22 THE CAPE XO.VE (iOLl) DlsTRKl 



Prior to the discovery ofjiokl there were a few natives, all Eskimo, 

 scattered along the coast from near Cape Nome northward, and a small 

 village on Sledge Island during the seal-fishing season. At Port Clar- 

 ence, which has been the headquarters of the United States reindeer 

 industry in Alaska., is a mission with good schools. 



The great movement of the white population toward Nome began 

 early in thesummer of ISODand continued until the middle of October, 

 building up a city of over 5,000 people on a previously barren beach. 

 Nearly ever\' boat which descended the Yukon from Dawson and 

 other points on the river was loaded to its fullest capacity with pas- 

 sengers, while many came from the southeastern districts of Alaska 

 and the Pacific coast of the United States. The rajjidity in growth 

 of the city of Nome has probaldy never been precedented, especially 

 in so remote a region. A thousand or more unsuccessful prospectors 

 descending from the Koyukuk district and an equal number from the 

 Kotzebue Sound and Kowak River district arrived at St Michael in 

 a financiall}' stranded condition ; but hearing of the diggings of Nome 

 a majority soon found their way thither, and in a few days' work on 

 the beach had rocked out suflficient gold to place themselves in mod- 

 erately comfortable circumstances and pay their transi)ortation back 

 to the United States. 



The principal trading companies operating at Nome are the N. A. T. 

 & T. Compan}'^, the A. C. Company, and the A. E. or Alaska Explora- 

 tion Company, all with fairly well-stocked warehouses and j^lants and 

 abundant supplies for next spring. Of newspapers there are at the 

 l)resent time the Nome Xeivs, TheNome GoldDiyger, and TheXomeHerahK 

 The Xuf/(jet, Avith })rinting i)ress and equipments from Dawson, went 

 down in a gale on Norton Sound in September, while a similar outfit 

 bound for Nome from the United States went down on the Ijmrndo 

 at St Fiawrence Island a few weeks later. A company is now being 

 organized with a view to constructing a deep-water pier for a tempo- 

 rar}' harbor, to be extended far out into the ocean, whereb}' deep-sea 

 vessels may be unloaded. Until more definite arrangements can be 

 perfected the United States Post-Office is endeavoring to send the 

 mails to Nome semi-monthly during the present winter b\^ way of 

 White Pass, Yukon River, and the Unilaklik and St Michael route. 

 On account of ice in Bering Sea, Nome cannot be reached by ocean 

 vessels earlier than some time in June, though the Nome coast is free 

 from ice later in the fall and earlier in the summer than the coast 

 about St Michael. 



