Gustof Anders Hedin
May 13, 1883, Sweden —
June 18, 1942, Seldovia, Alaska
Buried in Seldovia City Cemetery
Plot
#149
GUSTOF ANDERS HEDIN, “GUST was born in Norberg, Sweden May 13, 1883 to Anders Gustaf Hedin and Johanna Johansson. He was one of at least 8 siblings and several of his siblings may also have come to the United States.
At the time of the 1940 US Census, Gust was living in Livengood, Alaska, working as an underground miner at the Tolovana gold mine, and supposedly had submitted is first papers for US Citizenship but there is no record of his having completed that.
- Tolovana-Livengood district is about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Fairbanks on the Dalton Highway. In July, 1914 Jay Livengood and N.R. Hudson discovered gold on Livengood Creek. Hundreds of people arrived in the district the following winter. A post office existed at Livengood from 1915 to 1957. Only a few dozen people live at Livengood today, some only seasonally. A variety of creeks in the district were mined. Many gold lode occurrences are known and exploration continues for open pittable lode deposits. Over 500,000 ounces of gold have been recovered from placers in the district. Early development and production was from relatively shallow pay in tributaries of Livengood Creek. By 1939, large, deeply buried (80 to 110 feet), thawed, bench placer deposits on the northwest limit of Livengood Creek valley were defined. The pay streak varied from 100 to 1,000 feet (300 m) wide and was at least 6 miles (9.7 km) long. Gold reserves of over 1 million ounces were defined by drilling prior to 1940. A dredge operated near the town of Livengood in 1940, 1946 and probably other years. Alaska’s 12th-largest (73 troy ounces) and 16th-largest (56 troy ounces) nuggets were found in the district, on Dome Creek.
Gust was in Seldovia in 1942 when he registered for the US Draft during WWII. He was working as a miner at the Red Mountain Chromium Company.
In both 1940 and 1942, he was listed as single so it is possible he never married or had children.
Gust died June 18, 1942 in Seldovia from CO poisoning derived from a faulty engine on a boat. He iss buried in the Seldovia City Cemetery in plot 149.