Accessible only by boat or plane, Cordova sits on the eastern edge of Prince William Sound, the nearest settlement to the vast Copper River Delta, one of the largest and most important migratory bird habitats in North America. Originally developed as the southern terminus of the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad, which transported copper from the Kennecott Mine 200 miles to the north, Cordova flourished from 1911 until the mine shut down in 1938. Eventually, the railroad track was torn up and the bed used as a makeshift roadway until the 1964 Good Friday earthquake destroyed the northernmost span of the Million Dollar Bridge across the Copper River, effectively cutting off Cordova’s only land-based link to the outside world. The geographic isolation of the town has turned out to be one of its biggest assets, as it remains largely unaffected by the summer tourists who use it as a home base while they hunt, fish, hike, kayak, and explore the vast wilderness that surrounds the town.