Inside Alaska’s Lost Ghost Town | Exploring Kennecott & McCarthy

[@ArtWeThereYet]

👋POLL TIME! The contractor who skipped town: villain or hero?

[@burninoutloud]

our hero 🙂 Time heals all wounds

[@MurraydeLues]

Hero

[@Ellangellemni]

Hero!!!!!

[@tomas5376]

Hero for sure!

[@basjoe6137]

Hero

[@washingtonbob49]

Without a doubt the finest documentary on the Copper mines of Alaska! Your pacing is excellent...it draws the viewer in with clever use of quiet and wonderful narration ...the music tract is sublime and the photography/videography is outstanding! Thank you so much Cora and Jose' for another fabulous look at Alaska. Much love to you both....Bob

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you, Bob! We thought you might really like this one, and so happy you did!

[@CerraEquus]

So great you found all the old video footage - so cool to see how things worked back then

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Agreed! It's fascinating to see it "then" and "now"

[@tomas5376]

It’s amazing that every new video tops the last one. The videography and commentary leave nothing untouched. It’s so easy to see why you both fell in love with Alaska! Gracias

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you so much 😀

[@cindywiech2675]

I’ve seen several other You Tube videos about McCarthy & Kennecott done by other traveling VLoggers. But I have to say yours is the absolute best one yet. All the history and background information you provided was fabulous. I love watching your videos.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Wow, thank you!

[@JamesLewicki]

"built on the promise of" .... love it! great writing, great filming ... as always!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thanks papa 😊

[@josephvantreeck2989]

What a wonderful expose' of an amazing part of Alaska and yes, US history from days gone by. The Park Service has done a wonderful job over the past 30 years or so, of preserving the relics of the past found here. Our earliest trek prior to then, the entire area was still in private hands, and most buildings in disrepair. Thank you for devoting so much time to the story so that others get a glimpse of "how things were" once upon a time in Alaska.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you, Joseph. Yes, agreed, the park service has done an AMAZING job!

[@Mom2theBreezyMax]

Your cinematography is stunning! And the way you tell the story is captivating and informative!! I'm so glad I found your channel.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Welcome aboard!

[@lesterhousel]

Thanks!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Wow, thank you Lester!

[@edwardmiller6353]

Great video again! We love the quality video and the history details you share with us!!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thanks again!

[@Ellangellemni]

So wonderful!!!! People have no idea how lucky they are to have you as guides on this colossal journey south! Slyly humorous. Delightfully human. Thoroughly studied. Kindly written. Happily narrated. And, most important, stunningly filmed. You guys SO ROCK (pun intended) as a team! A few observations from the middle past: When I was a kid The Glacier (Kennicott Glacier) rose to about eye-level. During mining, eye was about the top of the Mill Building. Now, you see it much lower, far below the Union Creek bridge. Shocking to me, as I haven't seen Root Glacier from the Mill Building before, is how Root Glacier is thinning so much more quickly than the Kennicott. I know it will be fascinating to it the valleys sans glaciers, watch rivers find their legs, and plant/forest reclaim the valleys. It will still be sad.

[@alfredodejuan390]

The geologist dream: to be into the earth and speaking about minerals. Great video as always! 🤗

[@nancychuck5183]

We really enjoyed this video and learning about Kennecott. You caught our attention when you mentioned the copper was shipped to the smelter in Tacoma, WA. Our grandfather worked in that smelter (although he didn't start until the mid-1940s). The Tacoma Smelting & Refining Company began operations in 1889, originally to extract lead from metal ore. In 1902 it switched to extracting copper. It was sold in 1905 and became American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO). The ASARCO copper smelter closed down in 1985 following a mix of environmental regulations and a recession. The land surrounding the old smelter is still considered toxic. Air pollution from the smelter settled on the surface soil of more than 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound basin. Arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals are still in the soil as a result of this pollution.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Oh wow, so interesting how your family history ties into this history! Yes, unfortunately there just wasn’t that understanding of environmental impact…

[@marthakratchman448]

This was so interesting! Another amazing video. As always the filming and narration are perfection. Sorry we missed the live! We were traveling back from Payson.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Aw yay! Glad you enjoyed it, Martha! And no worries about the premiere - we had technical difficulties with the export, so couldn’t do it at the right time. Just had to throw it out there at 11am and hope for the best! Hope the drive back from Paxson went well!

[@heiser_bill]

Great story telling, visuals, and music, as always! 🙂

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you, Bill!

[@tompfeiffer2755]

Thank you for your perseverance getting there. A fantastic presentation of the history and beauty of this little known gem. A NatGeo worthy episode!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Wow, thank you Tom!

