Travel Guide Kennecott

Quite simply the largest ghost town in North America! In 1900, two prospectors arrived at the Kennecott (or Kennicott) Glacier and quickly found copper nearby. While mines generally contained 2% copper, this location averaged 15% with exceptions reaching 70%.The area soon prospered with the arrival of the railroad in 1911. A group of investors formed the Kennecott Copper Corporation. A large, red complex was built with offices, stores, workers' huts, a reception hall, a school and even tennis courts. All of this was perched on the side of a mountain. From 1911 to 1938, the mines operated at full capacity, extracting nearly 590,000 tons of copper. But when all was extracted, the place was abandoned in 1938. And everything was left on the spot! This makes it one of the best preserved places in America's mining history.In 1974, the railroad was converted to a road. Kennecott was then left to its own devices and the inhabitants did not hesitate to plunder the old complex of its windows, doors or objects that could be useful to them. In addition to this, the tourists took away everything that could be a souvenir. In spite of this looting, Kennicott remains nevertheless a beautiful testimony of the past.Not far from there, 6 km away, the village of McCarthy, with its 28 inhabitants (20 men and 8 women), is the starting point for visiting the remains of Kennecott. Although the two sites are now merged, they were not always so. While Kennecott was a purely industrial town, MacCarthy was created in the early 20th century as a place of entertainment. Alcohol, women and song! In other words, saloons, restaurants, and a dubious neighborhood. The spirit is still slightly there.