Gold Mining

The Nome Gold Rush of 1898 brought an influx of people to the Seward Peninsula. They came to make their fortune mining for gold. At first, the gold miners were content to stay relatively close to the city of Nome. However, as more and more miners arrived, sometimes bringing wives and children, the area around the city quickly became overcrowded, forcing the miners to explore farther afield for better prospects. This soon brought miners into what is now known as the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.

 

An aerial view of a section of Fairhaven Ditch.

NPS Photo - Eileen Devinney

Fairhaven Ditch

Fairhaven Ditch was an extraordinary feat of construction during the early 1900s, considering the limitations of the time period and the harshness of the environment on the Seward Peninsula. As miners exhausted "the golden sands of Nome" with small scale mining along the beaches and in the streams and creeks near Nome, there was a push to find more efficient ways to move mining into the interior of the peninsula.Fairhaven Ditch, which runs through the eastern section of the preserve, was one answer to this problem.

 

A sunny day at Arctic Hot Springs.

NPS Photo - Andrea Willingham

Arctic Hot Springs

Before the late 1940s, Arctic Hot Springs was a popular location with local residents and gold miners. Arctic Hot Springs gained its name between 1901 and 1907 when someone, possibly a gold miner, built a cabin and bathing pool at the springs. Around the same time, the springs was dubbed a "resort," and the Alaska Road Commission decided to maintain a trail to the springs. However, it never became as popular as the springs at Pilgrim River because it was more difficult to reach.

 

The bunkhouse at Serpentine Hot Springs.

NPS Photo

The Bunkhouse

The bunkhouse is an example of just one of the many ways visitors still interact with the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. For many people the bunkhouse is a gateway to explore the natural features of the preserve. Without the bunkhouse as a starting point, the wild lands of the preserve might seem overwhelming.

Although the history of the bunkhouse is unclear, one thing is certain: the bunkhouse has become an important part of the way local residents and visitors interact with the preserve.

 

Humbolt Creek Mining Camp

During the early part of the twentieth century, gold miners were active throughout many
areas of the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Gold miners traveled from all over
the country and the world, to risk their lives in the uncharted lands of the preserve.
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