Destination Nome

North to Alaska

"Where the river is winding,

Big nuggets they're finding.

North to Alaska,

North, the rush is on."

If you want to get to Nome you have to fly there. Located on the Seward Peninsula in northwestern Alaska, Nome is the center of transportation, commerce and government for the area. The main industries are gold mining and tourism.

The city of Nome is at sea level and surrounded by rolling hills of tundra. Even though it is filled with a variety of wildflowers, berries and other plants the landscape is primarily treeless because of the permafrost.

In the summer of 1898 gold was discovered on Anvil Creek. By the winter news of the discovery had reached the outside world and the next year Nome had a population of 10,000. Also in 1899, gold was found in the beach sands along the coast at Nome which brought thousands more to try their luck. In 1900 a tent city was erected on the beaches. The Gold Rush was on.

Legendary lawman and gunfighter Wyatt Earp was among the thousands to arrive in Nome at that time. It is said he and his wife Josie came to "mine the miners".

Over the years most of the gold rush era buildings have been destroyed by storms and fires.

When I arrived in Nome in July 1984 one of the first things I noticed was all the small tents set up on the beach. It seems folks are still looking for gold in that black sand.


The streets are not paved and the sidewalks are wooden, it was a little like stepping back into the Wild West. I stood in front of one of the building and could almost visualize Wyatt and Josie strolling along these very streets.

Almost like being in the Wild West execpt there were cars and trucks everywhere. Even though you have to fly into Nome there are about 300 miles of roads winding through the countryside. One of those roads is the Nome-Taylor Road which tomorrow will take us to Camp Dexter.

Does anyone else have "North to Alaska" stuck in their head?