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Roger Burggraf, a highly-regarded supporter and leader in the Alaska mining industry, is donating his personal gold collection to the UA Museum of the North. This collection spans his nearly 50-year career as a miner and mine operator. The museum is honored to be chosen as the care-taker of this legacy and would like to create a new exhibition on gold mining history to feature Roger’s collection.
Now through March 21, 2025 the museum is raising funds to support the design, installation, and maintenance of the exhibit.
This highly condensed history of Alaska gold mining will include key individuals from the turn of the 20th century, including operators of small claims up to dredges. It will also include the transition period into modern large industrial efforts through present day. The exhibit will showcase alluring gold nuggets, as well as dust and representative ore samples collected over Roger’s lifetime. Audio clips from interviews with Roger will share personal insights to this history in his own words. Stories from historians and other miners may be/will be incorporated as well. The exhibit will feature wall panels and a large, custom-built case in the museum’s Gallery of Alaska. Dimensions of case will be approx. 100” x 60” (either tall or wide) and 24” deep with pull-out drawers in the lower section. As currently conceived, the grounding visual element will be a geologic map of Interior Alaska with many newly donated objects mounted directly over the map to highlight local mining history, its geographic scale, and its diverse practices.
Donor Recognition
At the end of March 2025, all non-anonymous donors will be listed on a physical acknowledgement given to Roger Burggraf personally, in recognition of his donation and contributors who supported this exhibit. Donor names will be included on this website’s Donor Wall as well as digital donor panels and the annual donor plaque in the museum atrium. Major donors ($10,000+) receive additional recognition. Please contact Aelin Allegood at ajallegood@alaska.edu or (907) 378-1205 for details.
Gifts are directed through the University of Alaska Foundation, Tax ID # 23-7394620.
A public reception is being planned to honor Roger and celebrate his donation to the museum in Spring 2025. Information will be posted on the "Updates" tab on this website.
While the fundraising timeline is short, the exhibit design and installation is a two-year project. The tentative timeline includes:
This extended project timeline reflects coordination with other exhibit projects and the time to meaningfully communicate with all stakeholders.
Consistent with museum practice, the exhibit will provide a balanced story of mining from multiple perspectives. The museum reserves the right to decide the final form of these stories.
A gift to this project is eligible for the Alaska Education Tax Credit. Gifts from corporations who pay certain taxes to the State of Alaska may qualify for this tax benefit. Please consult your tax professionals to verify your eligibility.
If you have questions on donations and ways to support this project, please email ajallegood@alaska.edu or call (907) 378-1205.