Kennecott, AK
All that glitters may not be gold, but it can still make you a fortune. Copper lured brave miners to this remote Alaskan spot in the early 1900s after two prospectors stumbled upon what turned out to be $200 million worth of the metal while resting their horses.
With the help of some famous financiers, namely J.P. Morgan and the Guggenheims, they formed the Kennecott Copper Corporation in 1903 and turned the place into a country club town, complete with tennis courts and an ice skating rink. By 1938, however, the copper grew scarce and the miners restless.
Today, Kennecott sits in the heart of the massive Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and visitors can take tours of the original mills and old mines.
