Smiles and Miles on Our Trips : SLOW GOING AS WE'RE OFF TO MAGNIFICENT MCCARTHY

It was a beautiful sunny morning as we left the Copper River Campground just outside of Chitna, Alaska driving on Alaska Highway 10 (aka McCarthy Road) for a slow going 58 miles of mostly gravel and pot holes until we would reach Base Camp at McCarthy. It was 42 degrees when we left, but it would reach 65 degrees before the afternoon.

The McCarthy Road winds deep into the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Once the gateway to tremendous fortunes, it is now the gateway to spectacular scenery, vast wilderness, and adventure. If you are willing to leave the pavement behind, this road provides access to many natural and historic wonders of the largest park. Today's road originated in 1909 as a railway constructed to support the Kennecott Copper Mines. When large scale mining ended in 1938, most of the rails were salvaged for scrap iron. In 1971 a new bridge was constructed over the Copper River and the rail bed was covered with gravel, creating the surface we encounterd today on the McCarthy Road.

Narrow and winding, the road still reflects its railway origins -- in some places, we saw remnants of railroad ties. Traffic and weather often result in ruts and wash board surfaces, which we were warned about before we began our journey. We were also told that they had been out grating the road, sound our hopes were high that I might not be too bad. We were also told that the road would end at the Kennicott River, a half-mile before the town of McCarthy and five miles before historic Kennecott.

As you can see from the pictures above and below, the road was rough in many areas. Sometimes we could go about 15 miles an hour, while other times we had to slow down to 6 to 8 miles an hour, and even sometimes just creep across the frost heaves in the gravel road.

The large snow covered mountain visible to the north is volcanic Mount Drum (at 12,010 feet), part of the Wrangell Mountains. Suspended sediment loads of the Copper and Chitina Rivers are high, but the dissolved sediment loads are low; these rivers are dirty, but not polluted. Millions of tons of natural sediment, mostly silt and clay are carried downstream each year.

Several small pullouts offer nice views of the Chitina River and Chugach Mountains to the south. The Copper River and its tributaries (including the Chitina River) drain an area of approximately 24,000 square miles. Much of this drainage basin lies within the park and almost 25 percent of it is covered by glaciers. Because of this glacial influence, high water in the park's large rivers typically occurs not during the snowmelt of spring, but summer hot spells that cause rapid ice melting. Low water usually occurs in late winter when everything is frozen, which was the pretty much the case while we were here.

The Chitina is a classic example of a braided river -- characterized by many dividing and re-uniting channels and by numerous islands and gravel bars. The braided channel pattern tends to develop in rivers that: a) carry a lot of sand and gravel; b) have fairly steep slopes, or gradients; and c) undergo frequent fluctuations in water level.

The Chitina River meets these conditions -- and in this area, it drops about 13 feet per mile, which is steep for such a large stream. Glaciers provide the stream with a great deal of sediment ranging from fine clay to boulders. Consequently, much of the sediment being transported to the sea is temporarily stored as islands or bars of gravel, sand, and mud along the Chitina River.

A short trail on the south side of the road provides access to Silver Lake at this point for fishing. We just continued on.

Below is a glimpse at Sculpin Lake, there is a pull-out on the south side of the road that provides access to a 1/4-mile trail to Sculpin Lake.

Throughout our trip today, there occurred several changes in land status - from entering Federal Land managed by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve to private land.

A few turnouts on the south side of the road offer good views of the Kuskulana River and bridge. Exposures on the other side of the road show the type of sediments that make up glacial moraines. The Kuskulana Bridge is perched 238 feet above the raging Kuskulana River.

We see the yellow sign telling us there is a one lane road across the bridge.

The Kuskulana River Canyon and Bridge was truly a spectacular achievement. The Kuskulana Bridge was constructed during the winter of 1910 -- just imagine riding high in a heavily loaded ore train across the two icy rails.

Perched 238 feet above the raging Kuskulana River, this single-lane railroad bridge is for many the most hair-raising part of the entire drive. It was the only railroad bridge in this area constructed of steel girders that span the canyon rather than timber pilings driven into the streambed. The bridge is supported primarily by the metamorphic bedrock of the inner gorge rather than the thick layer of glacial gravels near the surface.

