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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Kennicott Mining
Three hundred miles east of Anchorage in a glacier-carved valley deep in the heart of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park are the historic ghost towns of Kennecott and McCarthy. These towns sprang up in the early 1900’s after “Tarantula Jack” Smith and Clarence Warner discovered the richest copper deposit in history. Kennecott quickly became the most modern city in Alaska, boasting running water and a hospital at a time when Anchorage was populated with tents.
Abandoned in 1938, many of the mines, buildings and equipment stand as they were on that last day, leaving a living history of those rugged days of high adventure. In the last few years the National Park Service purchased the property and began stabilization and restoration of some of the buildings. Guided tours into the mine buildings are offered by St. Elias Alpine Guides, whose knowledgeable guides will bring to life the miraculous story of this world-class copper mine.
The Kennecott and McCarthy Alaska ghost towns are a day drive or a short flight from Anchorage, located near the end of the McCarthy Road. Nearby lodging is available at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, a replica of the historic mining buildings featuring quiet bedrooms filled with mining artifacts.
In the early 1900s the Kennecott Mining Co. transported copper from its mines near McCarthy by railroad along the Chitina and Copper rivers to ships at Cordova. Ore was extracted from these productive mines between 1911 and 1938 and lured many people to the area. Gold was extracted from the Nabesna area, then too. Mining still takes place on private lands in the park, and evidence of earlier mining includes ruins of the Kennecott mines, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In mining's heyday the Indian villages expanded and several new towns sprang up. Copper Center, Chitina, Gulkana, and Chistochina are among the old Athabascan settlements. The town of Yakutat is a traditional Tlingit fishing village.
Abandoned in 1938, many of the mines, buildings and equipment stand as they were on that last day, leaving a living history of those rugged days of high adventure. In the last few years the National Park Service purchased the property and began stabilization and restoration of some of the buildings. Guided tours into the mine buildings are offered by St. Elias Alpine Guides, whose knowledgeable guides will bring to life the miraculous story of this world-class copper mine.
The Kennecott and McCarthy Alaska ghost towns are a day drive or a short flight from Anchorage, located near the end of the McCarthy Road. Nearby lodging is available at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, a replica of the historic mining buildings featuring quiet bedrooms filled with mining artifacts.
In the early 1900s the Kennecott Mining Co. transported copper from its mines near McCarthy by railroad along the Chitina and Copper rivers to ships at Cordova. Ore was extracted from these productive mines between 1911 and 1938 and lured many people to the area. Gold was extracted from the Nabesna area, then too. Mining still takes place on private lands in the park, and evidence of earlier mining includes ruins of the Kennecott mines, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In mining's heyday the Indian villages expanded and several new towns sprang up. Copper Center, Chitina, Gulkana, and Chistochina are among the old Athabascan settlements. The town of Yakutat is a traditional Tlingit fishing village.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Season is Winding Down
Well, its August and it won't be long before I'm back in Georgia. The internet has not been what I would have hoped for, but the trip has! Even though this journey has been VERY VERY hard without Wendel by my side, it has been a good one! I have seen alot and learned alot and I know that Wendel and I are doing the right thing, but making our plans to move to Alaska. This is where the Lord wants us - I feel sure of that! Even though our plans seem to be changing sometimes daily, I know this is our final destination. I'm at peace with that fact.
I hope to have more blog enties soon,I'm currently having trouble with the slideshow program I'm using or I would have one now, please be patient and have a great rest of the summer!
Happy Trails!
Sandy
I hope to have more blog enties soon,I'm currently having trouble with the slideshow program I'm using or I would have one now, please be patient and have a great rest of the summer!
Happy Trails!
