Mike Chowla
Alaska August 2010:

Independence Mine State Historical Park

Independence Mine was a hard rock gold mining operation that ran from 1908 to 1942. Many of the buildings are decaying to the point of near collapse though a few have been restored. The mine is only about an hour from Anchorage but feels a world way. 17 miles up the Hatcher Pass road, all traces of urban-ness have been left behind.