99573, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. With the building and operation of the mines and their supply line — the Copper River and Northwestern Railway — this was the largest, most costly, and complex mining enterprise ever established in Alaska. The town of Kennecott is located at an elevation of 2,200 feet along side the Kennecott Glacier. There are many ghosts roaming our world from the old pioneer days and the northern state of Alaska is no exception to this. The Kennecott Copper mine is a huge and fascinating piece of history located in the beautiful and surreal Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Kennecott or Kennicott (also known as Kennecott Mines) is a former mining camp, now completely abandoned, situated in the Valdez-Cordova Cenzus Area in Alaska, United States of America. Total : $ 0.00 Uncategorized In 1900, the two prospectors Clarence L. Warner and Jack Smith where traveling through Alaska and they noticed a green […] Kennecott Mill Town, Alaska by Jet Lowe, 1982. A history of the Kennecott Mines, Kennecott, Alaska. Our tour of Kennecott Mine was one not soon to be forgotten and we've been in Alaska most of our lives. From 1911 to 1938, nearly $200 million worth of copper was processed. As a geologist with first-hand knowledge of mining, author Charles Hawley aptly describes the technology behind the Kennecott story in a way that both specialists and the general reader will appreciate. Kennecott copper mine was a self-contained company town that included a hospital, general store, school, skating rink, tennis court, recreation hall, and dairy. Kennecott Copper Mine, Kennecott, Alaska. Copper Center, Alaska 99573 The site was center of activity of 5 copper mines. This book recounts how Kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining operations (one in Alaska, one in Utah, and one in Chile), how it led the way in mining technologies, and how it was in turn affected by the economy and politics of the day. In June of 1998, the National Park Service acquired many of the significant buildings and lands of the historic mining town of Kennecott. Check out the Blackburn School, Recreation Hall, Refrigeration Plant, Railroad Depot, Power Plant and Residential Cottage as well. The Kennecott glacier rises behind the copper processing plant. Electricity and steam heat were produced here and sent to almost every building in the mining camp. The Kennecott Mines and mill town are an abandoned copper mine operation and ghost town in Alaska that together, form a National Historic Landmark District. WWI - 1979. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. BP Minerals was then acquired by RTZ Corporation plc, Britain's largest mining company. A view of the abandoned buildings of Kennecott Mines, inside Alaska's Wrangell–St. The mine produced a total of around 4.6 million tons of ore, valued at over $200 million (~$3 billion in 2011 dollars). The Kennecott mill town and mines are an extraordinary relic from America's past. In 1905 the Alaska Copper and Coal Company was reorganized as the Kennecott Mines Company. By the time the operation closed in 1938, the Kennecott mines extracted 591,535 short tons of copper from 4,525,909 tons of ore valued at $200,000,000 in 1938 dollars. Yet Alaska is Alaska and far away from the eyes of the money, as it were. The Guggenheim family, controllers of the American Smelting & Refining Company (ASARCO) smelter monopoly, and J.P. Morgan, another wealthy industrial investor, entered the enterprise and organized the “Alaska Syndicate” to fund the mine’s development. Kennecott, also known as Kennicott and Kennecott Mines, is an abandoned mining camp in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska that was the center of activity for several copper mines. Abandoned Kennecott Mine, Alaska There is mining history throughout all of Alaska, but the Kennicott mine struck my interest. They tell stories of westward expansion, World War I politics and economy, the lives of men, women, and children who lived there, and the rise of a multinational corporation. There were businesses, shops, a train connection, and a lot of life. 1900-era Kennecott copper mine in Wrangell-St Elias National Park Between 1905 and 1911, the syndicate spent $25 million to build the mine and mill works, the 196-mile railroad and organized a steamship line that connected the copper port of Cordova, Alaska with ASARCO’s Tacoma, Washington smelter. The town was founded around 1900 when copper ore was discovered in the area. In 1986, it became a National Historic Landmark and it is also known as AHRS Site No. The stabilization work in Kennecott is expected to take many years. By the late 1920s, the supply of high-grade ore was diminishing, and Kennecott Copper Corporation was … At the same time, Stephen Birch was in Kennecott developing the mining claims. The Recreation Hall was completed in 2004. We use cookies. This is also where you can view the short but informative film, “The Kennecott Mill”, bear safety videos and the park movie, “Crown of the Continent”. Kennecott Mill Building Equipment by Bryan Petrtyl, National Park Service. Amid the