Sandy
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Where I Live
The following slideshow is of the lodge, downtown Kennicott, the bunkhouse where I live and other stuff. Thought some of you might be interested. Hope you enjoy. More to come soon. Happy Trails! Sandy
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
The McCarthy Road
My journey here was interesting, but I want to tell you about the last 59 miles of the trip. The road is called the McCarthy Road and it is gravel, it is part of the old railroad bed for the Copper River and Northwestern Railroad that carried copper mined and milled in Kennicott 196 miles to the port of Cordova to be shipped to Tacoma Washington for smelting. The railway was constructed between 1908 and 1911 and the railroad operated for 27 years. The last train pulled into Cordova on November 11, 1938. The rails and ties were removed for salvage and culverts were set in place and the road graded in the 1960’s. This road is known statewide and a “rough” road and even though it has slowly been upgraded over the years, it is still dirt, narrow in places and requires caution. Oh ya, and from time to time old railroad spikes surface, so make sure you have a good spare! Facilities along the road are minimal and on a good day it only takes you 2 to 2 ½ hours to make it to the end. This is a beautiful drive, seeing all sorts of wildlife, mountains, you cross the Kuskulana River Gorge on a bridge built in 1911 that spans 283 feet across the gorge and you make a gradual climb from 500 feet at Chitina to 1500 feet at McCarthy. There are several lakes along the way for good Salmon and Trout fishing. When you get to the end of this road, you can cross the Kennicott River, but you have to by foot. Visitors are not allowed to bring their cars across. The footbridge was constructed by the state DOT in 1997, before that you got across on a cabled tram that stretched across the river. We make sure when guests make reservations and say they are driving to McCarthy that we explain to them how long the trip will take and what to do when they get here. You see, as of this y ear the lodge now has a parking lot a ¼ of a mile from the footbridge that our guests can park in, then an attendant calls us at the lodge, takes the guests to the footbridge, they cross the bridge and then after about 20 minutes (that’s how long it takes us to drive there) we pick the up on the other side and drive them to the lodge. So even though it is well worth it, it is a JOURNEY to get here!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
About the Wrangell -St. Elias National Park
You must see Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to believe it. The largest U.S. national park at 13 million acres, it equals six Yellowstones, with peaks upon peaks and glaciers after glaciers. The park lets you sample Alaska wildlife as well as historic mining sites. Hike its mountains, float its rivers, ski its glaciers, or fly over this landscape and you witness living geology. You sense discovery, the feeling you might be the first to see such sights. Roads are few, so this means many travelers will not enter the park itself, but major peaks – Blackburn, Sanford, Drum, and Wrangell – are seen from nearby highways. Four major mountain ranges meet in the park, which includes nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. The Wrangells huddle in the northern interior. The Chugach guard the southern coast. The Saint Elias Mountains rise abruptly from the Gulf of Alaska to thrust northward past the Chugach on toward the Wrangells. The eastern end of the Alaska Range-mapped as the Nutzotin and Mentasta mountains-forms part of the preserve’s northern boundary.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
A room with a view
The view out my room window is of the glacier’s moraine, which is the rock and dirt that is pushed up as the mountain and the glacier collide. The white ice of the glacier begins about 2 and a half miles from the lodge.
Look for more to come soon, with more picture. Even though the internet is currently up, it can go down at any time and is verrry slow, please be patient, with Wendel's help we will get more up real soon. Happy Trails!
My Glacier Hike
I went on a glacier hike and ice climbing the Sunday (May 18th) after we arrived – that was a blast! We hiked out about 3 miles one way onto the glaciers’ white ice and climbed a wall of ice that was about 15 feet up to get the feel for how to climb then we hiked over to a “moliun”,(sounds like moo lon) which is a big hole in the ice that has water in the bottom of it and this one had a stream running out of it. The ice wall was about 25 feet down to the water and the watering hole was about another 150 feet deep. We repelled down the side of the wall as far as we wanted to go and then climbed back out. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be and I surprised the younger people, who were with me (other staff) as well as myself on how well I did for my first trip. I hope to try this again this summer!
I've made it and I can finally talk about it
Sorry for the delay in getting any postings up. We just got internet service running today (May 31st). I don’t know how reliable our service will be, so I will also be sending Wendel pictures and copy, so between the two of us will be try to keep you posted!
