Nelson Prospect: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Region 11 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

Inventory Unit Description: The Nelson Prospect (XMC-073) is a component landscape of the Glacier Creek Historic Mining Landscape. It is located on the left bank of Glacier Creek near the mouth of the valley on the hillside above and due west of Nelson Camp. It is within the boundaries of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Glacier Creek is fed by several large glaciers and is a tributary of the Chitistone river, which drains into the Nizina river, which drains into the Chitina River, which drains into the Copper River, which drains into the Gulf of Alaska. The inventory unit boundary is represented by an irregular polygon encompassing an area of approximately 47.8 acres. The site boundaries conform to the historic, patented claim boundaries of the Spruce 1-3 claims, staked by Nelson around 1928, and includes all known historic buildings, structures, objects and relevant landscape characteristics associated with the copper prospecting. Landscape characteristics include a collection of building and structure ruins, a number of small scale features, and circulation features. Circulation features of the landscape include a trace of a haul road that leads from the prospect on the hillside above to the flood plane below. The historic site represents a period of significance from 1928, when the prospect was first located by Charles Nelson to 1953 when the Alaska Copper Company gave up its option on the property, and ceased its exploratory drilling operation. The landscape is significant under criteria A, for its contributions to the broad trends of local history, it is of local significance, and its area of significance is exploration/settlement and industry. The landscape satisfies the criteria for its property type as detailed in “Historic Properties Associated with Mineral Development in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 1898-1942”, a multiple property nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (Bleakley, 2000). The landscape is in poor condition, as the site is heavily overgrown and most of its buildings and structures are ruins. Nevertheless the site still conveys a clear sense of its historic function and use as many of its adits and tailings piles are still clearly identifiable. In addition the site is strewn with mining equipment from the 30 and the 50s, adding to the historic sense of setting and feeling. The component landscape maintains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, association and setting.

Nelson Prospect: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

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