How a clerical error turned a remote Alaskan glacier into a copper mining empire
In short: In 1900, prospectors discovered a massive, high-grade copper deposit in the Alaskan wilderness. What followed was a multi-million dollar industrial operation, a sprawling railway, and a town named by a spelling mistake. Today, this abandoned ghost town stands as a testament to the brief, intense era of Alaskan mining.
The story of Kennecott began in the summer of 1900 when prospectors discovered the Bonanza claim, a site containing an exceptionally rich concentration of copper. Mining engineer Stephen Birch soon secured financial backing from the Havemeyer family and James Ralph to develop the area. By 1906, Birch formed the Alaska Syndicate with J.P. Morgan & Co. and the Daniel Guggenheim family, securing over $30 million to build the necessary infrastructure, including the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, to transport ore to the coast.
The site was named after the nearby Kennicott Glacier, which had been identified by geologist Oscar Rohn in 1899. A clerical error, likely committed by Birch himself, substituted an 'e' for the 'i' in the name. The operation was highly sophisticated for its time, utilizing a 14-story mill to process ore through gravity separation, ammonia leaching, and eventually froth flotation. Between 1909 and 1938, the mines produced over 4.6 million tons of ore, yielding more than 1.183 billion pounds of copper and generating over $200 million in gross revenue.
By the mid-1920s, geologists predicted the depletion of high-grade ore. The mines began closing in 1929, and by November 10, 1938, the last train departed, leaving Kennecott a ghost town. Although attempts were made to destroy the structures to mitigate liability, most of the town remained standing. Today, the site is a National Historic Landmark within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, attracting visitors who hike to the abandoned mines and tour the preserved mill buildings.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Kennecott, Alaska
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