Erik Lindblom (1857-1928) was a Swedish-American gold prospector. He was one of the "Three Lucky Swedes" who founded and developed the Nome mining district.

Early life

Erik Olof Lindblom was born on June 27, 1857, in

Härjedalen Härjedalen () is a historical province (''landskap'') in the centre of Sweden. It borders the Norwegian county of Trøndelag, as well as the provinces of Dalarna, Hälsingland, Medelpad and Jämtland. The province originally belonged to Norway, ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, the son of Olof Lindblom and Brita (née Olofsson). Lindblom's father was a landowner and a schoolmaster in Sweden. Born and raised in an iron and copper region, he had a fundamental knowledge of mining. His father had died when Erik was young and his mother struggled to support the family. Lindblom found work as a tailor and travelled around Europe for work, finally ending up in London. In 1886, he married Mary Ann Smith, the daughter of a London tailor, and soon after, the couple moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He engaged in mining in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. Lindblom was naturalized as a

United States citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitu ...

in 1894.

Mining career

In 1898, Lindblom went to

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

where he met

John Brynteson John Brynteson (1871 – 1959) was one of the "Three Lucky Swedes" who founded and developed the Nome mining district. Johan Bryntesson was born in the parish of Ärtemark in the traditional province of Dalsland, Sweden. Career A gold-seeking ...

(1871-1959) and Jafet Lindeberg (1874-1962). Late that winter, they uncovered the first gold found in the Nome mining district, and founded the extensive mining interests there which would produce a large fortune. Lindblom invested the proceeds from his mining fortune in banks, transportation, and real estate. He would become president of the Swedish-American Bank of San Francisco and vice-president of the Pioneer Mining and Ditch Company of

Nome, Alaska Nome (; , , also ''Sitŋazuaq'', ''Siqnazuaq'') is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough, Alaska, Unorganized Borough of the US state of Alaska. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula c ...

. Lindblom was appointed Swedish Commissioner to the

1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 * ...

by King

Gustaf V of Sweden Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxem ...

and later was knighted by that monarch, being presented with the Royal Order of Vasa of the first degree. Lindblom invested in the

Claremont Resort The Claremont Resort & Club is a historic American hotel that is situated at the foot of Claremont Canyon in the Berkeley Hills. Located in the Claremont district, near the intersection of Claremont Avenue and Ashby Avenue, the site straddles ...

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, which was completed in 1915. Three years later, he took complete possession of the hotel. Lindblom died in 1928 at his residence at the Claremont Hotel.

Personal life

He was first married to Mary Anne Smith in London in August 1886 and had a son and a daughter. They were divorced in 1907. Lindblom subsequently married Hannah Ulrika Sadie Sparman in June 1907. They had one son.

Legacy

*A statue of Erik Lindblom, together with Jafet Lindeberg and John Brynteson, stands in Nome, Alaska. *Jafet Lindeberg, Erik Lindblom and John Brynteson are all listed in the Alaskan Mining Hall of Fame.''Members by Induction Date'' (Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation)
/ref> *Lindblom Creek, Nome, is named after him.

References

Primary sources

* Harrison, Edward Sanford (1905) ''Nome and Seward Peninsula: a book of information about northwestern Alaska'' (E.S. Harrison) * Carlson, Leland H. (1948) ''Swedish Pioneers & the Discovery of Gold in Alaska'' (American Swedish Historical Museum)

External links

Eric Lindblom, one of Nome's "Three Lucky SwedesThree Lucky Swedes”, discoverers of the Nome Gold Fields in 1898Pioneer Mining and Ditch CompanyClaremont Hotel Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindblom, Erik American gold prospectors Swedish emigrants to the United States 1857 births 1928 deaths Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa People from Härjedalen Municipality People from Nome, Alaska 19th-century American people 20th-century American people 19th-century Swedish people