Sorry I haven’t updated my blog in a while. It has been busy and I admit, I have been lazy. Since the last entry, I have move to Nome, AK. Nome is a small town, about 3500 people, 106 miles south of where I was before. I am no longer in the Artic circle, and it is about 10-15 degrees warmer here than in Kotzebue. I am now working as a flight paramedic for the local Medevac service that is associated with the regional hospital.
Nome is quite a bit bigger than Kotzebue. We have 2 stores, 5 restaurants, 2 motels, and the most important thing to me, a 6 lane 25 meter SWIMPOOL! The prices of food are still high but much lower than Kotzebue. A gallon of milk here is only $6.50 instead of $7.69. Also with the 2 stores, we have a Safeway and are able to get the sale prices you would see at a regular store.
The street in front of my house. Notice that there is not any snow right now. The town has turned to mud!
One of the main hotels in town. The sign in front lists mileage to some cities in the “lower 48”. Denver is 3502 miles away…
Town square and the white church. This church is one of the major landmarks in town. You can see if from the air and the sea miles before you land in Nome.
The Dexter. Wyatt Earp owned this building in the 1900's. It wast the first 2 story building in Nome.
This is Airport Pizza. They became famous for allowing the local villages in the area to order a pizza that is delivered by plane! I have to admit, the delivery costs are quite high!
This is also where you can get the best breakfast in town and the best coffee!
Board of Trade. This is the oldest bar in Nome. Wyatt Earp tended bar here in 1901. This is the place to dance and sing karaoke. It is considered a “native” bar where most of the local natives hang out. All the bars in Nome are smoking bars. I only hang out a little while, then due to the smoke, have to head home.
BTW: Dad, Leon said to say "Hi"
Location of Nome.History of Nome:
The west coast of Alaska was hunted by Inupiat from prehistoric times. However, there was no permanent settlement there until 1898, when a Norwegian, Jafet Lindeberg, and two Swedes, Erik Lindblom and John Brynteson, discovered gold on Anvil Creek. News reached the gold fields of the Klondike that winter. By 1899 Nome had a population of 10,000. It was not until gold was discovered in the beach sands in 1899 that news about the gold reached the lower United States. Thousands of people poured into Nome during the spring of 1900 aboard steamships from the ports of Seattle and San Francisco. By 1900, a tent city on the beaches and on the treeless coast reached 48 km (30 miles), from Cape Rodney to Cape Nome.
During the period from 1900 – 1909 estimates of Nome's population reached as high as 20,000. The highest recorded population of Nome, in the 1900 United States census, was 12,488. At this time, Nome was the largest city in the Alaska Territory. Early in this period the U.S. Army policed the area, and expelled any inhabitant each autumn who did not have shelter (or the resources to pay for shelter) for the harsh winter.
The name "Nome" may come from a point of land located twelve miles from the city; it is also possible that the town was named after Nome, Norway. Cape Nome had received its name from a copying error, when a British mapmaker copied an annotation from a map made by a British officer had made on a voyage up the Bering Strait. The officer had written "? Name" next to the unnamed cape. The mapmaker misread the annotation as "C. Nome", or Cape Nome, and used that name on his map. In February 1899, a group of men who had property and mining claims on the near present-day Nome agreed to change the name of the new mining camp from Nome to Anvil City, because of the confusion with Cape Nome, and Nome Creek, four miles from Nome. The United States Post Office in Nome refused to change its name to Anvil City and the residents of Anvil City were afraid that the post office would move to Nome City, a mining camp on the Nome River. They voted and unhappily agreed to change the name of Anvil City back to Nome.
Many late-comers were jealous of the original discoverers, and tried to “jump” the original claims by filing mining claims covering the same ground. The federal judge for the area ruled the original claims valid, but some of the claim jumpers agreed to share their invalid claims with influential Washington politicians. Alexander McKenzie, a Republican party higher-up from North Dakota, took a partial interest in the jumper mining claims, secured the appointment of his obedient crony Arthur Noyes as the federal judge for the Nome region, and the two went together to Alaska to steal the richest gold mines in Nome. The bald-faced theft using the federal judiciary was eventually stopped, but provided the plot for Rex Beach’s best-selling novel The Spoilers, which was made into a stage play, then five times into movies, including one version starring John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich.[3]
Fires in 1905 and 1934 and violent storms in 1900, 1913, 1945 and 1974 destroyed much of Nome's gold rush architecture. The pre-fire "Discovery Saloon" is now a private residence and is being slowly restored as a landmark.
