Kennicott

Lonely Planet review

In 1900, miners discovered the rich Kennicott copper deposit and built 315km (196mi) of railroad through wilderness to take the ore out. For 30 years, the mining town worked around the clock but, in 1938, management shut it down, giving workers two hours to catch the last train out. Despite pilferage, Kennicott is a remarkably preserved piece of mining history.

The mill towers above the surrounding buildings and still has tram cables leading up to the mountain mines. The rest of the buildings, including bunkhouses, workers cottages, the train depot and power plant, perch high above Kennicott Glacier. Strewn among these structures are countless antique mining relics such as ore cars, hand carts and boilers.

In 1998, the NPS purchased the mill, power plant and many of the buildings in order to restore them. Saving this unique piece of Alaskan history will undoubtedly take years. Until then, you will have to be content with strolling through the center of town and admiring the mining history by peeping through windows. For more information, stop in at the small National Park Service Visitor Center, where rangers give regular talks on the area, show films and lead nature walks.