The history behind Nicolai's Mine Camp:
Chief Skolai Nicolai of Taral is the historic figure who made the deal that resulted in the ultimate discovery of the fabulously-rich copper veins that mark the early beginnings of Kennecott Copper Corporation. Yes, Kennecott got its start in this valley less than 100 aerial miles to the south-east of Copper Center.
Site of the original Nikolai Mine to the east of Kennecott. Note that the spelling of the Nikolai is not the same as that of Chief Nicolai, for whom it was named.
Copper Center on the Klutina
River looking at Mt. Drum, ca.1900
When the Guggenheims, with the financing of J.P. Morgan, built the Copper River & Northwestern, they considered selling the mainline--that portion from Cordova to Chitina, 131 miles, to the federal government at cost. The map below shows the most-southern part of the proposed route, which was surveyed all the way to Chena, then the landing for Fairbanks. Had the U.S. Government accepted the offer, the line would have included a station at Copper Center, as you can see from this map. Thus, here you can clearly see the historic connection between Copper Center and the CR&NW Railway, as it could have been.
The story of Chief Nicolai was best told in this historic novel, "Legacy of the Chief," by Ronald N. Simpson.
Although long out of print, copies can still be had at Amazon dot com. Also, the author sometimes has copies available at the bar for sale that he will autograph for you. Original printing shipping date for the first edition was Sept 11, 2001.
--R Simpson, author
