Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Can't Run & Never Will!
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
| — | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | — |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 13, 2024
1. Can't Run & Never Will! Marker
The Copper River & Northwestern railroad lines (nicknamed the "Can't Run & Never Will") were built in 1908-1911, against nearly impossible odds with subzero temperatures and impenetrable snow. The two-hundred mile route connected the coastal docks at Cordova with the copper mine at Kennecott.
Guggenheim and Morgan interests...acquired one of the world's most valuable mineral deposits. They…knew that their holdings were worthless without construction of an enormously expensive railroad.
William Hunt, historian
The fall of the river is rapid....The current is swift and the channel…wide and shallow
J.M. Clapp, 1904
[The completion of the railroad was] the important advance made in the history of Alaska transportation since steamboat service was established on the Yukon.
Alfred H. Brooks
The sternwheeler was 109.6 feet long… drawing six inches of water unladen. It weighed 187 tons…she was broken down...and packed in from Valdez…using sleds and horses.
William Hunt, historian
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 62° 1.248′ N, 145° 21.854′ W. Marker is in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska. It can be reached from Richardson Hwy. Marker is at the kiosk between the Copper Center Visitor Center and the parking lot, with street address of Mile 106.8 Richardson Highway (Alaska Hwy 4). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Copper Center AK 99573, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Alaska’s Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) Region, specifically in the Athabascan Region, in the Prince William Sound, and in Southcentral Alaska. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Opening Up the Country (here, next to this marker); Intrepid Travelers (here, next to this marker); Traversing the Wilderness (here, next to this marker); Ciisi nekeghalts´et (within shouting distance of this marker); Violent Silhouettes (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line).
Also see . . .
1. Copper River and Northwestern Railway collections. (Submitted on August 27, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Copper River and Northwestern Railway (National Park Service). (Submitted on August 27, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 13, 2024
2. Can't Run & Never Will! Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 27, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
