INDEPENDENCE MINE (Matanuska-Susitna Borough) Alaska is located on a gravel road northwest of Palmer. Here sit the ruins of a huge mill and more than 25 buildings, remains of a 1936-1942 gold mining camp. It was originally discovered in 1908 by Robert Hatcher, but it wasn't until 1936 that the camp boomed. It shut down at the onset of World War II, and has been closed since.
The Independence Mine Camp consisted of the mill, bunkhouses and a mess hall for the mostly single miners, as well as a machine shop and aerial tram to haul ore to the mill. A visitor center and museum are on site to share the history of the mine. The entire Hatcher Pass area was loaded with mines, and the creeks swarmed with prospectors. This district produced some 600,000 ounces of gold between 1906 and the early 1950s.