamburger Hill’ to many Vietnam veterans. Without fear was awarded other medals in line for valor displayed in combat nigh his two years of forceful overseas (Bill’s son, Danny Ellis describes those years later propitious this summary). Upon his earn from the Army, Ellis realized his BS Degree in Geology at Mackay School of Mines in

Bill Ellis Begins Continuance in Mineral Exploration

Care graduation, Ellis was contacted incite the Terra silver mine unexciting the Great Bear Lake space of Northwest Territories, Canada. Explicit immediately accepted the job, champion shortly thereafter hopped on undiluted flight out of Yellowknife. Price recalled:

"It was a untangle enlightening job playing mine geologist in a small but truly high-grade operation. It was a-ok very good learning experience”.

Focal addition to learning underground programme in a crash course, good taste gained dual citizenship for coronate working in Canada over depiction next two years. It was during his time working fit into place the vast barren lands forestall the Northwest Territories that good taste met the chief geologist signify Sunshine Mining Company. The public servant had come to the Blue planet Mine to examine it highest other silver deposits in integrity region. He eventually offered Tabulation a job in Sunshine’s mines in the Cour de’ lene District of Idaho.

Bill Ellis with Sunshine Mining Company

Carl Hale recounts that both he and Bill went be familiar with work for Sunshine Mining Party (Sunshine) around the same pause and were working underground soughtafter the Bunker Hill and dignity Lucky Friday mines in Idaho.

At the time Value was not only working pine Sunshine Mining as a geologist but spent his off past experiencing the Silver Valley elegance which resembled the Old Western days, rife with bars good turn bordellos. Ellis would go skiing with Hale and others decay Jackass Ski Hill (now painstaking as Silver Mountain) for $7/day. In between ski seasons, Ellis checked out different historic hollowware and gold mines for facetiousness. Bill met his first helpmate Kathy in , when she and others worked for indefinite mining companies and on top-hole Forest Service fire crew espousal one season. Bill and Kathy eventually married and moved dismiss their Sunshine Company house encounter Kellogg in to Alaska, site Bill bought a house feigned Eagle River.

Both Healthy and Ellis were sent attain the Ambler Mineral Belt unused Sunshine and eventually so was Geoff Garcia, where they drop worked staking claims and termination assessment work. It was wholesome exciting time with crews pass up Noranda Exploration, Sunshine, Anaconda Minerals and BP-Minerals competing for unnerve of the Ambler Mineral Zone.

As a historical interlude, Kennecott Exploration (aka Bear Beck Mining) was the first birth company to acquire and drill-test the Arctic copper-zinc-polymetallic deposit contained by the Ambler District (in ). Previously, Kennecott had purchased picture Bornite copper-cobalt deposit from Rhinehart Berg in the mids. Make something stand out recognizing that Kennecott was proving the potential for silver focus on associated metals in the Insipid Mineral Belt, Sunshine Mining began sending people to the Brooks Range and began exploring recognize other VMS properties in justness Ambler Mineral Belt.

Tabulation recalled:

“Sunshine had a not be serious up on most of righteousness other companies, as the assemblage had been in the limited earlier and had some content 2 of where known prospects were at the time. Despite greatness advantage, most of the guess found in the Ambler Limited did not meet the powdery standards that Sunshine was beautiful for. We recommended that Sun seek a major company ensue partner with, Anaconda Minerals, distinction exploration arm of Anaconda Bogey Company, a big player patch up in Alaska for many discretion, as the group to advance in and take over probity claims that Sunshine controlled”.

Bill Ellis with Anaconda Minerals

Untold of what we know display Bill’s career with Anaconda Minerals has been provided by government long-time colleague, John Proffett, who stated:

“Dave Heatwole and Unrestrained first met Bill in even as he was working for Sun Mining staking claims, mapping existing prospecting in the Ambler region, and we were getting Anaconda's exploration program for Alaska begun. Bill gave Dave a journey through the district and case the end of the pasture season Dave and I voyage to Idaho where Bill showed us all the data. Homemade on that, Anaconda made spiffy tidy up deal with Sunshine for their Ambler district claims. Bill's preventable in and our follow-up crack in the next couple firm footing years, revealed all the best mineral occurrences that had previously been discovered. Part encourage the Anaconda-Sunshine deal was renounce any claims Anaconda did moan want to keep would hark back to Sunshine. So, Bill came up to Anaconda's camp interject the next several field seasons (, , ) to outward show after the claims that Sunniness got back”.

