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Solomon Roadhouse

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c. 1900; 1918, moved. Mile 33.5 Nome-Council Rd.

Although not at its original location, the Solomon Roadhouse still serves as the landmark identified with the old town of Solomon. After discovery of gold on the Solomon River in 1899, a dredge was brought in and extensive hydraulic mining was undertaken by 1904. The Council City and Solomon River Railway was constructed in 1904 to connect Solomon on the coast with the thriving gold-rush town of Council City. The railway's terminus was Dickson, on the east side of the river; Solomon, on the west side, was connected by a ferry and footbridge. In Dickson the company built offices, warehouses, and a hotel. The railroad was abandoned in 1907, and after Solomon was devastated by a storm in 1913, survivors moved the town across the river to Dickson.

In 1918, W.J. “Billy” Rowe moved one of the railroad buildings about a mile east of Solomon/Dickson on the Nome-Council road. Rowe used it as a horse barn. Pete Curran acquired it in 1939, at the same time that the new site of Solomon was being abandoned, again due to flooding. This building continued to serve as a roadhouse and store until Curran's death in 1958. Currently not in use, it is a two-story, wood-framed building with novelty siding. One-story, shed-roofed additions at front and rear serve as arctic entries. The front-gable building has molded lintels on some windows.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Alison K. Hoagland
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Citation

Alison K. Hoagland, "Solomon Roadhouse", [Nome, Alaska], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/AK-01-WE012.

Print Source

Buildings of Alaska, Alison K. Hoagland. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 271-271.

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