What fueled the rising need for copper?

Rich people wanted copper in the early twentieth century to make copper wires to make money. Copper is a natural conductor, ductile, making it a good metal for this.

How does copper conduct electricity?

According to eartheclipse.com  “The free electrons in copper atoms align in one direction when an electrical potential is applied. Then they cross over to the positive terminal from the negative one. The electrons conduct electricity because they move while carrying an electric current.”

When did Kennecott get discovered?

The government needed more copper to make more copper wires for electricity, so it sent a prospectors all around Alaska after the Klondike gold rush, looking for precious  metals. In 1900, two of them by the names of Clarence Warner and “Tarantula” Jack Smith,  traveled up the Copper River to Fourth of July pass.

Where was copper discovered in Kennecott?

 The pass overlooked the Kennicott and Root glaciers that were close to the location of a known copper source called Dan Creek. The men saw a large patch of green high in the mountains that looked like a grass meadow. When they hiked up 4,500 feet to check it out, they realized it was almost copper sticking out of the ground!  Rumor has it that one of them yelled: “It's a Bonanza!”

The ore they found ended up being 70% pure Calcite, one of the richest deposits ever. 

How many pounds of copper was processed out of Kennecott?

Kennecott mine was stocked with plenty of pounds of copper and had around 600,000 tons of copper in it.  A St. Elias guide told us “around 1.2 million pounds of copper were processed out of Kennecott during its lifetime from 1911-1938.”

Copper may have been worth a ton but what was the exact price?

*During 1933 copper prices were 5¢ per pound. (Great Depression copper prices)

During 1930 copper prices were 11¢ per  pound. (Great Depression copper prices)

During 1929 copper prices were 12¢ per pound. 

During 1917 copper prices were $2.35 per pound

During 1902 copper prices were 15¢ per pound

During 1901 copper prices were $1.05 per pound

*All info from World Copper website

 What were the three types of copper found in Kennecott?

The three main types of copper you could find in Kennecott were Malachite, Calcite, and Azurite.  

The mine also produced 6,000 tons of silver, which was enough to pay for the construction of the railroad and mill town all by itself. This meant that all the copper extracted was pure profit. 

What percentage of copper did Kennecott supply to the entire USA?

Kennecott supplied only 8% of total copper provided to the U.S. in tons. That may seem small but a ton is 2,000 pounds!  

How much would the profit made in Kennecott be worth today?

According to a guide at the mill, Kennecott made around $200 million worth of profit. In present day money, it would be about $1 billion.  

Where did Kennecott send it copper to, to get smelt?

Kennecott “Packed their copper into 140-pound sacks and loaded onto train cars for shipment down to the port in Cordova, Alaska 196 miles away. From there, it was sent down to Tacoma by boat for smelting.” as the article mentions.