Hundreds seek gold in Alaska NOME, Alaska, June 28 (UPI) -- Locals in Nome, Alaska, said the city might be experiencing a second gold rush, with hundreds of people coming from all over to search for the precious metal. Mitch Erickson of Nome Gold Alaska said he started preparing for an influx of out-of-towners by setting up campsites when the recession hit in 2008, due to its similarity to the economic conditions leading to the gold rush of the 1890s, KTUU-TV, Anchorage, reported Thursday. "I'm up here to have some fun, and If I find some gold, that will make it more pleasurable," said Ken Scott, who is visiting Nome from Thibodaux, La. However, not all locals are happy with the newcomers. "They don't seem to respect the knowledge of the old-timers," said Bob Hafner, who has been dredging in Nome for 20 years. These new people come up here, they look at our dredges, they copy our dredges, and they think, 'Oh, this is really easy to do.'