Background
He was born Johan Nordström (later anglicizing it to "John") in the village of Alvik, near Luleå, Sweden, and 60 miles from the Arctic Circle. Nordstrom's father, a blacksmith, wainwright, and part-time farmer, died when Nordstrom was eight. Three years later, Nordstrom's mother took him out of school to work on the family farm. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 16. Arriving in America with $5 to his name, he worked his way across the continent taking jobs on railways and in mines, lumber camps and shipyards, eventually arriving in Seattle, Washington in 1896.
While working at a sawmill he read a newspaper account of the discovery of gold in the Klondike and headed to Alaska to make his fortune. He invested in a claim on Gold Run, but his right to the claim was challenged and a lawsuit was filed. Nordstrom was delighted when another party offered him $30,000 for the claim. He sold it, split the money with his two partners, and returned with his share ($13,000) to the warmer climate of Seattle.
Read more about this topic: John W. