Porcupine, Alaska

Porcupine is a ghost town and former mining community in Haines Borough, Alaska. It is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Mile 35 on the Haines Highway. Gold was discovered along Porcupine Creek in 1898, and a seasonal community sprang up in the area. Due to the transient nature of the population, permanent structures were only gradually added to the area. At the time the Porcupine District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, about 25 structures were still standing in the area, in various stages of decay. Most of these were built during the period 1927-36, when the Sunshine Mining Company was the largest operator in the area.