Chisana City: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Region 11 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

Inventory Unit Description: Chisana City is a component landscape of the Chisana - Gold Hill Historic Mining Landscape. Chisana City is comprised of 20 historically significant log structures. Most of the structures date from the winter of 1913-14, others from the post-1930 period when the airstrip was built and gold market prices jumped from $20/ounce to $32/ounce, and the post-1950 period and the growth of hunting guide service companies. The log structures reflect Interior Alaska and Yukon Territory building practices with their extended roof beams and porches. Some log cabins have built-up berms which keep cold air from seeping inside. The extreme temperatures of 50 degrees below or more required other heat saving techniques in chinking, chimney and stove placement, and outhouses. The former street grid pattern can still be discerned though the line of log structures has been depleted. The remaining structures were built to house a variety of gold rush businesses, government offices, and residences, but were abandoned by World War I, and after World War II were re-used for big game hunting lodge operations. The enclave of structures is surrounded by a spruce forest. Four of these structures have been rehabilitated and are now managed by the National Park Service. The ruins of many other historic structures still remain on private property and archeological sites have been documented throughout the former townsite. Many elements of the Landscape could undoubtedly qualify for individual nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Others, more adversely impacted by the passage of time and the region’s harsh subarctic environment, clearly lack such distinction. Together these buildings, structures, sites, and objects contribute significantly to the integrity of the landscape as a whole. Their setting still conveys the environmental characteristics of the district’s most significant era, the boom lasting from 1913 to 1915. Their spatial organization reflects the area’s topographical advantages and constraints. Their diverse designs demonstrate technological innovation as well as the miners’ continuously evolving needs. Their various construction materials reveal the full range of locally available options. Their workmanship provides invaluable insight into the skills, engineering practices, and aesthetic preferences of their day. Their feeling of isolation and abandonment reflects the boom and bust cycle characteristic of all mining regions. When combined with their well-documented association with prominent people and events, these features convey a clear sense of the landscape’s historic identity.

Chisana City: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

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