Nestled within Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains lie the ruins of Independence Mine. Active on and off between 1938 and 1951, the gold mining operation at this mine was once the second largest in Alaska. The Gold Rush came to Alaska in the late 19th century, when gold was discovered southeast of Anchorage in 1886. Hunting for precious metals, prospectors spread into the Susitna and Matanuska river basins. They found gold scattered in quartz veins throughout the granite in the Talkeetna Mountains. The facility now known as Independence Mine was once…
