Copper Center, Alaska - Last weekend members of the Kennecott and McCarthy communities joined National Park Service staff to cut a ceremonial ribbon and celebrate the opening of the first interpretive exhibits at the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. The celebration also marked the twentieth anniversary of the National Park Service acquisition of the Kennecott property. That acquisition, many years in the making, was completed on June 16, 1998. The national historic landmark lies within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the nation’s largest national park.
“The opening of these exhibits is a milestone for the park and for our communities," said Park Superintendent Ben Bobowski. “The exhibits share the colorful stories of Kennecott’s past with the visitors of today. They are the result of a collaborative effort between our communities and the park."
The immersive exhibits include personal stories of the workers and the families that lived in
Kennecott during the mining operation years from 1911 - 1938. The displays include many
artifacts from the site that are on loan from local people or from the Park’s collection.
Exhibits are on display in nine of the buildings that have been restored by National Park Service crews over the past twenty years. These restored buildings include the Train Depot, the Recreation Hall, the Blackburn School (now the Kennecott Visitor Center), the General
Manager’s Office, the North Sacking Shed & Floatation Plant, the General Store, Warehouse & Post Office, Refrigeration Plant, Power Plant and the Cottage. The exhibits were funded by the National Park Service’s recreation fee program (park entrance fees).
The Kennecott Visitor Center and the exhibits in the restored buildings are open to the public
from 9 am - 5 pm daily through September 9, 2018.
For additional information, call the visitor center at (907) 822-7250.
On June 16, 2018, the 20th anniversary of the National Park Service acquisition of the Kennecott properties, McCarthy and Kennecott community members joined present and former park staff to cut the ribbon to formally open new exhibits inside nine of the restored buildings at the national historic landmark.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