The Kuskulana’s muddy waters would typically reflect its origin from the melting of several glaciers that drain off the southern and western slopes of Mt. Blackburn. However most of it is still frozen today as we cross.

We are now nearing the end of the Kuskulana Bridge.

And we are back on the gravel road.

At mile 29, we come to the Gilahina River & Gilahina Trestle Wayside.

This wooden structure was originally 890 feet long and 90 feet high, required one-half million board feet of timber, and was completed in eight days in the winter of 1911. Due to the rugged landscape, over 15 percent of the entire railway was built on trestles such as this.

At Mile 44, we get a glimpse of the Lakina River before crossing the bridge. Lakina River gets some of its water from melting glaciers.

This bridge was originally built across a river on the Glenn Highway but later removed during a highway upgrade project. Later it was re-assembled on the Lakina. The bridge itself has functioned well in this location, but there have been repeated erosion problems and washouts of the long eastern approach to this bridge.

Next at mile 45.5, we get a glimpse of Long Lake. Each year, an average of 18,000 sockeye salmon struggle up the silty Copper and Chitina Rivers to spawn in this lake. This is a unique run as salmon begin entering the lake as late as September and spawning continues until April. Glacial till and gravels deposited by ancient glaciers and glacial streams mantle the slopes around the lake.

Continuing on, the road curves and turns around the lake.

Going along, we come to another bad patch of road.

McCarthy and Kennecott sit at the center of Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest park in the country. The wild landscapes and fascinating history of the area are renowned. Located in the traditional territory of the Ahtna Athabascan people who’ve inhabited the area for thousands of years, this national park was established not only to protect the land, but also to honor the traditions of people living within the park who depend on the local resources.

McCarthy has a population of 34 and an elevation of 1,531 feet (we were at 1,460 feet elevation at our campsite at Base Camp.) Kennicott has an elevation of 2,000 feet. The two settlements both originated with the establishment of the Alaska Syndicate in 1906, which later became the Kennecott Corporation in 1915.

To reach McCarthy and Kennecott required that we travel through the Copper River Valley. Also called the Copper River Basin, it’s boundary by the Chugach National Forest to the south, the Alaska Range to the north, the Wrangell Mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to the east, and the Talkeetna and Chugach mountains to the west.

The 59-mile long (40 of which are gravel) McCarthy Road began as we crossed the upper Copper River’s only bridge -- where there was also a great view of the Wrangell Mountains and the river.

After the 59-mile trek lasting over 3-1/2 hours, we finally arrived at the Kennicott River -- which is the end of the road! Here we picked out a camping spot that backed up to the river, set up camp and walked across the footbridge to explore McCarthy (that was a half mile away).

As we drive into Base Camp, we are looking for just the right spot.

And we found it -- it backs right up to the Kennecott River. What a beautiful site! We will be staying two nights (boon docking) at $25/night or a total of $50.

And our view is gorgeous in all directions.

Around 12:15 p.m. we head over the footbridge to the town of McCarthy to go on a walking tour.

We first crossed the footbridge over the Kennecott River.

Look at the magnificent view we had from the footbridge.

In the picture above and below, you can see our truck and camper at our campsite at Base Camp.

The town site of McCarthy was founded in 1906 when John Barrett had the foresight to homestead 296 acres at the mouth of McCarthy Creek. He leased the land surrounding the proposed train depot site to the men and women who founded the businesses which supported the rich Kennecott Copper Mine and other local miners.

John Barrett himself was a prospector, reportedly discovering the Green Butte Claims that were located across from Bonanza Ridge. Mr. Barrett and his wife Josephine did not live year round in McCarthy. They spent most winters in the Seattle, Washington area, returning to McCarthy in the spring. They built a log cabin, as well as a large log barn and other outbuildings along McCarthy Creek near the Barretts’ present home at the corner of Nizina Avenue and Skolai Streets.

