SOME EARLY HISTORY OF NOME
The early history of the extreme
northwestern part of North America
is still unwritten. A few isolated facts
have been drawn together by different
writers and some of these are here re
peated by way of introduction to the
main topic to be discussed in the fol
lowing pages, which is the discovery
and development of one of the great
gold mining camps of the world.
Seward Peninsula, whose western
point Is less than sixty miles front the
Siberian coast, as the first part of
Alaska known to the Russians. The
land lying beyond Rering Straits was
reported by the Siberian natives to the
Russians as early as 1709. So far as
known tho first landing made upon the
shores was In 1731 hy a vessel driven
ashore In a storm The first attempt
to chart the coast line was made hy
Capt. James Cook in 1778. The Rus
sian. Capt Kromchenko, commanding
(he "Oolofnln" surveyed Norton Sound
and (Jolofnin Ray In 1823
Tho oldest settlement in this pnrt of
Alaska was al St. Michael where Mich
ael Tehenkoff, an officer of the Russian
-American Trading Company estab
lished a past In 1833. From this point
trading was carried on with the sur
rounding country.
The stories current that the Russians j
mined placer gold near Nome are ut
terly without foundation, in fact, fori
the Russian had absolutely no know
ledge of the mineral sources of the I
peninsula and never had a permanent
settlement within Its borders.
In ls3s Malakolf, a creole, explored
the Yukon as far as the present town
of Nulato and established a small set
tlement at the mouth of the Nulato
river. He left tills post undefended
during the winter of 1838-39 and it was
destroyed by the indlans. Soon after
ward. in 1810. a trading post, and fort
were established on Norton Ray at the
mouth of t'nalaklik river near where
the village of I'nalaklik now stands.
In spite of the destruction of the
tlrst settlement at the mouth of the
Nulato river the Russian-American
Trading Company appreciating the Im
portance of this place as a point giving
ready access to the great fur country
in the Koyukuk basin, sent Perabln. in
1841. to rebuild the fort.
In 1842 Lieutenant Zagoskin of the
Russian navy visited this fort and dur
ing his visit made several journeys into
adjacent territory, and afterward pub
lished the results of his observations.
Although his accounts are fragmentary
and imperfect, they show that lie visit
ed portions of Yukon river as far up
stream as the mouth of the Melozltnn,
explored the Koyukuk river as far as
the Kateel and made a trip up the
Kuteel to assure himself that the na
tive reports of an easy route into the
Buckland drainage basin were correct,
in 1861 the trading post and fort es
tablished hy Rernbin at Nulato were
burned and some of the inhabitants
1 b 1 i m' — g
were massacred by Indians from the
Koyukuk. When the town was rebuilt
it was moved a mile or more up the
river to its present location on a low
gravel bench between N'ulato slough
and N’ulato river.
About 1850 the great activity among
many of the different nations, notably
the English, in searching for the
Franklin expedition, resulted In several
ships wintering in the waters of Kot
zebue sound. From these ships, several
exploring parties visited neighboring
areas and added geographical data.
Among the overland trips were the
exploration of Selawik lake and vicin
ity by Surgeon Simpson of H. M. S.
Plover, the trip from Chamisso island
by way of Buckland and Koyuk rivers
to St. Michael hy Lieutenant Plm of
the same ship and the exploration of
the Buckland river by Capt. Kellet and
officers of H M. S. Herald
Probably the first Important inland
exploration was that made in 1865-67
by a party led by Baron Otto von
Bendeleben. In the employ of the
Western Union Telegraph Company
who proposed to build a telegraph line
through Alaska and across Bering
Strait to connect the settled parts of
America and Europe Von ltendeleben’s
party actually constructed a few miles
of telegraph line and thus were the
first to start a commercial enterprise
on Seward Peninsula. The party
ascended the Niukluk river, crossed the
portage to the Kruzgamepa and then
down to Port Clarence. Of greater In
terest Is the fact that von Bendeleben
is said to have found atluvatl gold on
Niukluk river. If such were the case,
placer gold was found here earlier than
in any other part of Alaska except at
Cook Inlet, where Doroshin. a mining
engineer, sent out by the Russian gov
a
ernment discovered gold in tsr>4. The
telegraph construction was discontinu
ed after the successful laying of the
Atlantic cable Von Bendeleben’s party
wus disbanded and all returned to their
homes in the states. It seems probable,
therefore, that no one attached any im
portance to this occurrence of placer
gold, nevertheless Daniel IS Libby, a
member of von Vendelebens expedition
of 1866 was also a member of the pros
pecting party which 32 years later in
the winter of 1897-8 discovered gold on
Ophir and Melsing creeks and in April.