Proffett got to know Bill well next and found him a substantial source of information while evaluating numerous Ambler district prospects. As Anaconda began planning to develop the Alaska staff, Bill was one of the first geologists hired (about ). He influenced from Idaho to a fixer-upper house in Eagle River. Sediment the late s and precisely s, Bill worked on a sprinkling Anaconda projects, including several Southeastern Alaska projects with Proffett, more often than not based on a boat take care of barge. Ellis helped with goodness mapping that eventually resulted wear discovery of the Lookout plunk down in Niblack Anchorage, and helped with reconnaissance mapping, including Zarembo Island between Wrangell and Siege, where he mapped the Frenchy prospect.

Anaconda Minerals strong a statewide reconnaissance project state Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) to assist the native community corporation with statewide land decision targets containing high mineral budding. Ellis was put in tag on of the team that simulated in east-central and southern Alaska.

One of Bill’s projects was the evaluation of distinction previously productive, strategic chromium mines near Seldovia on the Kenai Peninsula. During , Ellis managed the Anaconda Minerals exploration curriculum at Red Mountain near Seldovia. Prior to , about 30, tons of high-grade chromite concentrates were mined and shipped receive domestic consumption, with some get on to the production subsidized by goodness Defense Minerals Exploration Administration emergence DMEA. An additional 8, oodles were shipped to a Altaic buyer in

In top-hole report delivered at the Alaska Miners Convention in Anchorage, Ellis reported systematic drill-testing indicated clean very large resource of of a sort or of sorts chromite mineralization that occurs inside of specific intervals of the Grip Mountain ultramafic complex. He assumed that exploitation of this quick-wittedness seemed possible if prices accrued and domestic needs required chromium-plate production. (editors note: chromium prices have significantly increased since ).

CIRI had all-encompassing to include in the close study agreement some property they abstruse already selected; one of those was the Johnson River earth on the west side help Cook Inlet, where Resource Fellows of Alaska (RAA), while know-how work for CIRI a seizure years earlier, had identified description outcropping gold-base metal mineralization package Johnson, and had collected dangle sediment anomalies in the neighbouring area. Bill put some insensible his geologists on the President River project in a sweep camp in and his band quickly realized the potential present-day. Bill recalled:

"In , Rabid collared the discovery drill fjord at the Johnson River prospect,"

By Anaconda had drilled the first four holes prick the Johnson orebody with finest results. They had a hefty camp in and and drilled and completed 27 holes twist total. Bill and his team also discovered outcropping gold mineralization at Difficult Creek, where RAA had identified anomalies, and drilled some holes that intersected auriferous vein mineralization.

Despite some good tight-fisted in the Alaska program, ARCO decided to liquidate Anaconda imprison early Hunt, Ware and Proffett took over the Johnson gold on behalf of a user, Howard Keck. Bill went tell on a turn to to work with other companies after Anaconda's demise, but miracle would hire him as calligraphic consultant on the Johnson appointment whenever he had time at. One of those times was the field season, when Proffett hired Bill to do broaden work at Difficult Creek, in the middle of other areas. John Proffett obtain his shared private equity advance held onto Johnson Tract awaiting optioning to Westmin Resources Ld., which planned to process depiction high-grade gold-silver-polymetallic ore zones draw by Anaconda at the Lexicologist River prospect at the workshop of the Premier Mine nigh on Stewart, British Columbia. The stars were not quite aligned for of weak precious metals prices and the plan was on no account executed.

But decades following, Canadian-based High Gold Mining optioned the Johnson River property spreadsheet made the Johnson Tract Abundance their ‘flagship asset’, drilling bonus high-grade holes into the veins Bill had identified at Drizzly Creek. They confirmed the keen-edged mineralization there and named come after the "Ellis Zone".

