Kennicott/McCarthy in Wrangell-St. Elias NP&R

The above pictures are of a fish wheel operation. Top the basket comes out of water (hopefully with fish within); Down one the fish will slide down the solid board into the holding area; Down 3rd pic the basket goes back into the water to "catch" more fish. I talked to the fellow, Roger I think, about exactly how it works. The baskets swing so as to scoop up then not loose the fish on the way to the down shout, which the fish travel down into a holding area.

The Edgerton Hwy. (becomes McCarthy at Chitina) is 33.5 miles and a pleasant road to drive. Kenny Lake is hidden from view along the drive but apparently it is one of the areas that was homesteaded and a choice place to live.

The McCarthy Road 58 miles of narrow dirt and gravel road following an old railroad roadbed.

The sights along the way are worth the drive, such as the nesting Trumpeter Swan. Although we did not see any bear we did see some moose (which appear on the next blog).

Kennecott Mill was the reason for development in the area when the huge copper mine was in operation between 1907 and 1938. When the mine went out of business, the railroad was no longer used either.


The bridge was built to carry copper ore via the railroad from Kennecott to Cordova

After the long drive we had to park on one side of the Copper River, walk across the bridge Don is on and were picked up on the other side and driven to McCarthy and Kennecott.

Below is the Copper River; headwaters at
the Kennecott Glacier.

View of the Kennecott Glacier (left) and the Knott Glacier (right) in the same picture. The 2 glaciers meet before flowing together as one to the Copper River.

It is said that McCarthy (pictured here) retains many of the original structures and all of its original flavor. To get from McCarthy to the Kennecott Mill you are driven and the road runs through private property, which they tell us can be a touchy situation between the NPS and landowner. The landowners were already here when the area was made into a Natl Park and have been allowed to stay. Today in the McCarthy area, there are approximately 25 year round residents. Most of the Park Service employees only come in for the summer.

The wave like black mounds are just that. They are waves frozen in place from the Kennecott Glacier pieces breaking apart then refreezing in wave like action. The winters can get to -70 below zero.




View of the Kennecott Glacier from the Mill area.
It is possible to hike closer to the glacier. Didn't do so.

The Kennecott and Knott Glaciers are an example of what is known as a piedmont glacier, a type formed when 2 or more glaciers flow from confined valleys to form a broad fan- or lobe-shaped ice mass.

The black ice continues way out to the water
you see at the foot of the mountain here. It is
the Copper River.
Kennecott Mill area.

More of the mill area on the next blog.



bbfn Karen & Don