Crow Creek Mine

Shortly before reaching Anchorage, we came to the Crow Creek Mine, a National Historic Site.

                      The first claims at Crow Creek were staked in 1897.

                            The original buildings were built in 1898 and are still standing.

The present owners have lived here since 1969 and raised their three children with no electricity, telephone or running water. It's a history of not only buildings and equipment, but of a lifestyle of days gone by.

                              The blacksmith shop contains all original tools.

                                                           The barn--

                              --used for horses, chickens and storing wood.

                              The Ice House to store butter, dried fruit and meats--

                                        was double walled with sawdust insulation.

                               The Commissary--Tool shed and company store.

                                                      Another Tool Shed.

              Meat Cache-- Used to hang and store fresh game: bear, moose and goats.

                                             Mess Hall-- The cook stove is still used.

                                                           Bunk House--

                                      How could any adventurer pass up a sign like this?

                                   I dove into the bushes and was off to Nome!

                               Twenty minutes later I came to this sign and took it to the right.

                              It followed a beautiful rainforest path on the Iditarod
                                  trail--

                                           --to the hand tram over glacier Creek.

                                          This seemed like something I should do, so--

                                                --off I went.

                                          There's no turning back now--

                                                -and no looking down either.

                                          Momma Mia-What have I done?

                                                 It was really a great ride.