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Kennecott Copper Mine



Owned by the Guggenheims, one of the wealthiest families in America, the Kennecott Copper Mine is located in the Wrangell Mountains. The Jumbo and Bonanza ore bodies kept the mine in operation from 1911 to 1938.

Guggenheim's son, Daniel, along with banker J.P. Morgan founded the Alaska Syndicate, which acquired the Kennecott Properties. Because they also controlled salmon canneries, a trading company, coal mines and two steamship companies editorials painted a picture of the "Morganheims" as villains because of their greed.
They built a 200 mile railroad from the mine site to the village of Cordova to export the mines copper to outside smelters. The $28 million dollar project was engineered by White Pass Railroad builder, Michael Heney. Just like the White Pass Railroad, he built the railroad to Cordova along steep sided cliffs and surging glaciers.

The town built around the Kennicott Mine had a population of approximately 300 people, but the miners lived up by the mines. They toiled to send copper ore via a tram way to a 13 story stamp mill built into the mountain side.
Kennecott Copper Mine
The mine produced 4.6 million tons of ore. It averaged 13% copper and 2% silver per ton.

It produced 591,535 tons of copper and 9 million ounces of silver valued at $287 million dollars. For a brief moment in time from 1916 to 1920 copper reigned above gold and silver as the highest priced mineral being mined.

Today the Kennicott Copper Mine site is a popular tourist attraction.


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