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The Copper River and NorthWestern Railroad
By: KL
In September, 2023, the seventh grade class of Academy Charter School went to Kennecott, Alaska, and learned many things, including about the construction of the Copper River and NorthWestern railroad.
The CR&NW railroad was built between 1907-1911. The railroad was 196 miles of track going from Valdez to Kennecott, crossing glaciers, rivers, mountains and valleys. According to the National Parks, because of the harsh environment, people nicknamed the railroad, "Can't Run and Never Will."
Above, Some old tickets and letters inside the old train depot at Kennecott Ak. photo credit Mariel G
According to the National Park service the railroad had many impressive features and was expensive to build, even by today's standards. The million dollar bridge connecting Kennecott and Cordova cost an astonishing $1.4 million dollars. According to the Legends of America, the Million Dollar Bridge took two months to build, all in harsh weather reaching down to negative forty degrees Fahrenheit.
The CR&NW Railroad Completed
The railroad was completed in 1911 and the first shipment of copper that went from Cordova to Tacoma was worth $250,000. In total, the train shipped millions upon millions of dollars worth of copper. Although the town of Kennecott and CR&NW railroad shut down in 1938, Kennecott still shaped Alaska.
Above map of The CR&NW Railroad; Photo credit- Wikipedia Commons
During construction, many people were injured and killed during the build, according to a St. Elias Mill guide. The workers came from various countries, but were mainly Chinese, Japanese and American. At the peak of railroad construction, there were 6,000 people working on it. A St. Elias Mill Guide said that the CR&NW workers slept on shacks, built in advance.
With the harsh conditions a lot of people quit, had injuries and died. Workers were paid, on average, about $5 per day.
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