The Radovan Camp ruins lie in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in eastern Alaska. This historic homestead was the work of the ingenious copper prospector, Martin Radovan. Just a few years ago, the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act lead researchers to determine that the Radovan Camp was a historically significant and a remarkably well preserved piece of Alaska’s history. Visit this magnificent corner of Alaska to see these strange ruins and imagine the simple life of long ago.
The Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve is a collection of foothills and mountains rising straight from the sea. Mt. Elias strikes a pose at 18,000 feet above sea level.
NPS CulturalLandscapes (Bryan Petrtyl) | Flickr
At 13.2 million acres, Wrangell - St. Elias is the largest National Park in America. The Radovan Camp is tucked in solitude among all that beauty.
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
Martin Radovan was a prospector in the area for over 46 years. He laid claim to Binocular Prospect, a copper outcrop above the green limestone deposit on the face of a cliff overlooking a glacier.
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
Martin created all the buildings, and survived in the harsh Alaskan climate. His wife Augusta Louise Iverson worked alongside him.
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
After extensive research, an interdisciplinary team determined that the camps, prospects, artifacts, roads and trails at Radovan Gulch are historical and worthy of preservation.
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
These well preserved buildings can be accessed through a long back-country journey or a quick site-seeing flight. Radovan chose this spot for it’s excellent natural resources and incredible beauty.
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
The inventions of the camp show what a clever and industrious man Radovan really was. The Alaska Miners Association has inducted Martin Radovan into the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame!
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
So visit these strange, little known ruins in Alaska to uncover a piece of Alaska’s past.
Jeremy Taylor | Flickr
If you like ruins, check out These 12 Unbelievable Ruins In Alaska Will Transport You To The Past. Or follow These 10 Trails In Alaska Will Lead You To Extraordinary Ruins.
NPS CulturalLandscapes (Bryan Petrtyl) | Flickr
NPS CulturalLandscapes | Flickr
Jeremy Taylor | Flickr
Have you been to Wragell- St. Elias NPP? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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