Their cabin boasted glass windows, a root cellar, a greenhouse, and other amenities. Barrett’s homestead had good water and land flat enough to farm. He grew timothy, oats, rye, clover, strawberries, and prize-winning potatoes. Before the completion of the railroad, John Barrett built a boat similar to the one outside of the museum. In the fall, he used it for his transportation down river to Cordova where he then traveled by ferry to Seattle for the winter.

Just as we crossed the footbridge, they had a display they called, "Rigor Mortis." In 1953, a strapping young man by the name of Jim Edwards settled in the region. He came in by Cat Train over the CR&NW Rails, built as house and started a family. In need of a vehicle, he assembled a "Bush Truck" out of road-tested parts and gave it the name "Rigor Mortis."

Mel sits down beside "Rigor Mortis."

We saw some of the old railroad tracks along our walk into town.

We passed by the McCarthy-Kennecott Community Church.

And soon we came to a second footbridge to cross.

Then as we continued along the road into McCarthy, we can to the community drinking water sight (which is merely a pipe coming outside the ground).

Next we came to the 1/4 mile shortcut to the McCarthy Town Center. Of course, we took the shortcut.

We had to cross over little streams.

And we were soon at the Kennicott McCarthy Chamber of Commerce.

This is where the McCarthy waking tour began.

1. The McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum housed in the Copper River and Northwestern Railway depot was built in 1924. According to the McCarthy Weekly News, the new depot provided, “adequate office space, a large and well lighted waiting area and heaps of freight and baggage space.”

The large metal piece by the rail car is comprised of parts of two different rock crushers, brought to the museum from surrounding mines. The top is placed upside down for better balance.

The Potato -- is a modern restaurant that first opened in 2001 in the parking lot near the Kennecott walking bridge before it move to this present location. (We had wanted to stop and try it but it wasn't open yet.) The yellow building below is the current location of The Potato.

4. McCarthy Air is a fine example of area aspen logs used to build this office by a local Dan Creek resident.

5. “Pool” Building (Private Residence), a the large building with the “POOL’ sign, sitting back in the trees, was once part of a vehicle bridge across the Kennecott River. It washed out and became part of a shed at the Commissioner’s Cabin before it was hauled to this space in 1982 and remodeled again. The “Pool” sign came from along the Alcan Highway in Canada.

7. The McCarthy General Store is a non-historic building, yet blends in nicely with its historic surroundings.

8. Kate Kennedy House is a private residence. This small red house was the final home of Kate Kennedy, a famous McCarthy Madam. She came to McCarthy from Dawson City after the Klondike gold rush. Her first eight-room house burned in a fire in 1921. In 1923 she purchased The Alaska House which provided the best rooms and bath in town. She also operated a small establishment up McCarthy Creek which provided spirits and other entertainment for the miners.

Kate Kennedy was of dubious reputation but was known for her generosity. At the time her own house burned down, a donation was being collected for the Johnsons who also lost their hotel. No donation was taken for Kate yet she gave to the Johnsons.

A new owner purchased the Kennedy home in the mid-sixties and wrote to her in 1966 or ‘67 asking about the house. Kate’s reply came from a rest home in Seattle, Washington. She was unable to share much, stating “it’s been so long...so long a time ago.” The new owner recalls the letter, saying “the language was of a literate, educated woman and the handwriting was splendid.”

Just a neat fence created out of parts from different things such as a bicycle, etc.

9. Wrangell Mountain Air and Shuttle Service, located on the east side of Kennicott Avenue.

A neat McCarthy planter.

10. Gilmore House is a private residence at the top of the hill that was once the Railway’s cookhouse. This building was one of the first three buildings to be constructed on the CR&NW site. Once known as Tom and Molly Gilmore’s house it was moved with a D-6 caterpillar to where it sits today. Molly came to McCarthy in 1911 when she was 13 years old and watched the town grow overnight from a tent city to a bustling little town. She lived here with her aunt, who ran a soda fountain on Shushanna Avenue.

11. Austin Trim Houses (private residences above and below). These two white frame homes, known as the Austin Trim Houses, were probably built in the 1920s. Austin Trim prospected the Chisana area during the gold stampede and later owned Kennicott River Farms. He resided in McCarthy from 1920 until his death in 1926.