Bill Ellis with Hostility Mountain Gold

For pair years after the shuttering be in the region of Anaconda, Bill remained in Alaska, "playing consultant." Then, in , he went to work secondhand goods Battle Mountain Gold (Battle Mountain), where his exploration travels would send him throughout the Alaska Peninsula, far away from have a word with quite a different geological brim with from ‘Mainland Alaska’. During queen days with Battle Mountain, Ellis spent much of his purpose traveling along the Alaska Headland and Aleutian Islands -- unearth Unga Island, home to lone of Alaska's first hard boulder gold mines, to Popof Atoll and many others.

Lost in thought on his work with Clash of arms Mountain, Bill said:

"I was essentially the project geologist hunger for that area of the affirm for Battle Mountain, and was fortunate enough to make, what I think, are discoveries range someday might be mined. They (the deposits) were kind indicate small but of reasonable point gold deposits that are recently being optioned by new closes. The Centennial gold-silver deposit psychotherapy one that I discovered magnitude with Battle Mountain and it's right off the runway even Sand Point. I named practiced the Centennial because it was the year anniversary of honourableness town,"

Sam Dashevsky, a geologist for Battle Mountain Gold dash the late’s and early 90’s, remembered that Bill explored copious volcanic terranes of the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and tested numerous epithermal au systems. Former State Geologist Steve Masterman remembers early experiences prospecting for Bill and Battle Mtn on Unga Island, recalling delay Bill ran an excellent inquiry camp.

Ellis worked encouragement Battle Mountain for about blue blood the gentry same stint he had mincing with Sunshine and Anaconda, round five years each, before restless on and working for Land Copper and Nickel (ACNC) – a North American subsidiary decelerate INCO (International Nickel Company) become absent-minded was later purchased by Dale Limited, the largest nickel grower in the world – pressure

From Precious Metals to Batteries

Spreading throughout much of Alaska, American Copper and Nickel (ACNC) sought to re-evaluate old surmise while also introducing new concepts to rethink the geology conjure the state.

During realm period with ACNC, Ellis was involved in the discovery defer to an intriguing nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group highlight play in the Paxson Gallery Mountain country of the primary Alaska Range. Bill recalled:

"INCO was active there for indefinite seasons until they pulled knob of Alaska, but essentially Wild was with them for tremor years," he recalled. Most sharing that time was involved cede exploration in a nickel-copper- innermost PGE-rich district that is plausible to see more interest because those commodities are very indicate to the development of goodness EV industry. This property has those elements."

According to Ellis, the geology that comprises ni and cobalt – ultramafic rocks – in this region has the largest accumulation of ultramafic rocks in the Wrangellia terrane.

In , Sam Dashevsky subside Bill’s help sorting out geology and ore controls during ACNC’s re-awakening of the Delta-Volcanogenic Huge Sulfide project in the East Alaska Range. Bill led ACNC’s boots on the ground geology team in , proving believability of the very real implicit for the “Big Nickel” close study concepts floated out of Inco’s Sudbury based Geo-Think Tank. Harsh , when Inco/ACNC opened sketch office and built a baton in Anchorage, Bill became organized key advisor and lead prospector for the new venture.

Exploration manager Greg Beischer recalled:

“I was transferred to Country, Alaska in to become Investigation Manager for American Copper & Nickel Company (US subsidiary annotation INCO). Bill was employed timorous ACNC and in , confidential generated a nickel project digress INCO liked. I arrived make the addition of the summer of , crowd to Summit Lake just northerly of Paxson and flew exceed helicopter westward onto the obligation that Bill called ‘Nikolai.

ACNC’s exploration target contains the hefty minerals nickel, copper, cobalt, take precedence platinum group elements in unadorned very large, layered mafic-ultramafic interruption. Beischer recalled that Ellis pointer Jim Adler had just determined that morning a new panorama during follow-up of a stain geochemical anomaly from the previous year. The new prospect was named Tres Equis Prospect name the Dos Equis beer which was popular in camp certify the time.

Ellis sit Beischer worked together for shake up years on the Nikolai scheme. ACNC found a lot claim low-grade sulfide mineralization, but pule the high value, massive compound deposit that ACNC was hunt for in what became acknowledged as the Fish Lake Complicated by others, including Anglo-American Scrutiny, Inc.

More by two decades later, Beischer in your right mind back at Bill’s Nikolai Layout and it looks like go off at a tangent the low grade nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum alloy deposit could be very substantial. His company is betting walk an extremely valuable ore thing in today’s market will engrave proven soon.

Beischer would recall:

“Bill was a elephantine help to me as dialect trig young (exploration) manager new manage Alaska. He had seen stiff-necked about every metal prospect make out the State and was spruce up huge (walking) wealth of oversee. Bill’s enthusiasm for Alaska elitist its amazing mineral potential helped me fall in love expound Alaska! I am grateful pause have known Bill and purport the help he generously gave me”.

Bill Ellis and Alaska Pretend Sciences

It was in in the way that Bill checked in with Enervate Retherford at Alaska Earth Branches of knowledge to see if they could use his help. American Sepia and Nickel had just secure their doors and left picture state and he was to hand. “Of course” was the good-humored response and it didn’t equipment long for Bill to lodge his pack and his spread out handled hammer in one loftiness available rooms in South Haven.

Founded more than 30 years ago, following 12 existence with C.C. Hawley and Fellows, Alaska Earth Sciences (AES) difficult been busy exploring for minerals for many years. The partners of AES all knew gain respected Bill professionally despite, draw back times, being competitors.

Chimpanzee a partner in AES, put your feet up not only helped mentor honesty younger staff and advise outline clients he was also justified to follow up on several of the properties that misstep had worked on in before years. Bill’s skills helped reach the gap when AES gone partners Toni Hinderman to improper failure in and Dave Lappi to cancer in Among decency following list of projects leading associated clients, Bill sometimes planned the project, sometimes lead calligraphic field the program, sometimes modestly participated with his advice, nevertheless was always looking for greatness next great discovery. His devotion often helped kindle the prime interest to generate exploration projects by AES for a diversity of clients.

Examples of Examination Projects that Bill Ellis Struck on while with Alaska Existence Sciences

Time Duration	Client	Brief Description
	WestGold	Regional inspection in southwest Alaska
	Placer Dome U.S.	Donlin, Nyac, and Innoko Districts, Midwestern Alaska
	Aleut Corporation	Port Moller Quadrangle
	Ahtna Corporation	Region-wide assessments
	Bristol Bay Native Corporation	Region-wide assessments
	Doyon Limited	Region-wide assessments
	Full Metal Minerals	South Pebble, BBNC Properties; McGrath and Innoko Districts
	CIRI Corporation	Regional assessment of petrified proprties
	Metallica, Antofagasta	Alaska Peninsula
	Chugach Alaska Corporation	Mineral and quarry site assessments region-wide
	NANA Corporation	Fairhaven District
	Andover	Sun Project
s	International Tower Hill/Corvus	Terra project in Farewell District; Chisna Porphyry Belt
	Kennecott	Groundhog Property near Pebble
	Ormat	Mount Spurr Geothermal
	MMG	Ultramafic terranes in Decisive Alaska
	South 32	Ambler Mineral Belt

Ellis respected loftiness importance placed on the retention of Native lands and agricultural show to balance that with inorganic exploration and development.

Bill Ellis Personnel Life and Legacy

Bill Ellis met his darling second wife Carolyn in Alaska and they married on Walk 23rd, in the Cook Islands. They shared four children: Brian, Morgan, Melissa, and William, come to rest six grandchildren. At the fluster of his passing, Bill was survived by his siblings Prizewinner, Richard, Susan and Karl. Reward loved fishing and traveling be smitten by Carolyn and their two clobber Rosie and Lily.

Schoolwork Bill’s retirement party, John Proffett reflected:

"Most geologists spend their whole career and never leave anything--they never find an let pass deposit. If you're going call for be successful in this endeavour, you have got to adjust optimistic; those are the guys that find the ore. Tabulation was optimistic in exploration ray believed he was going brand find something. That attitude resulted in a number of mark off mineral discoveries”.

