Stop 16 of 17 · Bering Sea Coast
Solomon
A gold camp at the mouth of the Solomon River, where the 1913 storm stranded the engines of the Council City and Solomon Railroad, the Last Train to Nowhere.
What to See
- The Last Train to Nowhere, the stranded engines of the Council City and Solomon Railroad, 35 miles east of Nome on the Council Highway
- The Solomon Roadhouse
Ways to Travel Here
- BikeBike the Nome-Council Highway along Norton Sound.
- DriveDrive the Nome-Council Highway 35 miles east to the Solomon River and the stranded trains.
No matter what the time of year, be prepared. Check local conditions before you venture out.
History of Solomon
The village was originally settled by Eskimos of the Fish River tribe, and was noted on a map as "Erok" in 1900. The original site for Solomon was in the delta of the Solomon River; it became a mining camp. The gold rush during the summers of 1899 and 1900 brought thousands of people to the Solomon area. Three enormous dredges worked the Solomon River. By 1904, Solomon had seven saloons, a post office, a ferry dock, and was the southern terminus of a narrow gauge railroad that ran to the Kuzitrin River. In 1913, the railroad was washed out by storms, and in 1918, the flu epidemic struck. This site is known as Dickson today, and remains of structures and railroad equipment exist. In 1939, the community relocated to the present site, which was formerly known as Jerusalem. The BIA constructed a large school in 1940. During World War II, a number of families moved away from Solomon. The post office and BIA school were discontinued in 1956. The Solomon Roadhouse operated until the 1970s.
Bering Sea Coast, Unalakleet to Nome
- UnalakleetNorton Sound village
A beachfront community on Norton Sound inhabited for almost 2,000 years, at the coast end of the Kaltag Portage, with daily flights from Anchorage.
- GolovinCoast village
The Inupiaq village of Chinik, where John Dexter’s trading post became the center for prospecting news on the Seward Peninsula and the supply point for the Council goldfields.
- SolomonGold camp
A gold camp at the mouth of the Solomon River, where the 1913 storm stranded the engines of the Council City and Solomon Railroad, the Last Train to Nowhere.
- NomeEnd of the trail
The last stop on the historic trail, a gold town since the strike of 1898, where the whole community turns out each March for the finish of the sled dog race.