Kennicott Lodging
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, where 600 workers lived, toiled and played. Within 20 years the strike proved to be the richest known concentration of copper ore in the world, and Kennicott became a company town that included homes, stores, a laundry, school, and even a wood surfaced tennis court.
By 1911, a railroad had been built 196 miles through the wilderness to tidewater at Cordova to remove the ore.
The centerpiece of the town is a massive 14-story mill building where copper ore was processed for shipment. There is also an ammonia leaching plant, machine shop, and powerhouse which generated steam and electricity.
By the 1930's the high-grade ore played out, and when the Kennicott Copper Corporation pulled out in 1938, Kennicott became a ghost town overnight. All of the equipment, furnishings, and buildings were left, and most are still here for you to marvel at and explore.
In 1986, Congress recognized Kennicott as a National Historic Landmark, and efforts were begun to stabilize and preserve the site. In 1998, the National Park Service acquired the Kennicott National Historic Landmark, thus adding this important cultural resource to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
More information about the Kennicott National Historic Landmark can be found at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park website.
