 ?
? ? ? Is the past insignificant when compared to the future????
No Local sponsors or contributors make it seem
so! |
Area History 
The Copper River Basin is rich in memories, anecdotes and just plain stories
about the persistent, tough and creative people who established this area
in the 1930's through the 1950's. Yet, most of them are fading or
lost with the elders passing - the people who experienced those times.
The more we can get written down
about the people, places and conditions of those times, the closer we are
to understanding our past and what makes this valley so special.
Feel free to write any thoughts or ask any questions that might keep the
past alive so we can pass it on to those yet to come
(Nov 9) Until the Alyeska Pipeline came along, the largest
privately financed project in Alaska was the Kennecott mine system and
its Copper River & Northwestern Railway, which ran from Cordova to
Kennecott, a distance of 196 miles, 1908 until 1938. Kennecott
was the richest high-grade copper mine ever, and it was the single greatest
producer in dollar value historically, outpacing every gold mine and most
of the entire gold districts of the time.
There have
been some excellent books written about the railroad, though very little
on the historical mine itself. Nothing has existed on the internet
until now...
For a good
look at this part of our history, see Ron Simpson's Copper Rail Depot:"
http://members.tripod.com/~Blackburn49/index.html"-- a large photo-journal
of the entire project.
Ron
Simpson,
The Copper
Rail Depot,
Copper Center
(Dec 20) Glennallen Lodge - We are searching
for any solid information about the beginnings of the old Glennallen Lodge.
We do know that it was called "Happy's Camp" and owned by a man named Hopewell
in the 1940's and at least one building existed prior to 1950.
Any information and especially old pictures of the place would be greatly
appreciated. We can scan the pictures so you get to keep originals.
Thanks,
Chris & Wick Wright
(Dec 26) We have a copy of "The
History of Glennallen" written by Florence Clayton
in the Copper Currents issue of 1967. We also have old Ruralite's
about Bruno Zimbicki, Essie Mitchell, Al Slemsek,
Joe Secondchief, Jack Goddard, Chester & Bessie Bunsek, Louise Neeley,
Al Clayton, Frank Hobson, Walter Charley, Leonard & Lucy Brenwick,
Harry Speerstra, Al Lee, Dick & Florence Clayton, Ruth & Harry
Johns, Ed & Georgia Strunk, Tom Keesecker, Jim McKinley, George Ashby,
Fred Williams, Ray Heaton, Ken and Althea Hughes, Frank Zimbicki.
These are not ancient history
and some of you are still around. We'd be happy to make copies for
the cost of the copies (most will be about 30 cents) if you'd like to stop
by Insight Passage's at the old Glennallen Lodge.
Christopher Wright
Did you
know that "In Cold Blood" written by Truman Capote, was about a person
from this area? Specifically, he was from what is now called "Tex
Smith Lake" which was formerly called "Trappers Lake" and the site
of the original "Trappers Den".
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