ruins of the Kennecott mine, a quiet new look at Alaska’s past . Kennecott is an abandoned copper mining camp in Alaska which is situated in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area. The larger stair-step structure was … At the peak of operation, approximately 300 people worked in the mill town and 200-300 in the mines. Its corporate headquarters are located in South Jordan, Utah.Kennecott operates the Bingham Canyon Mine, one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world in Bingham Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah.The company was first formed in 1898 as the Boston Consolidated Mining Company. The structures that still stand at the mill site and mines represent a time of wide open exploration and exploitation in Alaska’s rough and wild early days. 907-822-5234, Ghost Towns & Mining Camps Across America, Kennecott Power Plant by Neal Herbert, National Park Service, Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias, America’s Largest National Park DVD. Quadrangle(s): Cordova; McCarthy; Valdez; Citation ID: 723; Bibliographic Reference Ethel LeCount, was a former nurse at the Kennecott Mill Town in 1937 and 1938, just before the mill closed. Stephen Birch became the first president and saw to the transfer of the Alaska Syndicate holdings to the Kennecott Mines Company, including the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, the Alaska Steamship Company, and the Beatson Copper Company. Despite the general assumption that Alaska’s gold was preeminent, no single Alaskan placer gold district or gold lode entity was as productive in mineral wealth as the Kennecott. XMC-001, is an abandoned mining camp in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska that was the center of activity for several copper mines. The show completed its fourth season in November 2017. But, Kennecott’s significance lies more in the quality of ore. Copper River and Northwestern Railway, Alaska. Kennecott Copper Mine, Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve: Address, Phone Number, Kennecott Copper Mine Reviews: 4.5/5 United States Alaska (AK) Take a peek into the flotation plant and explore other exhibits also housed in this building. This is just a sampling of our exhibits. The office was the administrative nucleus for the mining operation. Kennecott Mine, Alaska by Matthew Yarbrough, National Park Service. Technological artifacts remain in situ due to the site’s remoteness. Mt. XMC-001. Elias National Park and Preserve. Some buildings were demolished but most of Kennecott was left as it was. One of the most profitable mines of its day, Kennecott attracted workers from all over the world and their families. Catch a glimpse of what life was like for a secretary at Kennecott through the letters and photos of Nell Nicklas. Kennecott has been mining and processing minerals from the rich ore body of the Bingham Canyon Mine since 1903, and is even today one of the top producing mines in … Other articles where Kennecott Mine is discussed: Alaska: Resources and power: …with the closing of the Kennecott Mine in 1938, although there are new prospects elsewhere. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Several other buildings have received repairs to roofs, foundations, and walls. The leaching plant was enlarged in 1917 and again in 1918 to accommodate increased production. If you'd like to use the Kennecott Recreation Hall, please contact the Wrangell Mountains Center. In the summer of 1900, two prospectors, "Tarantula" Jack Smith and Clarence L. Warner, a group of prospectors associated with the McClellan party, spotted "a green patch far above them in an improbable location for a grass-green meadow." Bonanza and Jumbo are both located at approximately the 6,000 foot level on the mountain, about three miles from the town of Kennicott. Between their hard work and the ingenuity of the founders, Kennecott Copper Corporation produced at least $200 million worth of ore, making it one of the world’s largest mineral companies. However, without a way to transport the copper to market, it was worthless. Kennecott, Nizina Mining District, Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska, USA : National Historic Landmark. The town Kennicott in Alaska was once flourishing, full of workers who came to the town in search of wealth and work in the mines. Several of the smaller cottages have been privately restored to their former condition. Bonanza was the only open pit method mine at Kennecott. It allowed recovery of high percentage copper ore from ore which had formerly been considered waste rock. Fortunately for us, the job was never finished. Backed by Henry O. Havemeyer, a New York capitalist, Birch formed the Alaska Copper and Coal Company which was promptly sued by others claiming ownership of the deposit. Kennecott machine shop and mill building equipment by Bryan Petrtyl, National Park and Preserve both mill... Lower 48 offered | Russian mining engineer discovers gold near Kuskokwim River from all over years. Visitors to the north of the Kennicott Glacier, northeast of Valdez inside. 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