189S, organized the “Discovery District"
now the Council district.
In 1867 the whole of Alaska was
ceded to the United States by Russia
for the sum or $7,200,001). During the
next three decades or until the discov
ery of gold in the Klondike In 1896 very
little attention was paid to Alaska. It
was regarded for the most part as a
bleak and barren waste and those who
thought of it at all did so only to con
demn the. administration for its folly
in paying so large a sum of money for
worthless territory. A few adventur
ous spirits had penetrated the Yukon
. U 'in !■» ■—cuiimi—uu—
basin and discovered placers which
had been productive In a small way for
several years but when the Klondike
was discovered interest was at once
centered on the possibilities of Alaska
as a gold producing district and In less
than a year this Isolated region became
a focal point of Interest throughout the
civilized world
The popular belief that Alaska was a
barren field for all except the fur hunt
ers quickly disappeared and was re
placed by the equally absurd conclu
sion that the entire territory wTus gold
bearing. As a result of this erroneous
opinion expeditions were equipped to
search for gold In all parts of the terri
tory. Most of these, however, were bent
on reaching the interior and Seward
Peninsula was practically overlooked.
Rumors carried south by whalers that
placer gold had been found on some of
the streams which empty Into Kotzehue
sound attracted several hundred pros
pectors to that district In 1897 Many
of these becoming discouraged 'at the
outlook made their way south to
Golofnln (Golovin) Bay. Others head
ed for Interior points up the Yukon ho
eume stranded at St. Michael and
drifted along the const to the westward.
It was some of these men whom chance,
rather than design, had brought to the
district, that made the discovery of
placer gold on Melsing and Ophir
creeks which was the first to prove of
commercial Imtmrtanoe on Seward pen
insula.
The party which found these work
able placers Included Daniel II. Libby,
L. S. Melsing, A. C. Mordaunt and it. 1,.
Blake. The equipment of these pioneer
miners of the peninsula was very
meager and consequently the efforts at
exploitation were crude. Fortunately
the region afforded some timber and
sluice boxes, therefore, could be con
structed of whlpsawed lumber. Such
methods yielded a return during the
summer of 1897. variously estimated at
from $3u,ut)0 to liuu.uuu
By midsummer of 1898 several hun
dred men hud found their way to this
new district. Those who had stamped
ed to Kotzebue sound the preceeding
summer, being unable to locate the rich
auriferous sands that rumor had placed
there, were soon discovered in their
hunt, and many of them found their
way to the new diggings on Ophir.
Ophir, Melsing and other creeks in
that vicinity were soon covered with
locations, "even to the mountain tops."
The more ambitious of these argon
auts, who had failed to secure good lo
cations on those creeks, began to range
over wider territory'. N. C. Hultberg.
J. J. Bryntcaon. H. L. Blake and .1. L.
Haggalln hearkening to a native rumor
that gold had been found on Sinroek
river, made their way to Golofnln Bay
and there outfitted themselves with a
small boat and provisions and sailed
westward along the coast In July. 1898.
Arriving off the mouth of Snake liver
I they were overtaken by a storm which
compelled them to seek shelter in the
. river. Prospecting the bars along the
I river revealed some fine gold colors.
Spreading out to nearby creeks it is
suid that on July 28, 1898, they dis
covered gold on what wan afterward
culled Anvil creek. Most of the party,
I however, considered the prospects not
sufficiently encouraging and they soon
set sail again lor Sinrock river Find
ing nothing there they shortly returned
to Golofnin Bay and thence up the
river to Ophir creek, it was here in
September, 1898, that the three men
met for the tlrst time whose subse
quent fortunes are inseparably woven
with the history of mining on Seward
Peninsula. These men w ere John
Brynteson, a native of Sweden, and a
coal miner; Eric Llndbloom. also a
native of Sweden and a tailor, by trade,
and Jafet Lindeberg, a native of Nor
way, who had Just left the employment
of Ur. Sheldon Jackson of the govern
ment reindeer industry
Brynteson invited Lindeberg and
Llndbloom to accompany him on a
prospecting expedition to examine more
thoroughly into the finds lie had made
on his trli> with Hultberg, Huggulin
and Blake. They proceeded to Golo
fnlii bay and after outfitting at Dex
ter’s trading post ut Chinlk set sail in i
an open boat for the westward on Sep- '
temper 11, 189.8.
