Historic Kennecott Tours.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: TRAVEL - Brief article

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

St. Elias Alpine Guides offers a variety of uniquely Alaska opportunities, one of which is a guided tour through the historic Kennicott. When Kennecott copper mine closed in 1938, the town was abandoned. In 1998, the National Park Service acquired many of the buildings; since then there have been ongoing efforts to renovate and preserve them.

"Right now our tours feature the power house, the ammonia refrigeration and leaching plants, and a couple of the bunk houses," says Gaia Marrs, who owns St. Elias Alpine Guides with her husband, Wayne. "In the past, and hopefully in the future, they will also feature the Kennecott Concentration Mill, a fourteen story building."

The two-hour walking tours provide information about many aspects of the town and historic Kennicott life. "We give information about how the copper was discovered, how the railroad was built, what life was like in Kennicott, and how...