NPS Update

Since the National Park Service acquired the Kennecott National Historic Landmark in 1998, much has been accomplished. Buildings have been stabilized and rehabilitated, park staffing has dramatically increased with a very capable, predominantly local construction and interpretive team. For example, as a result of cooperative management between Friends of Kennicott and the National Park Service, the restored Kennicott Recreation Hall has been made available for community use for the past seven years. Other non-profit groups are expressing interest in partnering with the NPS on other projects it Kennecott.

The excerpt below from a summer 2009 NPS bulletin honoring the Grand opening of the General Manager’s Office further describes recent activities:

In 1998 Kennecott was purchased in response to a grassroots effort lead by the Friends of Kennicott. Included in the purchase were 20 historic buildings with over 140,000 square feet of floor space, mining equipment artifacts, railroad artifacts, bridges, roads, trails, as well as artifacts from the copper mining years of 1909 through 1938.

Since acquisition, the National Park Service (NPS) has been working to improve visitor safety, provide visitor services, and preserve the Mill town with a strong reliance on the expertise of local residents. Historic preservation priorities have been established which determine that some buildings will be allowed to deteriorate, others preserved as ruins and some stabilized or rehabilitated to support visitor services.

As you walk through the Mill town, a close inspection will reveal that every building has received some level of treatment. Buildings such as the Recreation Hall, the Company Store and Warehouse, the Depot, Refrigeration Plant, Old and New School Buildings, two historic cottages and the General Manager’s Office building are rehabilitated and are now positioned for routine maintenance. All of the buildings, including the large industrial mill, leaching plant, west bunkhouse, machine shop and power plant have been reroofed. Look closely and you will see that the power plant and the machine shop have received new foundations and significant structural repairs to halt deterioration and partial collapse.

Engineering work has begun to tackle foundation and structural repairs to the historic icons of the Kennecott Mill town, the Concentration Mill and the Leaching Plant. Work also began in 2008 on the reconstruction of the historic railroad trestle across National Creek and will continue in 2010 with the stabilization of the flood ravaged National Creed channel and two of the historic structures that flank it. Significant progress has been made, but more years of work are required to ensure Kennecott’s preservation.

Friends of Kennicott is working with the NPS, local community, and statewide and national organizations to implement the light touch/partnership vision for Kennicott that provided the consensus foundation for NPS acquisition.

Please re-visit this page for further updates on National Park Service, and Friends activities in Kennecott.


	Since the National Park Service acquired the Kennecott National Historic Landmark in 1998, much has been accomplished. Buildings have been stabilized and rehabilitated, park staffing has dramatically increased with a very capable, predominantly local construction and interpretive team. For example, as a result of cooperative management between Friends of Kennicott and the National Park Service, the restored Kennicott Recreation Hall has been made available for community use for the past seven years. Other non-profit groups are expressing interest in partnering with the NPS on other projects it Kennecott. The excerpt below from a summer 2009 NPS bulletin honoring the Grand opening of the General Manager’s Office further describes recent activities: In 1998 Kennecott was purchased in response to a grassroots effort lead by the Friends of Kennicott. Included in the purchase were 20 historic buildings with over 140,000 square feet of floor space, mining equipment artifacts, railroad artifacts, bridges, roads, trails, as well as artifacts from the copper mining years of 1909 through 1938. Since acquisition, the National Park Service (NPS) has been working to improve visitor safety, provide visitor services, and preserve the Mill town with a strong reliance on the expertise of local residents. Historic preservation priorities have been established which determine that some buildings will be allowed to deteriorate, others preserved as ruins and some stabilized or rehabilitated to support visitor services. As you walk through the Mill town, a close inspection will reveal that every building has received some level of treatment. Buildings such as the Recreation Hall, the Company Store and Warehouse, the Depot, Refrigeration Plant, Old and New School Buildings, two historic cottages and the General Manager’s Office building are rehabilitated and are now positioned for routine maintenance. All of the buildings, including the large industrial mill, leaching plant, west bunkhouse, machine shop and power plant have been reroofed. Look closely and you will see that the power plant and the machine shop have received new foundations and significant structural repairs to halt deterioration and partial collapse. Engineering work has begun to tackle foundation and structural repairs to the historic icons of the Kennecott Mill town, the Concentration Mill and the Leaching Plant. Work also began in 2008 on the reconstruction of the historic railroad trestle across National Creek and will continue in 2010 with the stabilization of the flood ravaged National Creed channel and two of the historic structures that flank it. Significant progress has been made, but more years of work are required to ensure Kennecott’s preservation. Friends of Kennicott is working with the NPS, local community, and statewide and national organizations to implement the light touch/partnership vision for Kennicott that provided the consensus foundation for NPS acquisition. Please re-visit this page for further updates on National Park Service, and Friends activities in Kennecott.


Additionally, park staff will be continuing to work with Friends of Kennicott, Wrangell Mountains Center, McCarthy Area Council, McCarthy Museum and other interested citizens on a variety of projects and issues. Some of these include the McCarthy Road Environmental Impact Statement, a National Park Service campground on the east side of the river and an administrative site on the west side. We look forward to building partnership relationships with our neighbors as these projects develop.

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