Photos by Ethel LeCount:
Ethel LeCount was a nurse at the Kennecott Hospital at the Kennecott Mill Town in 1937-1938. LeCount shot many rolls of film during her stay out at the old copper mine. The National Park Service has posted some of them online, under the banner: “Ethel LeCount Historical Photo”s on the Wrangell-St-Elias website.
A link to the album is below:
https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?pg=858465&id=3CD7A309-1DD8-B71C-0718429D9FBE52EB
This is a brilliant, short film by Vincent Ledvina of the Aurora Borealis in Churchill, Manitoba. He has some incredible footage on his youtube channel of the Aurora in Alaska, as well.
I recently came across his photography, because of the above time lapse video, and I thought I’d share his work here on Circle to Circle.
Even after all the years I’ve spent in the North, the Northern Lights never fail to stop me in my tracks. Looking at these images, I think it’s pretty easy to see why.
Don’t forget to look up.
…and a very different world.
John Denver was in Alaska to film a television special in 1975, and someone thought: “Hey! Let’s have John run around a derelict mine!” In 1975, Kennecott Mines had not yet been listed as a National Historic Landmark, so I’m guessing Denver was not the only individual to run across the rooftops. One more item on the lists of things not allowed today.
The music added to the video was from a 1981 John Denver concert. Song credit, of course, goes to Hall of Famer Chuck Berry.
I was sent the above picture, with the question: “Where in Fairbanks is this?”
My response: “Behind a Land Rover.”
I received an “eye roll” emoji for my efforts.
Other than the Series Rover, the image shows what is now the Steese Highway as it swings by Birch Hill.
This stunning image is from Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. Taken in 2009 for his Genesis project. Such a powerful image of the Refuge.
A team of modern day adventurists and scientists used undersea drones to locate the famed Endurance. The ship was last seen 106 years ago.
Captained by Ernest Shackleton, the Endurance was caught in sea ice off the Antarctic Peninsula in 1915. The crew was forced to abandon the ship before it was crushed by the sea ice, and sank. Shackleton then led his crew on a miraculous 800 mile journey to safety.
The Endurance was found approximately 4 miles from the position last taken by Shackleton, almost 10,000 feet below the surface of the Weddell Sea. The ship is “in a brilliant state of preservation”, which did not come as a surprise due to the cold water temps and lack of wood eating marine organisms. The name Endurance can clearly be seen on the stern, as well as a five pointed star, which dates back to when the vessel was known as Polaris.
