Tuesday, January 31, 2012

GHOST TOWNS & ABANDONED MINES IN ALASKA, ARIZONA AND ARKANSAS































The many ghost towns dotted about the United States are silent reminders of the country’s (often lawless) past. Adventurers came from far and wide to seek their fortunes on the frontiers, building numerous communities around mines and railroads that declined as their raw materials were often rapidly depleted.

Alaska – Independence Mine and Kennecott Mining Camp





































From the moment lode (hard rock) gold was found in the Talkeetna Mountains in 1886, the “rush” was on! Lode mining required elaborate tunnels and heavy equipment, and several mining companies merged to pool their resources. The result was Independence Mine, with an operation comprising 27 structures across more than 1,350 acres.















































At its peak in 1941, the company operating Independence Mine employed 204 men, blasted almost 12 miles of tunnels, and produced 34,416 ounces of gold worth $1,204,560; today $17,208,000. World War Two rendered gold mining nonessential, although Independence Mine continued to operate due to the presence of sheelite (a source of tungsten, which is a strategic metal). But supplies were low and the mine closed in 1943. I was granted a brief reprieve in 1946 when gold mining resumed, but Independence Mine never recovered and January 1951 saw the end of an epoch in Alaskan history.



























The abandoned mining camp at Kennecott was once the centre of Alaska’s copper mining operations. Stephen Birch, a newly qualified mining engineer, bought the prospectors’ interest in mine for $275,000. Within 20 years the investment would yield the richest known concentration of copper in the world. Battles raged between conservationists and those with a financial interest in the copper, including the Guggenheim family and J.P. Morgan, who formed the Kennecott Copper Corporation in 1903.
































Kennecott had five mines, four of them connected by tunnels. At its peak in 1916, the copper ore yield was valued at $32.4 million. High grade supplies were depleted by the 1930s, and the last train-load of copper ore left Kennecott on November 10, 1938. The following day, it was a ghost town, and national historic monument. For more ghost towns in Alaska, check out the abandoned stilt village of Ukivok, and this related article.

Arizona Ghost Towns – Fairbank, Sasco and Swansea























































Fairbank was once an important town in the “Arizona Territory”, brought about by the railroad and tied in fate to the silver mines of legendary frontier town Tombstone. The town was named after Chicago investor Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank who partially financed the railroad. Fairbank founded the Grand Central Mining Company, which had an interest in Tombstone’s mines. The town was formally founded on May 16, 1883, the day the local Post Office opened.











































Fairbank’s railroad station and proximity to Tombstone ensured its vibrancy, with supplies brought in and silver ore shipped out. At its peak Fairbank was home to around 100 residents, a steam quartz mill, general store, butcher shop, restaurant, Wells Fargo office, railroad depot, stage coach station, and of course, the ubiquitous saloon. But when it rains in the desert, it pours! Flooding closed Tombstone’s mines in 1886 and Fairbank’s fate was all but sealed. The last significant event in the town’s history came in 1900 during an attempted train robbery, when a lawman mortally wounded robber “Three Fingered Jack” Dunlop, in true Wild West fashion.





















































Sasco rose to prominence towards the end of the Old West, and is perhaps not how many would imagine a “Wild West” ghost town to be. But this town, which once housed 600 people and is an acronym for Southern Arizona Smelter Company, boasts some interesting remains. Most extensive are the old Rockland Hotel (above), smelter foundations and the old cemetery. Sasco’s habitationw as short-lived, mainly between 1907 and 1919, when the post office closed.













































Swansea was a mining town settled around 1909, originally called Signal. Due to a lack of smelting facilities at the time, most of the copper ore was shipped to Swansea in the United Kingdom. At a time when the world was a smaller place, the journey must have been epic – railroad to the Colorado River, then by ship from the Gulf of California around Cape Horn to the UK. A smelter was finally added, but the town took the name Swansea in honour of its history. But decline set in fast, and Swansea was a ghost town by 1937.

Arkansas – Rush Ghost Town






































Unlike the Wild West, Arkansas was a zinc and lead mining region, and Rush was settled for that purpose. The town was settled from around 1880 to 1940, although the bottom dropped out the zinc market after World War One, and Rush’s population dwindled from almost 5,000 to 500. Rush had shops, a hotel, a doctor’s office, and even a moving picture show. Today, the abandoned ghost town is a symbol of the boom-bust cities in America.

16 comments:

Jeevan said...

Its very interesting and also informative. The places and the wood structures are quite wonderful and not so good to see these small towns abandoned as the value of things does not exist.

Ankita said...

interesting but equally scary! perfect set for a Ramsey brand horror movie ..hehehe!

Joyful said...

Beautiful. I like your collection of very interesting photos.

Rakesh Kumar said...

क्या कहूँ आपकी इस सुन्दर प्रस्तुति के लिए?
Really unique and intersting.
You have given detailed information
with beautiful pictures.

Thanks a lot Urmi ji for sharing with us.

Renu said...

very interesting!

Tomz said...

oh such places r really on earth..bit scary,,,

Unknown said...

खंडहर बता रहें है ईमारत बुलंद थी.

chris said...

Hello!
It's Friday? It's the end of the week?
This is one reason why I am also happy to come a little time on your blog.
I'm glad also that you have loyalty to my blog, in fact, the difference in culture, unlike continent, the difference in language, brings to blogs, a whole new dimension, it allows people to know, of talk to people we would never have known in the real world, and this is what I find amazing
So thank you for your presence.
I wish you a pleasant weekend
kisses
cordially
Chris
http://nsm01.casimages.com/img/2009/02/22/090222022826505743194630.jpg

Rajesh said...

Terrific structures in abandoned towns.

My Unfinished Life said...

very interesting..one of my friends did a tour of the ghost towns and the pics she took were very very haunting and lovely at the same time!!

http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.com/

My Unfinished Life said...

very interesting..one of my friends did a tour of the ghost towns and the pics she took were very very haunting and lovely at the same time!!

http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.com/

chris said...

A quick hello.
I hope this little passage on your blog finds you in good health!
Here no fears, have microbes, after a night with -11 °, while some parts of France, is -20 °?, The snow this morning reappeared, 25 centimeters, not a vehicle roll. Snowy and icy roads despite the winter equipment of cars.
It does not matter, so I can make you a visit.
I am currently not a lot of blogs, it's true, the reason is that I prepare a lot of pictures, for Valentine's Day, it take me much time, but I will send thee before that day.
I wish you a very pleasant day
kisses
Chris

http://nsm01.casimages.com/img/2009/02/26/090226104924505743218656.jpg

Ramakrishnan said...

That's a whole lot of amazing information about the three A's. You have great patience and commitment to collate such detailed information and present the facts with beautiful and interesting pictures.Great post.

Sudhir R said...

Straight from the western movies

कृषि समाधान said...

Great...Keep Going...All the best...

Ahir said...


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