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Caroline Reader Retrospective
In this 2007 discussion, Caroline Reader talks about changes in transportation and communications that she has noticed since her first interview for the original Nome Communities of Memory project in 1996. She also talks about an increase in social problems, the effect of global warming on the environment in Nome, and the changes in animal populations and behavior.
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Digital Asset Information
Archive #: Oral History 2007-03-02 & 03
Project: Nome Communities of Memory
Date of Interview: Jun 21, 2007
Narrator(s): Caroline Reader
Location of Interview:
Location of Topic:
Funding Partners:
Alaska Humanities Forum
Parts:
Alternate Transcripts
There is no alternate transcript for this interview.
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Sections
Modern conveniences in the home
Progress in Nome
Changes in the environment
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Transcript
My name is Caroline McClaine Reader. I’ve been a resident of Nome since 1928. So I guess you could say I’m an old-timer. Nome itself doesn’t seem to grow too much.
My children tell me I live in the Dark Ages at my home because I don’t have a lot of the modern things that many homes expect to have.
For instance, I don’t have a clothes dryer but I have a basement that dries things perfectly well. I don't have a garbage disposal. I don't have any of this kind of electronic equipment such as I'm talking in now.
Nome tries to progress, I think actually we're pretty luck here we have…our city has a lot of conveniences for us and tries its best with monies that are available.
As you get older you start to have more health problems and that's one thing that the local hospital can't always help with. So you have to head down to Anchorage or some other place to have your health problems taken care of.
Nome seems to have a lot more social problems than it did in years gone by. There's so many things now that worm their way into the villages. Undesirable things. And it’s, it’s really sad to see things like that happening.
One thing, speaking of the environment, and the global warming is bringing different wild animals closer to town. There seems to be … the bears are a lot more prevalent now in this area. So people are afraid to go berry picking. Or at least I am.
The muskoxen now are…seem to have a steady location up there behind Anvil Mountain. We had a polar bear recently in our area. So something is causing the animals to shift their locations. It might be food…or who knows what.
As a child here we never gave a thought to bears. We go picking berries and not worry about anything. But now most people bring someone along who has a gun who can use it if necessary.