Six weeks ago we decided to block out a few days in July to take a family trip. This is unusual for us because it means the entire air-taxi shuts down until we return. We booked two nights at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge and then worked like fools until the big vacation arrived. We crammed the 185 full of stuff, loaded the fam, and launched for McCarthy. The weather was cloudless and it was almost too hot for us pathetic Alaskans … I bet it was 70 degrees.
Kennicott was a huge copper/silver mine that was discovered in 1900. $23,000,000 dollars and 11 years later a railway had been built from the Kennicott mine in the Wrangell mountains to the costal town of Cordova where the copper was hauled and shipped to the Pacific Northwest. Over the next 38 years the mine grossed nearly $330,000,000 of which $100,000,000 was profit. The mine closed suddenly in 1938 following the great depression, and this ghost town was left behind.
The mill was built on the side of a 45 degree slope. These pictures do not do it justice as the enormity of these buildings will blow your mind considering the slopes on which they are perched.
Even in the early 1900’s the town had a movie theatre and some heated sidewalks. Some of the nicer cottages had indoor plumbing and electricity was run throughout.
I had not been here in more than 15 years and it was even cooler than I remembered. McCarthy is 60 miles from Chitna on the old rail-road bed and it used to take a half day to drive. The road is much better now, from what I understand, but I am glad we flew. It was way too hot to sit in a car :o) The first time I visited the only way to access the town of McCarthy was by using a hand tram to cross the river. A private bridge has now been built and regular shuttle service provides transport from the small town of McCarthy to the Kennicott mine just 4.5 miles up valley.
The toe of the Kennicott glacier sprawls out in front of the mine, and the Root glacier can be easily accessed with a short walk. The scenery will blow your mind.
I’ve been way too busy this summer so it was great to spend some time with my two girlfriends … my wife and my daughter.
The Kennicott mine processed the minerals collected at the Bonanza, Jumbo, Eerie, and Motherload mines located high in the hills. The remains of these mines could be spotted as we flew home. I believe this is a photo of Eerie mine. There are more than 60 miles of tunnels dug into this mountain and I have no idea how they transported the lumber to these sights to build these enormous structures 4000′ off the valley floor.
This is the Kennicott Glacier as we climbed out of McCarthy headed for Sheep Mountain.