By suing the U.S. Department of Interior for quiet title to the state's rights of way for the Coldfoot-Chandalar Lake, Caro-to-Coldfoot and Wiseman-to-Chandalar trails, the state of Alaska may breathe new life into a century-old gold mining region.

The lawsuit, filed April 11 in federal district court in Washington, D.C., also named Alaska Northwest Natural Gas Transportation Co., Yukon Pacific Co...