The Kennecott Mines
| ABOVE: "We at Kennecott intend to abandon our large Alaskan presence in favor of a small territory-wide minerals exploration company. We may elect to use the lower Kennecott mill site as a jumping-off point for future exploration efforts in the territory." --Stephen Birch talking to the engineering staff assembled at the Bonanza mess hall, July 1924 |
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Much of interior Alaska consists of
low-lying, relatively flat river valleys bounded by high mountain
ranges. The Copper River valley is one of these. The cold winter air
settles heavily in these areas. Places closest to frozen river channels
are noted for their extreme cold. A distance of a few hundred feet up a
hill can mean twenty degrees difference in temperature. Up to a point,
the higher elevations of the interior are warmer than elevations closest
to the frozen rivers. In the summer the higher elevations remain mild,
while the lower areas near the rivers become uncomfortably hot. The
winter extremes can last from mid-October to mid-March, whereas the
summer extremes typically last only from mid-June to mid-July. One last heat wave sat over the lowlands of the Nizina, Chitina and Copper River valleys when the Birch party arrived in mid-July, 1924. Temperatures at the mill site were reaching uncomfortable highs that would be normal most anywhere else. At the 6000-foot altitude of Bonanza, the engineers found relief from the hot weather they had been experiencing below at Kennecott. Once again it was a beautifully clear day with only light breezes. The spectacular view from the Bonanza barracks included the backdrop of the distant, white-capped Chugach Range. The southern end of Kennicott Glacier near McCarthy had striations which could only be seen from above. Most eye-catching was the west-facing rock glacier, which ended two thousand feet above Kennecott, while originating near the summit of Porphyry Mountain. |
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BELOW: "Once again it was
a beautifully clear day with only light breezes. The spectacular view
from the Bonanza barracks included the backdrop of the distant,
white-capped Chugach Range . . . "
Porphyry Mountain and the Chugach
Range as seen from the Bonanza barrack.
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