Tripping with MikenJudy 2012: Kennicott, AK

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We left the campground at 6:15 am to catch the 7:00 am Kennicott Shuttle in Glenallen, a half hour drive from the campground. After picking up seven other passengers we were on our way. It is 125 miles to Kennicott along the infamous 60 mile windy gravel McCarthy Road with a 35 mph speed limit. The road originated in 1909 as a railway to support the copper mines. When mining operations ceased in 1938 the rails were salvaged. In 1971 a new bridge was constructed over the Copper River and the rail bed was covered with gravel. In places remnants of railroad ties and track surface through the gravel along with the occasional spike causing unexpected hazards. Soft shoulders and steep drop offs add more excitement to the journey. That’s why we elected to take the shuttle. Major road construction was going on so we had the added excitement of having to hug the shoulder when large gravel trucks and other construction equipment were passing.

We crossed the Kuskulana River Canyon and Bridge. The bridge was constructed during the winter of 1910 and is perched 238 feet above the raging Kuskulana River. The road to McCarthy ends at the foot bridge, half a mile from town. Kennecott is 4 miles up the road, so we started uphill to where we picked up a shuttle. Another interesting site was the Gilahina Trestle. This wooden structure is 890 feet long and 90 feet high. It was completed in eight days in the winter 0f 1911. Due to the rugged landscape, over 15% of the entire railway was built on trestles such as this.

The history of Kennicott is very interesting. In 1900 two prospectors spotted a large green spot on the mountainside between the Kennicott Glacier and McCarthy Creek. What appeared to be a patch of green grass turned out to be one of the richest deposits of copper ore ever found. In 1906 Kennicott Mines was formed with the backing of J.P. Morgan and the Guggenheim Brothers. The next hurdle was constructing the railroad to transport the ore from the mines to the coastal town of Cordova, AK where it was shipped to Tacoma, WA for smelting. At its peak it had 500 employees. The mine was abruptly closed and the last train left in 1938 due to the falling prices of copper. Employees were given two hours to pack up and catch the last train, leaving many of their personal belongings behind. Kennicott had five mines at its peak in 1916. They produced $32 million worth of ore. Women and liquor were not permitted in Kennicott so McCarthy was established not too far away.

We were able to step back into history touring many of the buildings. On our return trip we stopped to see the many fish wheels that the native Alaskans are allowed to use for catching salmon.

It was a tiring but interesting 15 hour day. Everyone enjoyed the warm sunshine, especially since rain was forecast.