Below is a 1900 letter from my Great Uncle, Charles Carmon
-Butch Bridges

From the Gainesville Daily News
Gainesville, Texas
Sunday, July 22, 1900

Texans At Cape Nome

Of 20,000 people there, 19,000 are praying
for means to get back to the States.

GOLD SAND ONLY IN SPOTS

One man shovels up fortune and his neighbor starves to death

COLLAPSE EXPECTED TO COME SOON

Everything comes high, including sleep- some specimen prices of living there

 Special To The News 

Gainesville Texas July 18th – The following is an extract from a letter received here this week from Charles A. Carmon, a young man who was reared in Gainesville, Texas and who, in company with Harry Goodwin, also of this place, went to Cape Nome, Alaska several weeks ago: 

Cape Nome, Alaska June 25th.
Well, as I promise to write and give you a correct description of this far off golden land I start today, as I think I am qualified to do so now. 

Leaving Seattle the early part of June, we had a very interesting nice trip until we were about 500 miles north of Dutch Harbor (Unalaska), where we met a large field of floating ice which took us two days to get through. As this is a sloping beach, we were forced to anchor two miles out and went to shore on a large barge. 

This is a wonderful place. Just think of 20,000 people landing here within the last three weeks. As far as we can see is nothing but tents. Lumber and freight of all kinds are at the water’s edge, as there is no place to store them. But all boats are not in yet. The steamers Ohio and Santa Ana are quarantined, as they have smallpox aboard. They have 900 passengers. Still the people from Dawson and along the Yukon river have not arrived yet. As a good gold being here, it is a “cinch” but everything is taken for 100 miles back in the country. You can find it any place, but not in paying quantities. The two best Creeks are Anvil and Dexter, from which over 2 million dollars has been taken. The beach claims are no good except in some spots, which are very small. Four men are rocking within 10 feet of our tent and have only taken out $11 in four days. Then again, about 16 miles down the beach at a place called Topkok, 200 men took out $650,000 from a spot 700 feet square, then caught the first steamer out and left for the States. Other men worked near there and did not make their bread. The sand on the beach extends just 100 feet from the water then for several miles 7 miles back to the mountains there is what is known as the “tendra”, a thick, spongy mass about 2 feet thick, and under this the ground is frozen as hard as a stone for 6 feet.

Everything is rushing, houses going up by the dozen. Labor is very high. Carpenters get $1.50 per hour. Other labor a dollar, but there are 25 men to each job. Goodwin and I are making $10 a day watching freight on the shore. The worst of it is it will only last a few days longer. Men with a good team make $150 a day freighting. The people who make the money are saloons, gambling houses, dancehalls and restaurants. 

20 people sleep in a lodging house it cost $2 for 8 hours. They keep tab and wake you up at the expiration of that time. As to prices here are a few:
ham and eggs $1
steak $1.50 to $2
coffee per cup 25 cents
donuts three for $25
bread per loaf 25 cents
cigars each 25 cents
pies small each 50 cents
eggs per dozen 75 cents (almost all bad)
rubber boots 25 dollars
water per bucket from well $0.10
slot machines have a sign on them to “play quarter only”
and many other things from which Goodwin and I nearly died laughing.
People are on the go here night and day as it is never dark. The sun goes down about 12:30 at night and comes up at 2:00 in the morning 

Goodwin and I forgot to go to bed one night.

Whiskey of all kinds is 25 cents and 50 cents a drink, yet we can see men drunk. 

Old miners say this is the most wonderful camp ever known, but it can’t exist long, as there is nothing to keep it up. Within two weeks we can get things very cheap and in 2 years we can buy the town for $2,000. 

Hundreds are leaving and going back to the States, disgusted. Goodwin and I are going to stay, as it may get better, for the present things are very unsettled. Within the last 6 days we have had four killings and one suicide. Nome has three newspapers, and they boom things to perfection. They sell at 25 cents a copy. In summing up this place in a brief manner and using the prevailing opinion, it is a “farce”. It is a place boomed by Seattle newspapers and transportation companies for the idea of making money, and they do work well. Those contemplate coming here take my advice and stay out, as it is a tough proposition. Out of the 20,000 people who are here 19,000 would be glad to have money enough to get back to the States. As time is precious here. I must stop, and in writing the above I have tried to be honest and hope I have conveyed two things, giving you an honest description of this country, and that will be the means of preventing others from coming here and suffering financially, physically and mentally. I am, as ever, -Charles a Carmen