[@LandYacht]

Incredibly beautiful and informative. Thanks for creating this video. Perfection!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Wow, thank you!

[@McCarthyLodgeResort]

So awesome!! Really one of the very best videos of the McCarthy & Kennicott area. Well done!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Wow, thank you! And thank you for being such an awesome company, getting us everywhere we needed to go! Ms Rita is the bomb :)

[@joshweinstein5345]

What a great and fascinating video! And informative: for the first time in my life, I actually understand how mining works. Thanks!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

So glad you enjoyed it, Josh!

[@brendamountaingirl8354]

Just caught the end of your Live feed ugh 😑 will watch the whole video in awhile. Love ❤️ your channel!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Aw, no worries! I hope you enjoy the watching the video in full. And sending loving thoughts for your community with those fires!

[@brendamountaingirl8354]

@@ArtWeThereYet 🫶🏻😌

[@StephenP.Conrad]

Loving this new found series!! Thank you both

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Hey Stephen - so glad you found us! Welcome aboard!

[@freeworldpress5190]

So glad to see your videos getting many views! Congrats. Hoping you both have happy holidays.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thanks, we really appreciate you watching! Happy holidays to you too! 🙂

[@mariodesortes9180]

😮WOW! Come sempre un video fantastico! 🤗🤗

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Grazie 😊

[@chuy86]

What an amazing places...thanks so much for sharing your travels!! Muy bonito Alaska! Gracias por compartir! 🤝👋👋

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Gracias por acompañarnos en la aventura!

[@Activist2800]

So expertly informative, good luck on your amazing adventure and thank you.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thanks for watching! 🙂

[@ddawson8069]

Very nice job. We will travel to McCarthy/Kennecott next spring to explore! Thx "R we there yet!"😁

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Have fun! You will love it!

[@Jade_SB]

Thanks for sharing very cool.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thanks for watching!

[@CerraEquus]

The early tram to the other river side looks so cool :) I love relics, artifacts etc. - even most of them might be very simple, still I dont know of how all of that might have worked in the past. I hope human beings dont forget simple technologies.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Yes, that's what makes this place so fascinating...all the pieces of history left behind.

[@ricklarson114]

Thanks for all the great information! I was there in June, but didn't see everything, so this was interesting to watch!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you, we are so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

[@AnotherOldSquid]

I drove my bluebird to McCarthy...but I had a car in tow....my escape vehicle which fortunately was not required. Love you Videos!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Happy you made it through unscathed!

[@spencer6633]

another great video by you two.... thank you. as a civil engineer i really appreciate all the detail and information in your videos.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you for appreciating the effort we put into them!

[@jameslewicki8628]

Great video

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thanks Pops!

[@apologiamixer]

That brings back memories. I made several trips to Kennecott in the 1970s when there were no guides nor shuttles. I rode the cable tram with our big labrador retriever.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

That is so awesome. Hope you have pictures! The road must have a different animal then!

[@ericsmith9777]

Nice presentation.....thank you !! Cheers,

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ILHoneyBadger]

Cora, your narration is superb. Honestly, you should get an agent who works with audiobook publishers and see where that might go. Your voice is extremely listenable. Everything about this video is just excellent.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Wow, thank you! Your feedback is inspiring to me! 😊

[@lesterhousel]

Wow, what a find. January 1961 I was interviewing for a job and a remote area called. Kenny caught Copper wow Suzette and I had just gotten married my last semester at Penn State. The interview was would your wife be willing to go to a really remote area Well I thought so. I couldn’t find a job in Pennsylvania. Well, they didn’t think I was gonna fit in for the remote job now I see what it would’ve required so glad that Martin and Orlando offered us a job in Florida. We’ve been here since January 19 61, marriage 64 years and, had a wonderful life here in Florida. It would’ve been an incredible challenge for industrial engineer to try to bring this place back to life. Thanks for the wonderful video and your experts and travel and document. Lester and Suzette.

[@lesterhousel]

Curious, are there helicopter rides offered for Tourists to visit this place without the travel that you and your partner have made to get there thanks, Lester

[@lesterhousel]

Maybe now that copper is 4 to 5 dollars a pound???? Guess we missed an investment opportunity;LOL Lester and Suzette

[@tacrewgirl]

Yes, you can fly to McCarthy from Chitna and I think a few other places. But, it's a beautiful 60-mile drive. If you drive slowly around 30mph and cautiously and have a spare tire you'll be fine.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Sounds like it all worked out in the end, with the position in Florida facilitating a beautiful life in Florida. There aren’t helicopter tours out of McCarthy, but Wrangell Mountain Air does bush plane flights from Chitina. That would be an adventure into itself!

