Kennecott Mines: An Alaskan Ghost Town

In 1900, a pair of prospectors hiking near Alaska’s Kennicott glacier discovered an outcrop of copper ore on a mountainside about 100 miles inland from Valdez. Soon, several mines were developed, and a small base camp grew into a mill town dominated by enormous processing buildings. Kennecott Mines (yes, the town name is spelled differently from the glacier’s) operated for nearly 30 years, until the ore was depleted and the remote town was abandoned in 1938. Kennecott’s massive structures sat deserted for decades, until the Alaskan tourism market developed, and the site was declared a National Historic Landmark, much of it later acquired by the National Park Service. Some preservation work has been undertaken, but a few of the buildings are being allowed to continue their “slide into oblivion.”

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Marcia Straub / Getty
    • In Focus
    • January 26, 2020
    • 31 Photos

    Indiana: Images of the Hoosier State

    A few glimpses into the various features of Indiana, and some of the animals and people calling it home

  • Simon Bruty for OIS / IOC Handout via Reuters
    • In Focus
    • January 24, 2020
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Impeachment Trial, Virtual Singer, Bat Clinic

    The annual Women’s March in New York City, the Tour Down Under cycling event in Australia, a firefighting robot in India, anti-government protests in Iraq, the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Switzerland, and much more.

  • Carl Court / Getty
    • In Focus
    • January 22, 2020
    • 15 Photos

    Juhyo: The Snow Monsters on Japan’s Mount Zao

    Windblown ice and snow build up hulking shapes on the trees atop Mount Zao.

  • Eloisa Lopez / Reuters
    • In Focus
    • January 21, 2020
    • 24 Photos

    The Colorless Landscape Around Taal Volcano

    In the Philippines, parts of the landscape near Taal have gone completely gray, covered in a blanket of volcanic ash.

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. Bernie Can’t Win
  2. Cancel Earthworms
  3. How Capitalism Broke Young Adulthood
  4. The Utter Ridiculousness of the U.S. Senate
  5. The Kobe I Knew Became a Champion for Others
  6. Demi Lovato Makes a Powerful Confession at the Grammys
  7. Dear Therapist: My Boyfriend Has an Engagement Ring Meant for Someone Else
  8. America Is Overrun With Bathrooms
  9. Kobe Bryant’s Unfinished Business
  10. This Is a Trial of the Constitution Itself
Back to Top