In 1902, James McCarthy staked a number of claims in the Kuskulana drainage on Nugget Creek. Within several years, a mining camp and copper mining operations had been developed by the Alaska Copper Corporation. The site developed as the demand for copper grew at the onset of WWI. The mining operation was short lived, ending in 1919, yet traces of the Nugget Creek Mine and its associated road remain to commemorate this historic activity in the larger Kotsina-Kuskulana Historic Mining District.
After twenty years of exploration, the results from the Kotsina-Chitina area were less than anticipated. According to one historian, "...the region is the best Alaskan illustration of disappointment following long-proclaimed expectations of wealth." Alaskan historian William Hunt, "Mountain Wilderness: Historic Resources Study, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve," 1991
Last updated: November 22, 2021