A Kennecott Story : Three Mines, Four Men, and One Hundred Years, 1887-1997

While copper seems less glamorous than gold, it may be far more important. Copper proved vital to the industrial revolution and indispensable for electrification of America. Kennecott Copper Corporation, at one time the largest producer of copper in the world, thus played a key role in economic and industrial development. This book recounts how Kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining operations (one in Alaska, one in Utah, and one in Chile), how it led the way in mining technologies, and how it was in turn affected by the economy and politics of the day. As it traces the story of the three mines, the narrative follows four mining engineers--Stephen Birch, Daniel Cowan Jackling, William Burford Braden, and E. Toppan Stannard--self-made men whose technological ingenuity was responsible for much of Kennecott's success. While Jackling developed economies of scale for massive open-pit mining in Utah, Braden went underground in Chile for a caving operation of unprecedented scale for copper. Meanwhile, Birch and Stannard overcame the extreme challenges of mining rich ore in the difficult climate of Alaska and transporting it to market. The Guggenheims, who brought these three operations together provided the funding without which the infrastructure necessary for the mining operations might not have been built. The railroad required for the Alaska mine alone cost more than three times what the United States had paid to buy all of Alaska only forty-five years earlier. As a geologist with first-hand knowledge of mining, author Charles Hawley aptly describes the technology behind the Kennecott story in a way that both specialists and the general reader will appreciate. Through engaging stories and pertinent details, he places Kennecott and the copper industry within their historical context and also allows the reader to consider the controversial aspects of mineral discovery and sustainability in a crowded world where resources are limited. "While copper may seem less glamorous than gold, it may be far more important. Copper proved vital to the industrial revolution and indispensable for the electrification of America. Kennecott Copper Corporation, at one time the largest producer of copper in the world, thus played a key role in our economic and industrial development. This book recounts how Kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining operations (one in Alaska, one in Utah, and one in Chile), how it led the way in mining technologies, and how it was affected by the economy and politics of the day. As it traces the story of the three mines, the narrative follows four mining engineers men whose technological ingenuity was responsible for much of Kennecott's success. Accounts of the Guggenheims under whom the mines were united and other investors are also woven into the text. Without their funding, the infrastructure necessary for the mining operations may not have been built. (The railroad required for the Alaska mine alone cost more than three times what the United States had paid to buy all of Alaska only forty-five years prior.) As a geologist with first-hand knowledge of mining, author Charles Hawley aptly describes the technological workings in a way that both geologists and the general reader will appreciate. Through engaging stories and pertinent details, he places Kennecott and the copper industry within their historical context and also allows the reader to consider the controversial aspects of mineral discovery and sustainability in a crowded world where resources are limited."-- Provided by publisher. Copper and electricity -- The dawn of the age of electricity -- The origin of a copper empire: laying Kennecott Copper Corporation's financial foundation -- The apprentices -- Men and their mines from 1887 to 1922 -- Copper discoveries in Kennecott Copper Corporation's homeland: Alaska -- Discoveries at Bingham, Utah -- The Alaska syndicate -- Stephen Birch: personable young man or cold-eyed SOB? -- An Alaska political interlude -- Daniel Cowan Jackling: mining's Henry Ford -- William Burford Braden: El Rey del Cobre en Chile -- Development of mine infrastructure and technology to World War II -- The human component -- The Construction Era and mine railroads -- New mines: to shrink, cave, or pit -- Advanced process technology comes to Alaska and the Porphyry mines -- Copper mining: a quarter-century appraisal, 1897-1922 -- E. Tappan Stannard -- Capital payback: traditional and otherwise -- The syndicate is repaid and Kennecott Copper Corporation is formed -- The Beatson Mine: extra income -- Chemistry contributes: chalcocite and its issues -- Mining from 1923 to the Korean War -- Copper: too little or too much? -- Beginning of the end in Alaska and a bright spot in Chile -- Kennecott goes to war -- Korean War to 1997 -- Steel man Cox: a change in direction -- Frank Milliken: dissention at home, expropriation in Chile -- Barrow and Joklik: mixed signals, real results -- Legacies