14. The McCarthy Lodge was reconstructed here in 1916. Once a cannery building in Katalla, on the coast near Cordova, it was dismantled and shipped via train to the new town of McCarthy. It is the oldest (privately held) building within the Wrangell St. Elias Park borders. It was reconstructed by the famous documentary photographer Captain Hubrick, who used it many years for a photographic shop and sundries storefront. During the late 1940s the building, along with Ma Johnson’s, was renovated by Mud Hole Smith, a famous Alaskan bush pilot, who hosted many fly-in tourists through Cordova Airlines.

15. The Golden Saloon was an addition to McCarthy Lodge. The historic Golden Saloon used to sit on the corner of Shushanna Avenue and Skolai Street. The Golden Saloon offers good food, drinks and an authentic atmosphere -- we ended up eating dinner here.

The daily specials at The Golden Saloon. I decided to have the chili nachos.

Mel had a chicken pasta dish that he said was delicious.

Continuing on with our walking tour of McCarthy, we find immediately to the right of the Lodge is a non-historic addition currently called Mountain Arts.

17. Lancaster’s Backpacker Hotel was once a private home and named after a former tenant, Slim Lancaster. McCarthy’s longest living resident, Jim Edwards, also lived there. During Jim’s time there, he used Clear Creek for water, as many residents still do, but he also used it to run his water wheel. The wheel was built by Edwards and ran an Edison 1 circuit, 125 volt, 500 watt generator. The creek runs all winter and supplied the family with enough power for lights at 50 degrees below zero. One year the snowfall was so great, Jim had to tunnel up just to get out of his house.

18. Bill Berry’s Garage is across the street from the McCarthy Lodge. Bill ran a one-man automobile repair shop, worked in some of the area mines, and accompanied hunting expeditions. He was half-owner of a local lumber business, and he handled the coal, wood and ice business. His self-made boat is in front of the Museum.

19. Ma Johnson’s Hotel was built in 1923 and opened by Pete and Ida “Ma” Johnson as a “family style boarding house, mostly for the Scandinavians working at the mine.” The Johnson’s first hotel, the McCarthy Hotel, burned down on Friday the 13th 1921. The fire was caused by a cigarette smoker. No one knew Ma’s real name until her obituary was published, and until 2009 no photo of her had been found. We do have plenty of stories about Pete and Ma Johnson from the newspaper articles that appeared in the McCarthy press from 1911 to 1938. Pete and Ma had a spectacular hotel for its day. Steam heat, electricity, and fresh eggs were all luxuries in any Alaska town in 1923. This building is one of the two remaining original false front buildings in a town that once had nearly a dozen such structures.

20. McCarthy Rose House sits next to Ma Johnson’s Hotel building. The McCarthy Rose House building was once a “Row” house in McCarthy’s Red Light District and was moved to its current location. Both Ma Johnson's Hotel and the McCarthy Rose House are used to house tourists.

24. Hegland Residence is a private residence and was likely built in the 1920s. Among early residents, an International Workers of the World (IWW) organizer by the name of Kirkpatrick was reported to have stayed here. Local history reports that he attempted to organize a union at the Kennecott Mine, but when it was discovered that he was associated with the union he was ousted from town.

25. Frame Houses (above and below are both private residences. These two modest frame houses are typical of historical McCarthy. The current owners are descendants of the McCarthy founder, John Barrett.

26). McCarthy General Merchandise (aka The Hardware Store) sits on the southeast corner of Skolai Street and Kennicott Avenue. The original building, first located on Shushanna Avenue was moved to this location in 1913. For much of its history, R.L.H. Marshall owned and operated this business. His store offered similar supplies as the O’Neill Store down the road, including hardware and groceries. In contrast to the majority of McCarthy residents, Marshall was adamantly opposed to the town’s whiskey trade. A community effort saved this building when a brave young woman bought it in the 1970s, hoping to provide a youth hostel. Today the building is home to the Wrangell Mountains Center, a non-profit institute that offers summer programs for students of all ages.