I left Augusta at 6:30am and arrived in Anchorage at 3:30pm local time (7:30pm Georgia time) on the 15th and had to stay over an extra day, because our lodge van was being worked on. My flights were good and all of my connections were on time. So we departed on the 17th for the 8 hour trip to the lodge. It was a nice trip with beautiful scenery. Different from my times visiting before, because there is still a lot of snow on the mountains.
Well, we arrived at the lodge and I started work on the 19th. Work is going great! We have had guests from France, Belgium, locals from Alaska as well as from the states. The weather has been great with the lows to begin with in the high 30’s and now in the 40’s and the highs in the mid 50’s to begin with to now the high 60’s or low 70’s for a few days. We are getting our real first rain yesterday (May 30th).
We’ve had 4 moose sightings and a few bear sightings since we arrived. There seems to be a juvenile bear that is wandering around up here. Hopefully he will move on before he gets into real trouble.
The sun sets about midnight now and rises about 3 to 4 am. I’ve pretty much gotten use to it and can go to sleep and wake up without it affecting me.
I left Augusta at 6:30am and arrived in Anchorage at 3:30pm local time (7:30pm Georgia time) on the 15th and had to stay over an extra day, because our lodge van was being worked on. My flights were good and all of my connections were on time. So we departed on the 17th for the 8 hour trip to the lodge. It was a nice trip with beautiful scenery. Different from my times visiting before, because there is still a lot of snow on the mountains.
Well, we arrived at the lodge and I started work on the 19th. Work is going great! We have had guests from France, Belgium, locals from Alaska as well as from the states. The weather has been great with the lows to begin with in the high 30’s and now in the 40’s and the highs in the mid 50’s to begin with to now the high 60’s or low 70’s for a few days. We are getting our real first rain yesterday (May 30th).
We’ve had 4 moose sightings and a few bear sightings since we arrived. There seems to be a juvenile bear that is wandering around up here. Hopefully he will move on before he gets into real trouble.
The sun sets about midnight now and rises about 3 to 4 am. I’ve pretty much gotten use to it and can go to sleep and wake up without it affecting me.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Sandy's Arrival In Alaska
For those of you following Sandy's progress to Alaska here is an update. She arrived safely in Anchorage on 5/15 at about 8:00pm eastern time. She then learned that her departure for the lodge would be delyaed by one day, so she was able to spend Saturday exploring Anchorage. She departed for the lodge on 5/17 at about 9:00am Alaska time. Apparently the lodge phones or internet have not been turned on as of yet, I last spoke with her from Glenallen, about four hours from the lodge, at about 3:00pm Alaska time as they were headed to the lodge. She is having a great time so far and I am waiting to hear from her soon, hopefully early in the week. That is all I have until she is able to call again.
Wendel
Wendel
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Are They There Yet?
Well I’m getting ready to start my trip to Alaska. I mailed some of my clothes and supplies ahead around the middle of April. I’m still waiting for confirmation from the post office that my stuff has arrived at the lodge in Alaska. I hope it gets there before I do!
Time is getting close, I will catch my flight to Alaska in the early morning of May 15th and will get to Anchorage mid afternoon (Alaska time – 4 hours behind the East). I will then spend a night in Anchorage and head out the next day with other staff members on the lodge van for the 6 to 7 hour ride to McCarthy and the lodge. Stay tune for details. Happy Trails!
Time is getting close, I will catch my flight to Alaska in the early morning of May 15th and will get to Anchorage mid afternoon (Alaska time – 4 hours behind the East). I will then spend a night in Anchorage and head out the next day with other staff members on the lodge van for the 6 to 7 hour ride to McCarthy and the lodge. Stay tune for details. Happy Trails!
Facts You Should Know About The Area
If you don’t know much about where I am going – here are a few facts you might find interesting.