During World War II, Nome was the last stop on the ferry system for planes flying from the United States to the Soviet Union for the Lend-lease program. The airstrip currently in use was built and troops were stationed there. One "Birchwood" hangar remains and has been transferred to a local group with hopes to restore it. It is not located on the former Marks AFB (now the primary Nome Airport); rather it is a remnant of an auxiliary landing field a mile or so away: "Satellite Field".
In 1925, Nome was the destination of the famous "Great Race of Mercy", where dog sleds played a large part in transporting diphtheria serum through harsh conditions. In 1973, Nome became the ending point of the 1,049+ mi (1,600+ km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race held in honor of the serum run.
During the period from 1900 – 1909 estimates of Nome's population reached as high as 20,000. The highest recorded population of Nome, in the 1900 United States census, was 12,488. At this time, Nome was the largest city in the Alaska Territory. Early in this period the U.S. Army policed the area, and expelled any inhabitant each autumn who did not have shelter (or the resources to pay for shelter) for the harsh winter.
The name "Nome" may come from a point of land located twelve miles from the city; it is also possible that the town was named after Nome, Norway. Cape Nome had received its name from a copying error, when a British mapmaker copied an annotation from a map made by a British officer had made on a voyage up the Bering Strait. The officer had written "? Name" next to the unnamed cape. The mapmaker misread the annotation as "C. Nome", or Cape Nome, and used that name on his map. In February 1899, a group of men who had property and mining claims on the near present-day Nome agreed to change the name of the new mining camp from Nome to Anvil City, because of the confusion with Cape Nome, and Nome Creek, four miles from Nome. The United States Post Office in Nome refused to change its name to Anvil City and the residents of Anvil City were afraid that the post office would move to Nome City, a mining camp on the Nome River. They voted and unhappily agreed to change the name of Anvil City back to Nome.
Many late-comers were jealous of the original discoverers, and tried to “jump” the original claims by filing mining claims covering the same ground. The federal judge for the area ruled the original claims valid, but some of the claim jumpers agreed to share their invalid claims with influential Washington politicians. Alexander McKenzie, a Republican party higher-up from North Dakota, took a partial interest in the jumper mining claims, secured the appointment of his obedient crony Arthur Noyes as the federal judge for the Nome region, and the two went together to Alaska to steal the richest gold mines in Nome. The bald-faced theft using the federal judiciary was eventually stopped, but provided the plot for Rex Beach’s best-selling novel The Spoilers, which was made into a stage play, then five times into movies, including one version starring John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich.[3]
Fires in 1905 and 1934 and violent storms in 1900, 1913, 1945 and 1974 destroyed much of Nome's gold rush architecture. The pre-fire "Discovery Saloon" is now a private residence and is being slowly restored as a landmark.
During World War II, Nome was the last stop on the ferry system for planes flying from the United States to the Soviet Union for the Lend-lease program. The airstrip currently in use was built and troops were stationed there. One "Birchwood" hangar remains and has been transferred to a local group with hopes to restore it. It is not located on the former Marks AFB (now the primary Nome Airport); rather it is a remnant of an auxiliary landing field a mile or so away: "Satellite Field".
In 1925, Nome was the destination of the famous "Great Race of Mercy", where dog sleds played a large part in transporting diphtheria serum through harsh conditions. In 1973, Nome became the ending point of the 1,049+ mi (1,600+ km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race held in honor of the serum run.
The finish of the Iditarod this year. I missed most of the race, but did see a few teams come in. This is Jeiffy. I have one of his booties. I sent it to my mom in CO.
The last finisher of the race. They won the "red lantern"
One of the 2 planes we use.
Me in the Medevac plane on my way to a call.
The inside of the plane. We fly King Air's. We take a row of seats out of the plane and place our stretcher in when we need to run a call.
We service 18 villages in the area. This is Gamball on St. Lawernce Island. It was one of the first places I went.
Gamball is a native village that still hunts whales and polar bears. This season they have 4 whales.
No comments:
Post a Comment