27. John Taylor’s House is a private residence that sits on the east side of Kennicott Avenue between the Hardware Store and McCarthy Creek. Based on newspapers found in its walls it was probably built around 1926. Taylor was a prospector on Rex Creek. He was known to carry gold nuggets the size of his thumbnail in his pockets. The current owner began restoration of the cabin in 1981, pulling the cabin to this current site away from McCarthy Creek to protect it from flooding. It was skidded up the slope on slippery green cottonwood logs using a D2 Caterpillar.

The McCarthy Creek .

Looking at the picture below you can see the private McCarthy Creek Bridge where residents pay an annual fee for access in and out of McCarthy by car.

29. This small cabin is a private residence and is frequently referred to as “Shulze’s Guest House.” It also served as the mess hall for the Wrangell Consolidated Mining Company in the 1960s. Henry Schulze, a well-educated geologist or mining engineer from New York, is remembered as a smallish man with massively large and strong hands. He prospected summers in McCarthy, until he was over 90 years old. The two windows on the south side were added in the late 1980s. The logs used in this house were once part of the many bridges that washed out over the years. The original porch roof was covered in press plates. (Press plates are tin sheets used to print newspapers in the early 1900s. As the wood rots away, you can often read the old advertisements and articles on the plates.)

30. This is a frame home referred to as The Tjosevig House. Nils Tjosevig was a prospector who came to Alaska during the Gold Rush of 1898 and settled in McCarthy. When the Green Butte Mine closed, Tjosevig was paid to maintain the mine and its equipment. Nil’s friend, the blacksmith John Underwood, had a daughter visit McCarthy, and Nils knew he had found his wife. Jean Underwood and Nils Tjosevig married in 1920. Nils had spent much of his time in Alaska living in tents and he built this house for his wife. The garage out back was built to house their Model T. They had two daughters, Eleanor, born in 1922 and another, Judy, born eight years later. In 1938 when it became clear the Green Butte Mine would not open, the Tjosevig family packed only what they could travel with, leaving most of their possessions in the house. They resettled in the Seattle, Washington area.

31. The two Koppenburg Houses were reportedly built by local merchants Archie Poulin and Sig Wold. These two houses demonstrate what many 1920s residences in McCarthy may have looked like. Though they appear similar, the east cabin is a simple, frame building, while the west is a log cabin that has been sheathed with siding. Altering a cabin in this manner was most likely a way to symbolize a rise in social status. Note the outhouse siding made of Blazo Fuel Cans. Flattening fuel cans for construction was a common practice.

32. This remaining Hollywood House was built in the 1910s and well known as a gambling den in old McCarthy. It was moved to its current site in 2008 and is being restored.

34. Below is the remains of O’Neill’s General Store, which sat on the corner of Skolai and Shushanna. This two story building had hotel rooms above the store. A March and April 1926 advertisement boasted, “Celery, Green Onions, Tomatoes, Cabbage, New Potatoes, Bananas, Cucumbers and Asparagus for sale.”

35. Below is the remains of the “Old” Golden Saloon.

36. The Commissioner’s Cabin (shown below) is visible in some of the earliest photos of McCarthy and probably was the most elegant house in McCarthy. This two story unpeeled spruce log house with the Dutch Gable style roof was the residence of the U.S. Commissioner, who was assigned by a federal judge to enforce the law in McCarthy. With most of McCarthy’s boom days occurring during Prohibition, bootlegging was perhaps the most prevalent crime in the town. Most of McCarthy’s citizens aided and abetted the bootleggers. The train even sounded a distinctive whistle if a federal agent was on board. Although a few surprise raids succeeded, most of the appointed commissioners found it nearly impossible to enforce the anti-alcohol laws and resigned shortly after their arrival at McCarthy. Others stayed for a while and found it easy to look the other way.

37. The Mother Lode Coalition Mining Company Power Plant was built in 1917. Its coal–fired boiler was powered by an Allis-Chalmers steam turbine engine intended to power operations in their mine twelve miles away, however Kennecott bought out the Mother Lode before the power house was used. This power house may have supplied electricity to several wealthy McCarthy residents. Because the Mother Lode Power Plant’s lines would often break in bad weather, Kennecott moved most of its equipment to their own powerhouse in 1920. Today it is base camp for St. Elias Alpine Guides.