The New International Encyclopædia/Nome (Alaska)

NOME, nōm. The largest city of Alaska, in the Northern District; situated at the mouth of the Snake River, 13 miles west of Cape Nome, on the north shore of Norton Sound, Bering Sea (Map: Alaska, C 3). It is the centre of the productive Cape Nome gold-mining district, which extends west along the coast for about 20 miles from Cape Nome. In the fall of 1898 the small streams in the vicinity were prospected with promising results, and in the following summer the creek diggings were being actively operated when the news of the rich beach deposits, first discovered in January, 1899, though their importance remained unrecognized until July, caused a rush to the beach, where about 2000 men were working by October. The output of the district for 1900 was more than $5,000,000, and in 1901 it was estimated at $7,000,000. During this period a ‘mushroom’ settlement of tents, first called Anvil City, had sprung up. This town was gradually replaced by a permanent city of frame structures after the arrival in June, 1899, of the first consignment of lumber. In the early days the matter of food and fuel supplies was a source of great anxiety; and the unsanitary conditions due to the level and undrained site of the town, its scanty water-supply, and the climatic changes resulted in considerable sickness. There now exists a fully organized city, compactly built over half of its length along the beach, with a municipal government, fire and police departments, sewerage, water, and electric-light systems, telephone service, etc.; and with a number of substantial commercial buildings, banks, commercial organizations, a court house, and a post office, hospitals, clubs, etc. A railroad extends from the coast to the mining claims at the foot-hills of the mountains. Population, in 1900, 12,488.