In August 1900, two prospectors spotted a green patch of hillside that looked like good grazing for their pack horses. The green turned out to be part of a mountain of copper ore.

From that incident, a boom town was born, where 600 workers lived, toiled and played. Within 20 years the strike proved to be the richest known concentration of copper ore in the world. Kennicott became a company town that included homes, a laundry, machine shop, hospital, general store, schoolhouse, baseball field, skating rink, wood surface tennis court, a recreation hall, dairy and a powerhouse which generated steam and electricity.  By 1911, a railroad had been built 196 miles through the wilderness to tidewater at Cordova to remove the ore.  Kennicott had five mines: Bonanza, Jumbo, Mother Lode, Erie and Glacier. The ore from these mines was analyzed as containing 70% copper as well as silver and traces of gold.

The centerpiece of the town was a massive 14-story mill building where copper ore was processed for shipment.  Kennecott produced 4.625 million tons of ore averaging 13 per cent copper valued at roughly $207,000,000. In addition, the silver by-product from this operation brought in another 4½ to 9 million.

 

Today the National Park Service (NPS) is hard at work restoring and preserving Kennicott Mine. Kennicott was in terrible condition when the NPS took over the site. 70 years of neglect have allowed the buildings to be undermined by flooding and unstable soils. First order of business was to beef up the foundations. Then structural repairs, new windows and doors, then paint. Slowly but surely Kennicott is coming back to life.

 
 

 

Now the Kennicott Mine is at the center of America’s largest national park.  Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is 13.2 million acres, or six times the size of Yellowstone. Here you'll find North America's largest sub polar ice field, which stretches 100 miles, as well as nine of the 16 highest peaks on U.S. soil (including Mount St. Elias at18, 008.) The park also encompasses glaciers, rivers and an active volcano. Only two roads lead into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and one of them is the 58 mile Chitina-McCarthy gravel road. Beginning at the Copper River it follows the abandoned railroad route to the historic town of Kennicott.  

On the way to Kennicott is the tiny historic town of McCarthy. McCarthy became the site of the CRNR turnaround station and businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and stores quickly developed.  McCarthy has a very colorful history. Since no gambling or drinking was allowed in the mining town of Kennicott, McCarthy evolved as a diversion for the miners, providing saloons and a red light district. At its peak, McCarthy provided services to the area's 800 residents. When the mine closed in 1938, Kennicott became a ghost town. Unlike Kennicott, McCarthy has a few hardy souls who have made it their home.

When we crossed the mighty Copper River we saw folks fishing for pink salmon. Several men were net fishing along the bank below the bridge. I can’t even imagine doing this. The water is straight off a glacier and is freezing cold and moving so swiftly it makes standing in the swirling water difficult! One slip and the waders they wear would fill with water and drag them down into the deep river.

 

 

For those Alaskans who can afford the permit the fishing wheel is safer and more productive. The river was lined with fishing wheels. We stopped to watch as the wheels were emptied of their precious cargo. This man scooped out 5 or 6 salmon every time he dipped his net in the wheel’s holding tank. The amount of fish he can take is based on the number of people in his family. He hoped to take 500 fish during the pinks run. After the fish are lugged to shore he has to fillet them for drying, smoking or canning. It is hard, wet, cold, messy work. Many Alaskan’s depend on salmon to make it through the year.