The history of Kennicott began in 1900, when prospectors spotted a patch of green hillside that looked like good grazing ground for their pack horses. The grass, as fate would have it, turned out to be the green glint of copper ore. From that incident, a boom town was born. Just 4 miles down the mountain is McCarthy. It has a very colorful history! Since no gambling or drinking were 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, McCarthy, like Kennicott, became a ghost town. Unlike Kennicott, however, McCarthy has always had a few hardy soles who have made it their home.
Location:
The Kennicott-McCarthy area is at the end of the gravel McCarthy Road across the footbridge and 60 miles from the end of the pavement in Chitnia. You can pick up a few supplies in Chitnia, but for real shopping, medical services, gas and the post office you have to go to Glennallen about 125 miles from Kennicott-McCarthy. On a good day it takes 3 to 3 ½ hours to drive from McCarthy to Glennallen. Anchorage to McCarthy is approximately a 6 to 7 hour drive.
Weather:
Alaska can be very changeable. The lodge is at 2200' elevation and sits right next to a glacier. It is in a cul-de-sac surrounded by mountains on three sides. The summer weather is generally good and they get very little wind. On sunny days the temperature may get up to 80 degrees F, with nighttime lows in the 50's. On rainy days, however, the 25 mile long icecube in front of the lodge cools things off to the 40's very quickly! May through August temperatures run 40 to 80 deg. F, and September runs 30 to 60 deg. F.
Clothing & Equipment:
Casual and comfortable clothing is the order of the day here. Outdoor clothing that can be layered for warmth works great. Lightweight hiking boots or walking shoes are suitable, unless you want to do some serious ice or rock climbing. Llight weight rain gear is a must. A hat, gloves, and sunglasses might be welcomed out on the glacier.
Stores:
There are no grocery or general merchandise stores in either McCarthy or Kennicott. There are gift shops, but items like batteries, cigarettes, groceries, and toiletries are not available.
Communications:
McCarthy gets mail service twice weekly (Wed. & Fri.) flown in from the post office in Glennallen. Stamps are not available at Kennicott.
The history of Kennicott began in 1900, when prospectors spotted a patch of green hillside that looked like good grazing ground for their pack horses. The grass, as fate would have it, turned out to be the green glint of copper ore. From that incident, a boom town was born. Just 4 miles down the mountain is McCarthy. It has a very colorful history! Since no gambling or drinking were 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, McCarthy, like Kennicott, became a ghost town. Unlike Kennicott, however, McCarthy has always had a few hardy soles who have made it their home.
Location:
The Kennicott-McCarthy area is at the end of the gravel McCarthy Road across the footbridge and 60 miles from the end of the pavement in Chitnia. You can pick up a few supplies in Chitnia, but for real shopping, medical services, gas and the post office you have to go to Glennallen about 125 miles from Kennicott-McCarthy. On a good day it takes 3 to 3 ½ hours to drive from McCarthy to Glennallen. Anchorage to McCarthy is approximately a 6 to 7 hour drive.
Weather:
Alaska can be very changeable. The lodge is at 2200' elevation and sits right next to a glacier. It is in a cul-de-sac surrounded by mountains on three sides. The summer weather is generally good and they get very little wind. On sunny days the temperature may get up to 80 degrees F, with nighttime lows in the 50's. On rainy days, however, the 25 mile long icecube in front of the lodge cools things off to the 40's very quickly! May through August temperatures run 40 to 80 deg. F, and September runs 30 to 60 deg. F.
Clothing & Equipment:
Casual and comfortable clothing is the order of the day here. Outdoor clothing that can be layered for warmth works great. Lightweight hiking boots or walking shoes are suitable, unless you want to do some serious ice or rock climbing. Llight weight rain gear is a must. A hat, gloves, and sunglasses might be welcomed out on the glacier.
Stores:
There are no grocery or general merchandise stores in either McCarthy or Kennicott. There are gift shops, but items like batteries, cigarettes, groceries, and toiletries are not available.
Communications:
McCarthy gets mail service twice weekly (Wed. & Fri.) flown in from the post office in Glennallen. Stamps are not available at Kennicott.
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