[@neilwieland]

I love this i take people here and you did an amazing job on this. I actually passed you on your way in that day.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Oh that’s so cool!

[@vee8317]

Another great video

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you!

[@tacrewgirl]

Another great video. Thanks. I love how much research your pour into these videos with archival footage from UAF and other sources. I definitely need to revisit McCarthy again. I remember being overwhelmed at the engineering greats they pulled off over 100 years ago in this remote area. And I always found it fascinating that they gave people 24 hours to pack up and leave and some stayed. It would've been wild to be one of the few people who stayed behind when that last train left or be someone who "found" it in the 1950s as a bush pilot and started doing tours. History is cool. You should definitely read the book or listen to the audiobook Cold Mountain Path by local Alaskan author Tom Kizzia about the history of McCarthy. It's very well done. I could definitely see you two staying there for a year and working with the summer arts community.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you for appreciating the time we put in. It's a lot, but worth it in the end (we think so at least, so when others do as well....it means a lot!) Yes, I'm just trying to imagine what it was like after that last train left and it was just the wind, sound of the ravens, and just....quiet. Must have been SO trippy.

[@sherrymejia5759]

Beautiful video…

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@emanoelpaulino1935]

You not only see the beauty of the Alaska but the history ,where else do we need ?

[@ArtWeThereYet]

😊

[@dianaperkins1910]

Very very interesting. I would love to go there sometime

[@ArtWeThereYet]

You should definitely put it on your bucket list!

[@barryzbornik634]

Education at its best :)

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Such an awesome comment. Thank you!

[@burninoutloud]

Great Story! I was sitting in front of my computer and missed the live chat :-) Maybe first time.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Our fault - export issues that kept us up all night 😔

[@burninoutloud]

@@ArtWeThereYet Fun with tech. The timing was fine, no worries, I just missed notifications some how.

[@c.alcazar2584]

I was there more than 20 years ago before it became tourist beautiful placecand interesting....

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Ooh interesting! Was the mill open for tours back then?

[@AgentTrust]

🙂 thank you 👍

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Thank you for watching our videos 🙂

[@BreakTime10101]

Awesome video beautiful views. But how did they get the shuttle van, and other vehicles, across the water, ice bridge? I’m surprised they didn’t just build a vehicle bridge.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Good question! So there is a private bridge with (we were told) a $600 yearly key fee charged by the owner to use. That’s how locals and tour companies get their vehicles over. We also saw a lot of ATV traffic, so it seems some of the locals who live on the McCarthy Rd side of the bridge opt out of paying that fee and just get to town via ATV/snow machine.

[@thenomad7120]

There’s a TV show on Mcarthy isn’t there?😮😅

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Yes, we think there is one, but we haven't seen it yet!

[@Henry-ol1jx]

I'm song, but how do the other cars and trucks get there

[@ArtWeThereYet]

:) Knew someone would eventually ask that. So there is a second, privately owned bridge. The owner charges an annual "key fee" of about $600 USD. It's worth it for locals and businesses, but even a lot of locals don't use it. A lot of folks that live on the other side of the river just drive their ATVs across the footbridge instead.

[@rafibhat4999]

Question remains, why they left and never restart?

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Seems like it was because it wasn't profitable anymore.

[@explorecriminalminds]

Dude took out the community.

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Luckily there still is a small community that keeps the history of this place alive!

[@coffee-co8gk]

Makes me want to move there?

[@ArtWeThereYet]

Can you imagine how peaceful it would be in the winter? But so cold!

[@coffee-co8gk]

​@@ArtWeThereYet the state of Alaska should be funding you guys great work!

[@ArtWeThereYet]

That would be pretty awesome 😊

[@coffee-co8gk]

@@ArtWeThereYet just fact. Wonderful videos

[@pratheepgopalan226]

Why is it that the Russian Federation was Forced to Sell a wonderland called ALASKA to the U.S for a paltry 7 million back in the day is still refusing to sink in...😁😁

[@ArtWeThereYet]

They must sure be kicking themselves now, right?! 😂

[@BreakTime10101]

And why didn’t Canada take it over?

[@pratheepgopalan226]

Looks that way ....ma'am😂😂😂​@@ArtWeThereYet

[@sunnyormsby8402]

clickbait

[@ArtWeThereYet]

🤔

[@alfredodejuan390]

The geologist dream: to be into the earth and speaking about minerals. Great video as always! 🤗

[@ArtWeThereYet]

It really is!

[@tacrewgirl]

@@ArtWeThereYetWas your tour guide a geologist?