Long before people started coming to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to find wildness and scenic beauty, they came for copper. Between 1911 and 1938, 100 million to 200 million dollars worth of copper ore was dug out and processed in the Kennecott mines, deep in the middle of what is now the national park. Today the site is preserved as Kennecott National Historic Landmark.

McCarty developed as the supply and recreation centre for the miners, meaning it had a few stores and plenty of saloons and brothels. It is a quieter place these days, with a few restaurants, hostelries, and private residences, many in historic buildings.

McCarthy-Kennicott Museum focuses on the mining days, but has lots of displays about the miners’ lives outside the mines, such as a program of the 1929 Fourth of July festivities, which included a nail driving contest for Ladies.