Chief Skolai Nicolai of Taral is the historic figure who made the deal that resulted in the ultimate discovery of the fabulously-rich copper veins that mark the early beginnings of Kennecott Copper Corporation. Yes, Kennecott got its start in this valley less than 100 aerial miles to the south-east of Copper Center.
The inn is named after the owner's great-great grandfather, Chief Nicolai of Taral. To stay here is to experience a "retro-rustic" Old-Alaskan experience. This combination hostel-inn closely resembles a typical mining camp from the Territorial Days of Alaska. We are genuine-Alaskan and we are Alaskan-NATIVE owned & operated.
Our new name, Nicolai's Mine Camp, reflects this historic connection.
The Inn is a 10-acre riverside compound with up-to-date services, including remote check-in, WIFI, and Dish-Net TV. All our rooms have coffee; most also have a microwave; Some include a small refrigerator.
Our budget rooms with "shared bath" are compact, and best-suited for younger travelers. The lavatory/showers for these rooms for budget-minded travelers are in the historic ATCO.
For those requiring something more, we have four larger rooms with private lavatory-walk-in showers, as well as two larger units containing multiple rooms. Unit A--The Klutina Cabin, has a full bathroom and four separate sleeping rooms. Unit B--the bunkhouse--has its own lavatory, but uses the ATCO showers. It can accommodate up to 12 persons.
We have one long-time Native housekeeper from Nulato, who works hard to keep our facilities clean and well-stocked with items you would expect to find in a lodge, such as coffee in each room, fresh towels, and, of course, fresh linen. Our maintenance & watchman is also Native, from Stevens Village.
In keeping with an old tradition, our lodge offers the best value in the Copper Valley for overnight accommodations. You will always find the best prices here.
This is the diner foundaton under construction
A 1970s-era travel poster for Alaska. Both Wien and Western Airlines are long-gone. Currently Alaska is served by Alaska Air, Delta and United and sometimes seasonally by others.
Copper Center on the Klutina
River looking at Mt. Drum, ca.1900
Recently-acquired Alaska Railroad caboose #1091 (from Fairbanks) will serve as our espresso and point-of-sale for ordering take-out food.
When the Guggenheims, with the financing of J.P. Morgan, built the Copper River & Northwestern, they considered selling the mainline--that portion from Cordova to Chitina, 131 miles, to the federal government at cost. The map below shows the most-southern part of the proposed route, which was surveyed all the way to Chena, then the landing for Fairbanks. Had the U.S. Government accepted the offer, the line would have included a station at Copper Center, as you can see from this map. Thus, here you can clearly see the historic connection between Copper Center and the CR&NW Railway, as it could have been.
The story of Chief Nicolai was best told in this historic novel, "Legacy of the Chief," by Ronald N. Simpson.
Although long out of print, copies can still be had at Amazon dot com. Also, the author sometimes has copies available at the bar for sale that he will autograph for you. Original printing shipping date for the first edition was Sept 11, 2001.
--R Simpson, author
