Primary Name: Heney, Michael J.
Filed as: heney_michael
Also known as: Michael J. Heney, Mike Heney
Occupation / Association: Railroad builder; engineer; Copper River and Northwestern Railway surveyor
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Associated places: Alaska; Copper River; Cordova, Alaska; Valdez, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Seattle, Washington
Keywords: Michael J Heney, Mike Heney, Copper River and Northwestern Railway, Alaska railroad history, Alaska Syndicate
Biography
Michael J. Heney was one of the most important railroad builders associated with the early development of Alaska’s transportation system.
In 1901, Heney undertook a reconnaissance survey for a railway from the southern Alaska coast to the interior. During this survey, he identified a difficult but workable route up the Copper River beginning near present-day Cordova. The proposed route required several major river crossings and ran through terrain affected by advancing glaciers, making construction appear extremely difficult.
In 1905, while visiting the London office of the financial house Close Brothers, Heney learned that investors possessed reliable information about the richness of copper deposits in the Wrangell Mountains. The financiers agreed to support a railroad project if the route proved feasible. Heney immediately wired his New York office to engage Jack Dalton and Sam Murchison to reexamine the Copper River route.
The route was controversial. Engineers promoting rival railway routes from Valdez and Katalla claimed the Copper River route was impossible. Meanwhile, Stephen Birch of the newly organized Alaska Syndicate had begun construction of a competing line from Katalla.
In September 1905, Dalton, Murchison, and surveyor J. R. McPherson reevaluated the route and concluded that construction was feasible. After their report, Heney filed a right-of-way application with the General Land Office while meeting with the group in Juneau.
The Copper River route was approved, and preparations began for the construction of what became the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Although the original financiers withdrew, the Alaska Syndicate later acquired the project and completed the railway to the copper mines in 1911.
Sources
Alaska Mining Hall of Fame; historical records of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway