Political Garbage in Nome

Gold mining in Nome has more than it's share of challenges (as if the technicalities of dredging and Mother Nature aren't enough)!  Our claims are many miles West of the Nome harbor.  Getting out and back is challenging and time consuming when the weather can change at the drop of a hat.  By the time you realize the seas are starting to become rough, if you aren't ready to pack up and turn back for harbor then it is often down right dangerous getting back.  

Therefore, the KY Goldenrod crew arranged to mine in the East on one of the local miner's claims, as the claim is much closer to the Nome harbor, and has a great deal of gold potential.  Anything our crew mines, an arranged percentage goes to the claim owner (very common arrangement in Nome).  We have a very powerful 10' suction dredge that could really get some gold!  And, there in lies the problem. Seems a handful of greedy locals don't want outsiders (lower 48ers) to prospect promising land.  It's becoming a political mess.  It started with the underwater lease auction date fiasco (we were given a date in December 2011 and the actual date was in September 2011 which we luckily found out about in the nick of time), and it just keeps getting messier!  It has political garbage written all over it. Do you smell a rat?

 

Nome Offshore Gold Placer Area

Nome is one of the top 100 placer fields in the world.  There are literally millions of ounces of gold all over the area and even under the town itself.  Onshore placer gold production from the Nome area between 1897 and 1964 was about 5,000,000 ounces of gold, the greater part of which was derived from placers on the coastal plain.  

Profitable gold placers are rarely found more than 6 to 12 miles (10-20 km) from bedrock sources.  The Nome Offshore placer area extends from the current offshore beach for 2 miles to water depths of about 60 feet. It extends about 10 miles parallel to the modern strand-line, commencing west of the the mouth of Nome River and continuing westward to the vicinity of Penny River.

Nome Gas Prices Summer 2013

In the Nome Harbor this Summer 2013

 
A message from the Captain of KY GoldenRod...The unusual trawler (Espirit) was a French group.  They were traveling with their families.  They had 2 boats on deck. One was a small sail boat that they are going to ice sail to the North Pole.  The other is a row boat that two of them are going to row from Northern Alaska to Greenland via the NW passage. I found one of them that could speak English and wished them luck.

There are several boats here waiting to hear if the NW passage is open to Greenland.  More Ice this year than usual and they are fearful it may not open.

Celebrating Aviation in Nome

A message from the Captain of the KY GoldenRod (Thomas O.)...

We have made it in the water and been out several days mining (working out the bugs).
We have been fighting with lots of icebergs until last week. They are all gone now.
One day there were dozens around the boat.  Some the size of a train car, most the size of a car.
You have to be careful with the big ones.  We don't want to be another titanic.

 
A couple of weeks ago they had a city BBQ and 100 years of avaition in Alaska celebration you will see some of the planes featured. The big red bird I had never seen before.  It was used as an airliner here in Alaska in the 30's, 40's, and early  50's.  The museum in Anchorage refurbished it and it is beautiful!

Go Big or Go Home in Nome, New Mining Technology

Message from Thomas O. Palmer

Thought you may be interested in some of the new technology that is appearing in Nome this summer, 2013.  The days of the little dredge operator may well be numbered.  

Phoenix Marine has the spud barge and Pacifica has five of the elevated Trackhoes with wash plants.  The Spud Barge simply jacks up the barge to clear all the waves during times of bad weather and the Elevated Trackhoe just drives up on shore when bad weather comes, otherwise thay are mininig 24/7.