Copper King/Carlisle
Index:
The Copper King Mine is located under the Raven's Ridge subdivision, not far from the junction of the Alaska Highway and the Fish Lake Road. The only tangible remnants are on the bank of McIntyre Creek. The Carlisle (sometimes misspelled "Carlyle") Mine was on the edge of Raven's Ridge. Many ski trails pass through the original Carlisle claim area.
Ore from both mines was shipped by road to Whitehorse where it was loaded on the railway.
Copper King Chronology
- 1898: 6 July, staked by Jack McIntyre who gave his name to the adjacent creek and to Mount McIntyre
- 1899: William Grainger, who had staked the adjacent but disappointing Copper Queen area in 1898, purchased a half share of the Copper King from McIntyre for $1000
- 1899: development work started, sinking on promising outcroppings in the area; first shaft was at the top of the cliff several hundred feet east of the face
- 1900: first shipment of ore took place to a smelter at Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, 9 tons (8000 kg) of bornite that yielded 46.4% copper; profit of $776 after transport and smelter charges
- 1902: McIntyre died when he fell through the ice on Taku Inlet while supplementing his income as a mail carrier
- 1903: Grainger took on J.P. Whitney as partner
- 1903: second shipment of ore took place, 460 tons (417M kg)
- 1904–1905: no work took place due to low price of copper
- 1906: work resumed; mine under lease to Colonel Thomas of Pittsburgh PA
- 1907: buildings and air compressor were in place
- 1907: inclined shaft of 130 ft (40 m) with 230-ft (70 m) drift 63 ft (19 m) below the surface; another drift 65 ft (20 m) long at 91 ft (28 m) below the surface, which put it below the level of McIntyre Creek
- 1907: a second shaft about 200 ft (61 m) north of first, 65 ft (20 m) deep
- 1907: a third shaft about 200 ft (61 m) south of first, 40 ft (12 m) deep
- 1907: 9 May, William Grainger and Gilbert Joyce (on his fourth day of work at the mine) died in the mine of carbon monoxide poisoning from a fire used to thaw it out; Grainger's name (although misspelled) is attached to Mount Granger and the Granger subdivision in Whitehorse
- 1918: mine still active
- 1919–1920: produced ore throughout the winter
- 1920: 2 September, shut down due to depletion of ore reserves
- 1964: four holes (total 1021 ft, 311 m) drilled in the area; two intersected narrow sections of high-grade ore
- 1970: geochemical soil sampling conducted in the area for New Imperial Mines
- 1985: leased by owner, Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting, to the Yukon government for development as a heritage site
- 1990: claim reverted to Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting because the Yukon government had done nothing with it
- 1990s: portal filled in over concerns for safety
Carlisle Chronology
- 1906: 100 tons (91,000 kg) of ore shipped
- 1907: 50-ft (15 m) shaft, incline of 87 ft (27 m), 50-ft (15 m) drift at the 50-ft (15 m) level
- 1926: new work, promising results; new headframe and equipment; shaft 140 ft (43 m) deep with drifts at 50, 90, and 134 ft (15, 27, and 41 m)
- 1926: 2000 tons (1.8M kg) of high-grade ore shipped; last shipment from any mine in the Copper Belt for many years
- 1960s: headframe removed
- 1970: geochemical soil sampling conducted in the area for New Imperial Mines
- 1985: leased by owner, Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting, to the Yukon government for development as a heritage site
- 1990: claim reverted to Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting because the Yukon government had done nothing with it
Access
The Copper King area is inside Whitehorse city limits, right in the Raven's Ridge subdivision. Drive into Raven's Ridge and park on the road near POI 1 (map below). Then walk west down the hill toward McIntyre Creek. The trail curves to the left and runs parallel to the creek. Follow it to POI 2, which is on the cliff above the area where the trail crosses the creek.
You can then drive a bit farther up the road to the site of the Carlisle Mine at POI 3.
Points of interest
The map below shows some points of interest (POIs) in the Copper King/Carlisle area. The table that follows gives more info for each POI.
| POI | Description | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copper King access point | 60.74155 -135.14291 492208 6734009 |
This point is actually in the area of the adjoining Copper Queen claim, which turned out to be disappointingly non-lucrative. At this point, a trail leads down a short slope to another trail that runs parallel to McIntyre Creek at the bottom of the cliff. This is the original road between Whitehorse and the Pueblo Mine, built in 1902. |
| 2 | Copper King mine portal area | 60.73952 -135.14522 492082 6733783 |
This is the site of the Copper King mine portal. The opening in the cliff was filled in during the 1990s. There were other shafts and access points further east on top the cliff in the area that is now part of the Raven's Ridge subdivision. If you look around the area you will a piece of mine rail poking out of the ground. Further south is a pile of waste rock running along the base of the cliff. This can be a source of interesting material for the amateur geologist. Between the portal location and the waste rock, you will find old bits of machinery in the bushes. These are probably pumps that were used to keep the mine (some of it below the level of adjacent McIntyre Creek) free of water. |
| 3 | Carlisle mine shaft area | 60.73797 -135.13905 492418 6733610 |
The Carlisle main shaft was located roughly in the area where the power line crosses War Eagle Way. Urban development has erased signs of mining activity. |
Downloads
| POIs for GPS | map for GPS |
|---|---|
| file of POIs in GPS format for this project and all others in the Whitehorse Copper Belt that you can download | GPS map for this project that you can download |
Photos and more info
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POI 2. Area of the filled-in Copper King portal right where the road to Pueblo used to cross McIntyre Creek. Seen from the cliff on the far side of the creek, above Fish Lake Road |
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POI 2. Copper King portal area at the point where the road to Pueblo used to cross McIntyre Creek |
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POI 2. Abandoned machinery in the bushes between the Copper King portal and the waste rock pile to the south |
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POI 2. Abandoned machinery. Parts of the Copper King mine required constant pumping because they were below the level of adjacent McIntyre Creek. |
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POI 2. Abandoned machinery in the vicinity of the Copper King portal |
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POI 2. Looking up at the Copper King portal area, now filled with waste rock |
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POI 2. Piece of mine rail protruding from waste rock at Copper King portal entrance. There was probably a track for ore cars in the adit. This rail is from that track. |
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POI 2. Waste rock pile to the south of the Copper King portal. Seen looking across McIntyre Creek from the Fish Lake Road |
TimmiT History Exploration Notebook