Kennecott Archives ~ Rambling ranger

For this week’s Lens Artists Photo Challenge, Patti invites us to go on a scavenger hunt, looking for the color red.

Well, I didn’t have a lot of luck. Contrary to the name, the redwood forest does not have a lot of red, especially in January, and that just happens to be where I am this week.

Kennecott Mines Historic Landmark, Alaska — Bunkhouses on National Creek

I thought to myself, “Gee, I don’t really have a lot of red in my life”, and then it struck me. Oh, duh, I actually have a LOT of red in my life, since I work in the red-and-white town of Kennecott, Alaska during the summer.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park — The last time this building was painted was in 1938!

Kennecott, a company town, painted most of their buildings red. The reason? For the same reason so many barns used to be painted red. Cheap red paint lasted a long, long time. Some of the buildings at Kennecott haven’t been painted since the mines shut down, in 1938.

Another place where red crops up in my Alaskan life is fall. Lots of bushes turn red in the fall, and of course, there are also berries. Blueberries aren’t the only berries to be found here, and most of the others are red.

Edible Wild Plants — Highbush Cranberries

When I travel south for the winter, I find other shades of red – sunsets, for instance.

Long Beach, Washington — Pacific coast sunset

I also sometimes see red when the desert wildflowers bloom. Look for Desert Paintbrush in Death Valley, and Ocotillo and Chuparosa in Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego.

Speaking of the desert wildflower season, this should be a good year just about everywhere. I’m not predicting a superbloom, but even Death Valley has gotten a fair amount of rain. When I passed through there last week, I saw little seedlings coming up all over. We even found a Turtleback with a few blossoms already. The valley floor should be looking good by mid-February, and Jubilee Pass will be at its best around early March.

Death Valley National Park — Look for Paintbrush in Death Valley in March.

Of course, another little rain wouldn’t hurt. And too much wind or a drastic return to high temperatures will desiccate those little baby plants.

Further south, both November and December brought an abundance of precipitation, with Anza Borrego receiving over an inch of rain in one storm. The forecast for this spring, though, is drier than average. Once again, the amount of sun and wind will play a big part in just how special the wildflower season will be or how long it will last.

Catalina State Park — After the flowers…

I hope the reds brighten up your winter day!

Thank you, Patti, for this week’s lens-artists challenge, history. I live near the tiny town of Kennecott, Alaska. Over the years, I’ve become known as the local historian. I am currently working on a book about the area’s history, so I am focusing on local history for this week’s challenge.

Local history yes, but with national significance. In 1900, 2 prospectors, Clarence Warner and Tarantula Jack Smith, stumbled onto a mountain of copper. It was one of the richest concentrations of copper in the world.

Kennecott National Historic Landmark — Jumbo Mine and Bonanza Ridge

The timing was excellent, too. The whole country was getting electrified, and copper was the miracle metal that made it happen.

A group of wealthy New York investors, known as the Alaska Syndicate, banded together to exploit the resource. They built a 14-story mill building and connected it to the mines with tramways. The mill building just may be the tallest wooden building in North America.

Gilahina River — Old Railway Trestle from the Copper River Northwestern Railway

Their most major challenge, though, was to build a railroad 200 miles to the coast through some of the toughest terrain in the Territory.

Most folks said it couldn’t be done. Even after the railroad was completed, avalanches and floods would frequently take out the tracks, closing down the railway for weeks, even months, at a time. People called the Copper River & Northwestern Railway the “Can’t Run & Never Will”.

But the railway and the mines persevered. Kennecott became a model company town with a school, general store, recreation hall, and even a hospital. It was the biggest mine in Alaska and considered by most a great place to work and live.

The Kennecott Corporation used the wealth from the mines to purchase other mining properties. They grew to be the biggest copper mining corporation in the world.

When the ore ran out in 1938, they completely abandoned the town and the railway. Kennecott sat forgotten for many years.

People started to trickle back into the picturesque ghost town in the late 1970s. In 1998, the National Park Service purchased most of the major buildings and began a lengthy restoration process. Now Kennecott is the premier destination in our country’s largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias.

Visitors come from all over the world to see the striking red and white buildings set against a backdrop of some of the most dramatic mountains and glaciers in North America. It is truly a photographer’s delight!

Tag: Kennecott

Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Red

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Lens-artists Challenge – History

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