Nome carries a rich and blended history of cultures and people who have shared their Arctic ingenuity to thrive in this remote gold rush town on the coast of northwest Alaska. News of the 1898 discovery of placer gold impelled thousands of prospectors to board steamships and head to the tent city of Nome, where miners worked shoulder to shoulder on the gold-bearing sands. The town swelled to encompass 20,000 people with dozens of stores and businesses, along with newspapers and photographers who captured the flurry of activities across the tundra and sea. Bering Sea storms, fires, and fluctuations in the gold industry have reshaped this northern town that continues to persevere due to a resilient community who believes there is no place like Nome.
Amy Phillips-Chan is director of the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum. From 2015 to 2017, she led development of the new museum along with its central exhibit, Nome: Hub of Cultures and Communities across the Bering Strait. She serves on the board of the Alaska Anthropological Association and is a research collaborator with the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. This volume draws on the notable collection of historical photographs from the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum in Nome, Alaska. Cussy Kauer is the granddaughter of Carrie M. McLain. She has served on the local Museum and Library Commission and is a lifelong resident of Nome.