McCarthy’s Lost Decades Pieced Together in ‘Cold Mountain Path’
Tom Kizzia trams across the Kennicott River in 1983. Photo by Paul Brown.
By Amanda Swinehart
Tom Kizzia travelled to McCarthy for the first time as a young journalist in the early ‘80s, sent by the Anchorage Daily News to cover one of the town’s most tragic events. While it is where his own story in the Wrangell Mountains began, it is where his new nonfiction book, “Cold Mountain Path,” ends.
The book covers what Kizzia calls the “ghost town decades” of the McCarthy-Kennecott area, from when the last train left Kennecott on November 10, 1938, to the mass shooting that took place on March 1, 1983.
Unlike his previous McCarthy-based book, “Pilgrim’s Wilderness,” which focused on a singular storyline, “Cold Mountain Path” offers a general history of the area during a time that few people know much about. It follows the ebb and flow of abandonment and rediscovery as access to the area changed from abandoned railroad bed to barely maintained dirt road.
Kizzia drew from an impressive range of sources to bring the story of those years and its characters to life. In addition to conducting his own interviews, he relied on archived interviews, newspapers, books, personal journals, letters, and supreme court cases, just to name a few. This allowed the author to offer readers a glimpse into the human side of the story, while putting the local history into a state and nationwide context.
It’s full of classic bush-Alaska stories and photos and gives insight into how state and corporate politics affected the area during that time. While you don’t need local ties to McCarthy or the Copper River Basin to enjoy this book, readers should at least have an interest in the general area, ghost towns, and/or state history.
The book’s local ties extend beyond just the subject matter. It is the first title to be released by Porphyry Press, a micropress based in McCarthy and owned by local author and publisher Jeremy Pataky. It also features maps of the area illustrated by local artist and CRR contributor Kristin Link.
Author Tom Kizzia stands in front of the McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum. A portion of sales from Kizzia’s new book, “Cold Mountain Path,” will be donated to the museum.
Photo courtesy of Jeremy Pataky.
“Cold Mountain Path” was released on October 5 and is available for purchase online and in bookstores across the state. An official book launch will be hosted by Porphyry Press and the Wrangell Mountain Center online via Zoom on November 3. Fore more information on the event and to access the Zoom room, click here.
