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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
I've always been drawn to abandonments. Within a crumbling structure lies a common human struggle, a glimpse into a fallen dream, and a brief moment where the ghosts of the past come alive to tell their story.
The story of the Nabesna gold mine began in 1925, when Carl Whitham came across a mineral vein on the southeast flank of White Mountain. The vein was exposed by a passing bear, who had been digging up the dirt in search of food. This "Bear Vein" became the principal source of gold and silver ore until the mine closed due to wartime restrictions in 1945.
Today, the mine property is still privately owned, and White Mountain still holds a considerable amount of high-grade ore. But it is now surrounded by the federally-owned land of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and the chances of it ever becoming active again are slim.
I was here this fall (with permission) as part of a regional survey, sampling a variety of deposits across Alaska and Yukon for a private company looking for metals. When I learned that Nabesna was on our list of sites to visit, I could barely contain my excitement.
Of all the abandonments I've ever visited, this one was the most special. Maybe it was the scenery, maybe it was the story, maybe it was the ongoing, 60-year fight to breathe life back into the old mine. Whatever it was, it didn't take long for it to become one of my all-time favorites.
If you ever find yourself in Alaska, make the trip to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Like everything else in Alaska, it's huge, it's wild, and it's stunningly beautiful. But do me a favor and head out into the backcountry, because on this work trip, I didn't have time to really see it. |
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![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 68 W: 3 N: 135]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}
