*All opinions are my own
During my last 28-day Arctic voyage, I got to go to some pretty far-flung ports! In fact, that’s exactly how I ended up in Nome, AK. A small city Nome is so far north that it’s cut off from the world by ice for about ~7 months a year. So the town doesn’t have the hugest tourism infrastructure, but everybody pitches in when visitors come through! As a Travel Guide, I was on one of the first tenders (small boats) over so that I could welcome guests ashore. But this visit soon took an interesting turn when thick fog rolled in.
I thought that high winds or rough seas were the worst kinds of weather, but fog can be just as disruptive (visibility is quite important when it comes to navigating, after all). We were effectively stuck. Indefinitely. Would the fog clear? Would we be able to get back to the ship before its scheduled departure? Only time would tell. So, what do you get up to when you’re stranded in Nome? Learn and explore, of course!
Legacy of the Nome Gold Rush
In the town center is Nome’s Anvil Square (the town used to be named Anvil City, after all). There you’ll find not only the World’s Largest Gold Pan (by Nome’s measure), but also statues of the Three Lucky Swedes (one of whom was actually Norwegian). These Scandinavian prospectors struck it big a bit outside of Nome in the late 1800s, setting off one of the last great gold rushes of the American West. Something that made this rush particularly exciting was the fact that loose gold could be found on Nome’s beaches! Tent settlements sprang up up and down the coast, inflating Nome’s population.
Anvil Square is also home to Old St. Joe’s Church, which became special for a reason beyond its history. The people of Nome opened its doors to give guest warmth and shelter while waiting to see if the fog would clear. It was a wonderful show of hospitality.
Celebrities of Nome
All of this rapid gold rushing led to some lawlessness, and who better to enforce justice than Wyatt Earp? Earp (of OK Corral fame) opened Nome’s first two-story bar. For a while, he was making money hand over fist, although the building is no longer standing. Nome has an Arctic connection, as well. Roald Amundsen (the explorer of Northwest Passage fame) passed through Nome near the end of his journey, and there’s a bust honoring him downtown. Fun fact! The bust of Amundsen actually has three identical copies around the globe (in Norway, Greenland, and Tasmania).
Nome and the Iditarod Dog Sled Race
But perhaps the most famous of Nome’s celebrities is Balto. This sled dog famously ran in the Serum Run (also known as the Great Race of Mercy)–a relay effort by mushers to cover over 650 miles in just 5 1/2 days in order to deliver the diptheria antitoxin to the stricken town of Nome.
This feat inspired the Iditarod race, a 1000-mile race of endurance that spans across some of Alaska’s largest cities and smallest villages, finishing in Nome in March. The race had concluded by the time of my visit, but you can still see the famous Iditarod Finish Line.
Nome’s Wild Nature
The tundra landscape of Nome was different from the forested nature I’d gotten used to in Southeast Alaska. Did you know? Nome is one of the best places to see wild muskoxen! These prehistoric-looking shaggy beasts even walked through town while we were there (although I missed seeing them). They passed around some of their wool to touch, and it really is some of the softest! You can see a taxidermized muskox in the Visitor’s Center.
Nome is also connected to one of the most storied pieces of land in human history: the Bering Land Bridge. Well, okay, the actual Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (as in, an ultimately small remnant of the land that once connected Asia and North America) is about 100 miles north of Nome. However, you can visit the Bering Land Bridge Heritage Center right in downtown Nome and learn about the region’s history. You can even get a stamp in your National Parks Passport!
Saying Goodbye to Nome
We didn’t know if or when it would happen, but finally, late in the afternoon, the fog lifted–although it was unclear for how long. I waved a fond goodbye to the church and the people of Nome who helped us turn an unexpected delay into a time of community. And before I knew it, I was back on the ship, watching Nome slowly become enveloped by fog once again.
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