On the Way to Kennicott, Alaska

One day, we decided to check out the small historic town of Kennicott, Alaska.  There is a copper mill/mine there.  It was closed down in 1938, and time has sort of ground to a stop since then.  There is some restoration going on there, but it’s not all rebuilt.  Also, as an interesting side note – the town is spelled Kennicott, but the mill is spelled Kennecott.  The owner of the copper mill was named Kennecott, but when the town was registered, it was accidentally misspelled as Kennicott.  Rather than go thru the trouble to get the spelling corrected, they left is as is!  But, for now, let’s take a look at the road to Kennicott.  It’s 60 miles of a very, very rough dirt road!

 

This gives you an idea of what you’ve got in store for you right at the beginning of the drive!  It’s a one lane slot cut into the rock, and is just wide enough for 1 vehicle to fit in it at a time!  Originally, I believe this was created for the railroad to pass thru, but the railroad is, for the most part, gone, with just some sections of track remaining.

 

Isn’t this a great view?  It’s the Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910.  It spans 525 feet, and is 238 feet high.  This bridge has been restored so that it’s now safe for cars to travel on it.  However, don’t try to walk on it – it’s only wide enough for 1 vehicle, and 238 feet is a long way to fall!

 

I just love the rusty look to this entrance to the Kennecott (mine spelling).  The rust is natural, I’m fairly certain, and I love the look!

 

One of the first things I saw walking down main street Kennicott was this cool little bird house – or at least it has the front façade of a birdhouse!  If you look closely thru the “door”, you can see thru the back to the trees.  I guess the tree itself provides the back of the house – or most of the back.  I just love the feel of this image, tho – very natural.

 

Jeff & I thought this little bloom reminded us of the movie “Wall-E” where the green plant is growing out of an old shoe.  No old shoe here, but a very rusty container of sorts with rusty steel cables or something around it!

Enjoy!