Alaska Gold Rush at Nome

These are true stories of the Nome gold rush immortalized by the voices of the journalists and miners who lived through those exciting and dangerous times. Most of the miners were propelled into the harsh lands by wildly enthusiastic dreams and expectations. Some of these stories tell of the miners that made fabulous fortunes in gold pulled from the sands and creek beds around Nome. But that is not the only story.
Most miners found barely enough gold to sustain themselves, and many found less than that. Claim jumpers stole their legal right to mine their treasures. Murderers and thieves preyed on the miners. Suicide, and epidemics of yellow fever and small pox killed hundreds of miners, and starvation and massive blizzards took hundreds more. Finally, in just a few short years, individual miners were pushed out by corporate mining interests with huge reserves of cash and gigantic pieces of machinery to systematically strip the land of its wealth.
This book focuses on the years 1899 - 1901 because these are the most exciting and promising years for individual prospectors. Scores of newspaper stories and miners’ diaries of the period were reviewed to find the most interesting and informative stories for your enjoyment. Their stories have been reproduced here with most of the original grammar and spelling uncorrected, to preserve the flavor of the times.
Over 50 period photographs from the Nome area and graphics from newspapers and publications have been included to give the reader a better feel for the culture and daily life of the times.