This was the first standard gauge railroad in Alaska. The railroad began in Cordova and ran to the Kennecott Copper Mine. This railway was built by the same engineer and contractor that created the White Pass Yukon Railroad. It was in use from 1908 until 1938. The hope of making the railroad was to take advantage of the copper in Southcentral Alaska. The Bering River coal fields would provide fuel for the railroad. In 1905, mining engineer Stephen Birch convinced J.P. Morgan, the Guggenheim brothers, and other wealthy individuals to create the Alaska Syndicate. The Syndicate would build the railroad to the Kennecott Copper Mine.