The Windham Chief Consolidated Gold Mining Co. was formed to work the Apache and Navajo claims near the head of Spruce Creek but spent much of 1900 fighting legal battles among owners. These squabbles were smoothed out when Amos Raymer became interested in the ground. In 1901, preparatory work was done and a road was built from the beach to haul machinery to the mine site. About $5,000.00 was spent that year. In 1903, Pat O'Neil spent the summer driving two tunnels into the veins and testing the ore in a 2-stamp prospecting mill, with less-than-anticipated results. The next year, 1904, R.V. Rowe found ore and in September Raymer gave a tunnelling contract to Tom Cutler and Jack Panns for the Apache claim. Rowe drove another tunnel on the Apache during 1905 but that was the last interest shown in the property for many years. By the end of 1905 there were four tunnels with about 400-500 feet of workings and a 20-foot deep shaft on the Windham Chief property. (Adapted from Earl Redman's "History of the mines and miners in the Juneau gold belt," p. 221.)