Dredging for Gold . . . . .

. . . . . in Nome, Alaska.

Located on the edge of the Bering Sea on the southwest side of the Seward Peninsula, Nome is a vital hub for Northwest Alaska. Gold was discovered in Anvil Creek in 1898...the rush was on! In 1899 the population of Nome swelled from a handful to 28,000. Today the population is 3,500 and there is still some gold mining happening. The locals say that There's No Place Like Nome. They would, wouldn't they!

I flew to Nome from Fairbanks today and will be here for a few days.

This old dredge was built about 1940 and was owned by The Gold Beach Dredging Company. Unlike many hugely profitable gold mining ventures in and around Nome, this company had a short career of only one year before it went broke.

Ice on the pond

I love Murphy's Golden Rule - Whoever has the gold makes the rules!

Many thanks for putting my LOVE ALASKA image from yesterday up into Spotlight. It was a thrill to see it there, even though I'm a long long way from Nome Home.