Prospecting the mouths »d various
streams on the way, they Iinally landed
at the mouth of Snake river, which
they named. They then worked their
way up the river prospecting along
the bars and tindtng bold, but not in
paying quantities. Beaching the mouth
of Glacier creek they made camp and
immediately began prospecting the
nearby creeks to all of which they gave
names. They prospected and staked
claims on Glacier, Snow gulch, Bock,
Anvil and Dry creeks and then returned
to Golofnin bay. Securing a new out - j
lit of supplies they look a small schoon
er and with Dr. A. N. Klttleson, Gabe
Price, P. H. Anderson and a few others
they again set sail for their new find
and upon arriving they organized the
"Cape Nome Mining District" ol which
Dr. Kltlleson was made recorder
The season was far advanced and
the weather freezing but with two
crudely made rockers and by the use of
warm water they mined some $1,800 '
worth of gold from the gravels of Snow
gulch and Anvil creek and then re
turned to Golofnin bay for the winter.
This was the beginning of a constant
stream of gold which has continued to ,
flow to the present time and now
amounts to more than $70,000,000.00.
(Send your friends on the outside this 1
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A Facts About Nome for Tourists \
l V*L
The population of Nome is in winter
about 2,500 and in summer about 5,000
Nome is tho Northern metropolis of
Alaska, and tho distributing point for
all of Seward Peninsula and sends
many supplies to Siberia and the Arctic,
The grimmer and high schools of
Nome are up to standard grades sueh
as are found In tho states
A Catholic church with Father Post.
S. J., in chargo.
A federated church, Methodist and
Congregational combined, with Rev. P.
K. Rauer In charge.
There is also a sisters’ school in con
nection with St. Joseph’s church.
We have an up-to-date hospital. Holy
Cross, in chargo of tho Sisters, which
is equipped to meet and take care of all
demands made upon such an institution.
Nomo has an effiicent tire depart
ment under tho management of Chief
James Haughey, with a pumping plant
capable of furnishing sufficient water
to extinguish any blazo with dispatch.
Nome has a modern telephone system
connecting by long distance all the
principal points on Seward Fe-ninsula.
The government has a wireless sta
tion which keeps Nomo in dally com
munication with tho world.
Tho Moonlight Water Company sup
plies the city with puro mountain
spring water, as It oomes bubbling
forth from the foot of Anvil mountain
six miles away.
A modern electric light plant fur
nishes light and power to tho city and
surrounding country.
Several large machine shope equipped
to repair and turn out all work required
by the mammoth dredges.
Nome has a transfer company with
sufficient rolling stock and horses to
handle anything from a satchel to a
dredge and walk off with the same.
There is a narrow guago railroad to J
tho interior for the transportation of I
freight in the Nome district
I.omen Bros., in photographic work. ft
s
havo a large equipment for taking care 1
of that lino of work. livery thing in the
way of supplies, also in development
work can be had hero with equal qual
ity and workmanship as in studios of
the States.
There is a modern daily paper—The
Nome Nugget—which furnishes the
news of the world dally to its many
subscribers. There is also a labor paper
published here in the city.
Nome has several large wholesale
and retail grocery Sion'S, capable of
supplying tho demands of tho opera
tors, and it has been proven that it
does not pay to ship in supplies The
local merchants can supply tho same
choaper than individuals can ship the
same to Nome.
There is nothing with the exception
of street cars in a modern up to date
city in tho thickly populated portion of
the country In the states that Is not to
lie found her in Nome
After you havo read this paper pass
it on to some one else that is also in
terested in Alaska. You will be doing
them a favor as Nome is destined to he
one of the large cities of Alaska.