History, future possibilities highlighted in tour of mine

August 28, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

HATCHER PASS - Past the crumbling bunkhouses and workshops that once served as Independence Mine, 16 modern-day explorers hiked Saturday morning up Granite Mountain to a cavernous mine shaft.

The paying tourists wore headlamps, hard-hats, rain gear and rubber boots. One by one they stepped inside a dark 8-foot-high entryway, away from the warm sunshine of Hatcher Pass, away from the clear blue skies.

A gentle 38-degree breeze and the sound of trickling, dripping water welcomed the group. Led by Chief Ranger Pat Murphy, they sloshed through mud and frigid ankle-deep water.

The group walked atop an old rail track, now submerged by a shallow stream, that once hauled countless loads of gold-filled quartz rock from the heart of the mountain.

The tourists each paid a hearty $125 for the right to enter the mountain. They were part of the first of three inner-mountain treks Saturday, which aimed to both raise money for improvements at Independence Mine State Historical Park and public awareness of the untapped potential for regular underground mountain tours.

Ranger Murphy said the state is still looking for a partner to help develop the mine tours into a viable summer destination that could run as many as eight tours a day.

"We'd like to get to that point," he said, "but at this point, it's still wishful thinking."

For the past five years, Murphy has led periodic tours into the mountain, some open to the public and others private events. So far, no major tour company has stepped in to develop the mine's possibilities, but Murphy thinks it is only a matter of time.

He looks at the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, Ariz., as an example of the interest Independence Mine could tap into. More than 180,000 tourists visit the Copper Queen annually, which in turn supports hotels, restaurants and a thriving tourist infrastructure.

Murphy believes tourists would jump at the chance to spend an Alaska night in a miner's bunk house, eat a hearty mining breakfast and then hop on a tiny ore-train to tour the mountain's inner sanctum.

"We have an asset here that we are under-utilizing," he said.

Before the tunnel tour becomes a viable hot spot, however, it needs major improvements to accommodate safe, regular tours.

In the mean time, Murphy, former New Independence miner Scott Eubanks and other experienced guides plan to continue working with Friends of State Parks, Mat-Su, to bring a few people each summer into the mountain.

On Saturday, tourists walked past dark caverns, rusty signs and dynamite holes. They traced the history of gold mining in the Talkeetna Mountains area and followed pitch-black tunnels past abandoned mining sites and huge beams that supported the winding shaft.

They learned of the teaming mining outpost, where by the 1940's more than 200 men were regularly walking through the same tunnels in search of gold.

After walking back into the warm sunlight, Wasilla resident Newell Walther said he enjoyed the three-hour trek.

"I was surprised by the whole extent of it," he said. "I really hope they can develop the mine for history and tourism."

Palmer resident Robert Kaye was also impressed by the tour.

"It was neat to be able to walk all the way into where they were mining," he said.

For information about future opportunities to visit the underground mine next summer, people may call Independence Mine visitor center at 745-2827.

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@ frontiersman.com.