SITNASUAQ
Sitnasuaq
Nome (Sitnasuaq) is located along the Bering Sea, on the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula, facing the Norton Sound. Nome is 539 air miles northwest of Anchorage, 102 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and 161 miles east of Russia. The current population is approximately 3,600.
Sitnasuaq is known among Alaska Native peoples of the region as a historically permanent community. In 2005 and 2006, the City of Nome undertook a port facility construction project. Two subterranean homes, a hunting cache, and a midden were found by construction workers during excavation. The homes were radiocarbon dated as 250-400 years old.
In 1898 two Inupiaq boys—Constantine Uparazuck and Gabriel Adams showed three Scandinavian prospectors the location of a gold deposit at Anvil Creek near Nome and were denied the right to stake claims or benefit from the find. The “three lucky swedes” were hailed as the discoverers of the gold deposit and became millionaires with heirs to their fortunes. The gold rush caused a mining camp with tents and log cabins to spring up in Sitnasuaq, and the population of the area swelled to 20,000. The City of Nome was formed in 1901.
During the Gold Rush era, Alaska Natives were excluded from staking claims until they were granted United States citizenship in 1924. However, by 1924, placer mining and gold strikes had ceased in the area. Since the first strike on Anvil Creek, Nome’s goldfields have yielded $136 million. The gradual depletion of gold, a major influenza epidemic in 1918, the depression, and finally, World War II, each influenced Nome’s population. A disastrous fire in 1934 destroyed most of the city. Today Nome (Sitnasuaq) is a diverse community, being home to Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, and Central Yup’ik and non-Native people, and subsistence activities are prevalent in the community.
Nome is the proud finish line for the 1,100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race from Anchorage, held each March. The city is the Bering Strait region’s supply, service, and transportation center, and government services provide most of the employment. Other employment options in Nome include retail services, transportation, mining, medical, and local businesses.
Nome Eskimo Community is the federally-recognized tribe for the area, although many members of other tribes, representing other areas around the region, reside in Nome.
Sitnasuaq
Nome (Sitnasuaq) is located along the Bering Sea, on the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula, facing the Norton Sound. Nome is 539 air miles northwest of Anchorage, 102 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and 161 miles east of Russia. The current population is approximately 3,600.
Sitnasuaq is known among Alaska Native peoples of the region as a historically permanent community. In 2005 and 2006, the City of Nome undertook a port facility construction project. Two subterranean homes, a hunting cache, and a midden were found by construction workers during excavation. The homes were radiocarbon dated as 250-400 years old.
In 1898 two Inupiaq boys—Constantine Uparazuck and Gabriel Adams showed three Scandinavian prospectors the location of a gold deposit at Anvil Creek near Nome and were denied the right to stake claims or benefit from the find. The “three lucky swedes” were hailed as the discoverers of the gold deposit and became millionaires with heirs to their fortunes. The gold rush caused a mining camp with tents and log cabins to spring up in Sitnasuaq, and the population of the area swelled to 20,000. The City of Nome was formed in 1901.
During the Gold Rush era, Alaska Natives were excluded from staking claims until they were granted United States citizenship in 1924. However, by 1924, placer mining and gold strikes had ceased in the area. Since the first strike on Anvil Creek, Nome’s goldfields have yielded $136 million. The gradual depletion of gold, a major influenza epidemic in 1918, the depression, and finally, World War II, each influenced Nome’s population. A disastrous fire in 1934 destroyed most of the city. Today Nome (Sitnasuaq) is a diverse community, being home to Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, and Central Yup’ik and non-Native people, and subsistence activities are prevalent in the community.
Nome is the proud finish line for the 1,100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race from Anchorage, held each March. The city is the Bering Strait region’s supply, service, and transportation center, and government services provide most of the employment. Other employment options in Nome include retail services, transportation, mining, medical, and local businesses.
Nome Eskimo Community is the federally-recognized tribe for the area, although many members of other tribes, representing other areas around the region, reside in Nome.