In 1917, the Catholic Diocese of Nome acquired the Pilgrim Hot Springs homestead located approximately 60 miles Northeast of Nome. Our Lady of Lourdes Orphanage was built on the site, as well as 14 other structures. A staff of around 20 priests, nuns and other workers ran the facility, which housed around 100 children annually, the first of which were mainly orphans of the 1918 flu epidemic. After more than 20 years of operation and the decline of orphans in need, the mission closed in 1941.
Pilgrim Hot Springs/Unaatuq LLC (PHS) is working to piece together the missing history and perspectives of children who attended Our Lady of The Lourdes Orphanage in the early 1900’s through its Oral History Project. Numerous family members, community members and previous caretakers have provided their stories for the project and PHS seeks more stories to record.
If you or someone you know might have a story you wish to share from the early 1900’s, we encourage you to email pilgrim@kawerak.org. To learn more about the work PHS has published for its Oral History Project, please visit pilgrimhotsprings.com/oral-history-project.