Solomon is located on the west bank of the Solomon River, 1 mile north of Norton Sound and 32 miles east of Nome. Solomon is connected to Nome by the by the Nome-Council Road over which automobiles travel. Also served by Charter air service from Nome. Solomon has a population of 10. The zip code is 99762.
Solomon's climate is both maritime and continental. Summers are short, wet and mild. Winters are cold and windy. Weather data from Nome shows annual precipitation is16.4 inches, with 54 inches of snowfall. Temperatures range from -30° and 56°F.
There are two airstrips in the area and neither is well maintained. The state field at Solomon is 1600 feet in length and is dirt and gravel. Lee's Camp is a privately owned airstrip located 5 miles north of Solomon. The strip is 1,000 feet in length and is unpaved. Permission is required to use this facility.
The village was originally settled by Eskimos of the Fish River tribe, and was called "Erok" on a 1900 map.
Originally established 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 are in existence.
A 1913 storm destroyed the townsite and the townspeople decided to move Solomon east across the Solomon River to the site of an abandoned southern terminus of the Council City and Solomon railroad which had been known as Dickson. Besides the 1913 storm, the 1918 worldwide influenza epidemic devastated the population. Flooding continued to threaten the low-lying town, and in 1939 the townsite was moved once again to the base of Jerusalem Hill on the west side of the river. The BIA constructed a large school in 1940. During World War II, a number of families moved away from Solomon to find work elsewhere. The post office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs school were discontinued in 1956. The Solomon Roadhouse operated until the 1970s.
Today, rusting railroad equipment, the old school and the river ferry today offer reminders of Solomon's historic past. The Solomon Roadhouse, built in 1904 in Dickson was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The unpaved Nome-Council Road, which originated as a trail during the gold rush, runs through the town. The road, maintained only in summer, brings many visitors to the area, including bird-watchers, fishermen, hunters and tourists. A section of the road is part of the Iditarod Trail from Seward to Nome and a spur extends up the Solomon River into the Casadepaga River Valley.
Communications in Solomon is by radio. There is no public electricity system. Water is hauled from the river or from nearby creeks. The sewage system is by honey-buckets or outhouses. Three families live in Solomon year-round. Many Nome residents have seasonal homes or camps here.
