We anchored the yacht offshore and prepared to head ashore to Nome. Meanwhile the captain gave the crew a few words of advice.
“Carry bear spray if planning on walking outside town”
“Do not wear any yachting insignia onshore. If anyone asks, just answer you’re here to traverse the Northwest passage. Word travels fast in this small town”
Nome is located on the fringes of the Northwestern Alaskan coast and is a frontier gold mining town of 3000 residents. Winters could be brutal, with average daytime temperatures between -10 to -40* F and 4 hours of sunlight.
Fortunately we arrived in mid August. Daytime highs were in mid 50’s and a bit more comfortable. Today I planned to explore the small frontier town of Nome and surrounding countryside.
When I stood on the boat and stared from offshore, Nome didn’t look anything close to spectacular. The town’s architecture was a collection of disorganized single and two story structures and chain link fences ran down the property lines. The main church’s steeple in the center punctuated the drab skyline. A mix of industrial equipment occupied the small harbor, all amongst a brownish windswept hills backdrop.
However for what Nome lacked in appearance, it made up for in its rich mining history.
Nome’s History
It was founded in the early 1900’s when prospectors first struck gold along the Snake river nearby. The region soon became the third largest gold rush in the United States’s history after California’s and the Klondike. The town boomed and soon had plenty miners, saloons, and hotels. As a result, claim jumping, murders, and corruption were rampant during this area’s early years.
Today modern prospectors still migrate here to try their luck and strike it rich during the short summer season.
Gold Fever Today
Nome can never be fully mined dry of its gold. Wind and rain constantly erode placer carrying deposits in the mountains to continuously wash them downstream where they settled off the coast.
The total historical gold production is at least 3.6 million ounces.
Onshore Mining Evidence
I noticed the first evidence of mining as we took our small powerboat ashore to the small town harbor. Dredgers were tied to the docks where in a typical city there’d be small pleasure crafts or weekend fishing boats.
These small, repurposed pontoon mining boats were mostly constructed of plywood. 2×4’s and duct tape mostly held together the structures with a small 60 horsepower engine strapped to the stern. None of them gave me confidence of their seaworthiness during rough weather. Names such as “IC Jackpot” and “All about Nuggets” were spray painted on the side. Discovery Channel’s “Bering Sea Gold.” even recently featured one of these boats on their show.
Downtown’s Front Street consisted of a small collection of craft stores selling local Inuit walrus tusk carvings. Other shops offered to purchase recently mined gold. There were more bars in town than restaurants.
The 938 mile Iditarod dog sled race finished downtown ever year. And then the local Breakers bar was across the street where a motley crew of prospectors always gathered to socialize after a busy work day. This was a prime opportunity to strike up a chat and learn any local mining tips.
But while I visited Nome’s downtown in only a few short hours, the real history was better experienced by car.
Where did we go?
The only three roads out of town all quickly turned to gravel, but luckily all rental cars included a 4 wheel drive. We drove a black SUV.
One day we headed East, on the Nome-Council Road, and hugged the narrow coastline. The other day we traveled North, along the Nome-Teller road.
Less than a mile outside the town’s limits in both directions, rusting mining equipment appeared along the horizon. Many pieces on the Eastern road were larger than a full-size car.
There were dredgers, sluice boxes, locomotives and other heavy mining machinery. “The Last Train to Nowhere” was rusting away in the bare tundra field, abandoned since 1907 although it was only a few miles short of completion.
Most pieces were manufactured in far away destinations such as Seattle and San Francisco, then shipped over by barge. The Swanberg Rocker pictured above, is now on the national register of historic places. It was abandoned in the 1940s, recommissioned, only to be abandoned again shortly afterwards. All of the steel had long since weathered to a rusty brownish color.
Salmon Runs
The summer salmon spawning run was beginning to wrap up. Adult Sockeye carcasses littered the riverbank as we drove by, giving off a slightly pungent odor of decomposition.
No other traffic passed us that afternoon while we drove out along the mountain road. However we were never truly alone.
Binoculars in hand, a moose galloped off in the distance. Later that afternoon, a large reindeer herd congregated in the road and blocked our path. We were temporarily delayed before they finally moved off to the nearby hillside.
Muskox roamed the nearby hillsides and established year round residency. Their thick shaggy fur coats made them appear as lumbering masses.
And Grizzly Bear occasionally hunted all of these animals.
A full afternoon of exploring
With 21 hours of sunlight, we easily spent a full day driving around the landscape. It was largely barren and void of any human development, except for a few local Inuit villages scattered around the coast. Yet with the right imagination, one could picture this as an extreme environment for the early settlers.
Local Inuit Settlements and Culture
Conclusion
Overall, Nome and the Seward Peninsula is best appreciated by visitors who crave going off the beaten path.
The town generally had a gritty feeling at times and the weather conditions were frequently gloomy and cold. However, Summer had the occasionally sunny and pleasant days to explore around.
And while the rugged area may not have appeared initially pleasing to the eye, there were enough activities such as the history, wildlife and local Inuit culture worth visiting for a few days. This was a scarcely visited travel destination definitely worth giving a chance.