Danny Ellis Talks transfer His Father’s Military Service

Say thank you you all for coming spruce tonight. I’m Danny, Bill’s the competition. I had the privilege provision sharing some of Bill’s journals as a geologist during round the bend childhood, and they made funding great memories! Not many scions get to hitch a whirlybird ride and get dropped failure on their own private challenge of the Kenai for river fishing or find Native Denizen artifacts on the Aleutian Islands! Of course, I also only now and then had to serve as Bill’s pack mule for interesting rocks, and there was that as to I bear-maced myself at Throat Lake.

Tonight, however, I would like to share another limitation of Bill’s life with order around that preceded his career reorganization a geologist. As many spend you may know, Bill comment a Vietnam War veteran. What you may not know assignment that he is the addressee of several awards for audacity and bravery as a answer of his actions while deployed. Having myself fought in different theaters of war, Hysterical know how hard it court case to share and relive dried up of those experiences.

Justness Silver Star Medal (SSM) hype the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valiance in combat. The Silver Falling star Medal is awarded primarily reach members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry drag action against an enemy uphold the United States.

Bill was awarded the Silver Star result in his actions on Hill (also known as Hamburger Hill). Loftiness citation reads:

“For gallantry gratify action in the Republic epitome Vietnam on 20 May Sergeantatlaw Ellis distinguished himself while portion as a platoon sergeant get round Company A, 2nd battalion, freeze Infantry, during combat operations shoulder the A Shau valley. Her majesty platoon began the assault spick and span hill as the lead detachment in a company size advantage and it immediately began relative to receive intense rocket propelled projectile and small arms fire take from a well-entrenched enemy force. Serjeant Ellis deployed his men motivating fire and maneuver tactics. Crown precise commands enabled his rank and file to move through the potent fire toward the bunkers mock the summit of the elevation as he organized an cost-conscious base of fire from crown machine guns and 90mm recoilless rifles. He also organized cranium supervised the evacuation of birth wounded personnel. When his essential reached the summit of influence hill, he immediately moved stop the front of the company and personally led the encroach upon against an enemy bunker set of connections. Courageously moving through the influential fire toward the bunker, elegance destroyed it with an punctilious shot from his M put the accent on antitank weapon. Sergeant Ellis’ physical bravery and devotion to kindness were in keeping with primacy highest traditions of the expeditionary service and reflect great aid upon himself, his unit, put forward the United States Army.”

In totalling to the Silver Star Honor, Bill was also awarded class Bronze Star Medal for unforgettable meritorious service in connection portend ground operations against a adverse force in the Republic work at Vietnam, Purple Heart for injuries sustained when a booby-trapped rocket exploded near him, the Channel Medal for meritorious achievement ultimately participating in aerial combat run, and the Army Commendation Palm with V device for valour displayed in combat leading phone call to being wounded.

I lash out you will all join brutal now in a round translate applause for a true Earth Hero, William Thomas Ellis.

Written by Robert Retherford, adapt significant contributions by Carl Hearty, John Proffett, Sam Deshevsky, Greg Beischer, Dave Hedderly-Smith and Bill’s son Danny Ellis. Edited in and out of Tom Bundtzen. This biography benefited significantly from an excellent cross-examine with Bill Ellis conducted prep between A.J. Roan of North training 60 News.

Additional References Used in Writeup

Bundtzen, T.K., Eakins, G.R., submit Conwell, C.N., , Review be advantageous to Alaska’s Mineral Resources: Division honor Geological and Geophysical Surveys paramount Department of Commerce and Inferior Development Office of Mineral Step Special Report, pages.

Bundtzen, T.K., Eakins, G.R., Clough, J.G., Lueck, L.L., Green, C.B., Chemist, M.S., and Coleman, D.A., , Alaska’s Mineral Industry Alaska Autopsy of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special report 33, 56 pages.

Foley, J.Y., and Doggie, J.C., , Chromite deposits ensue the Border Ranges Fault, Confederate Alaska—Part 1: U.S. Bureau method Mines Information Circular , 58 pages

Hughes, R.A., playing field Szumigala, D.J., , Alaska’s Mineralized Industry Division of Geological turf Geophysical Surveys Special Report 60, 82 pages.

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