New Town With A History

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 5

New Town With A History

'THERE is no great age to Nome, but there is a lot of history. When gold was discovered at Anvil Creek in 1898, Nome •was born. The first log cabin, built that year, is now on display and residents point out the cabin site where Rex Beach wrote some of his famed stories about Alaska. There were more than 20,000 prospectors in those wild days, but the population now is less than 3000. There has always been a misconception about the weather in Alaska. Because Eskimos have been publicised as the colourful people they are, and are invariably shown in their winter clothes, some people think of Alaska as the land of perpetual winter. The truth is, there are four seasons, just as there are in most other parts of the

world, and summer in Alaska can be warm, although evenings are usually cool. Slightly south of the Arctic Circle, Nome is close to the Bering Sea. It is also the southernmost Eskimo city, as well as the largest one in the Alaska Arctic. Siberia is just 165 miles away. No Interest The beaches around Nome are sprinkled with gold, but the only people who show any interest in it are tourists. Anyone can try his luck at panning, and he might even come up with 5s worth of gold after a hard day's search. No-one is mining for gold any more, and big dredges are rusting away in disuse.

The area of Alaska is 586,000 square miles—five times bigger than New Zealand. Surrounded by water on three sides, it borders Canada on land for 600 miles. Much of the land is tundra, areas of treeless plains covered in summer with wildflowers. A few feet below the surface of the earth is the permafrost, or ground which

has been frozen longer than can be recorded. Walking on the tundra, however, has something of the effect of walking through uncut grass for it is feather-soft to one’s feet. The ground gives under one’s weight, then springs back again, as does a soft pillow. During the summer months the King Island Eskimos go to Nome in their walrus-skin

boats from their home about 80 miles out in the Bering Sea. They arrive loaded with ivory articles carved from walrus teeth and tusks, although they also carve them and willingly part with their efforts to tourists for a small fee. It is interesting to watch them do this work at which they excel, and the expert ivory carvers are a tourist attraction.

Most entertainment in Nome is influenced by the natives, but there is considerable variety. Eskimo dances and music, dogsled races—on wheels during the summer 1 months—the blanket toss, gold-panning and walrus-skin-boat rides. The picture shows an Eskimo couple welcoming visitors.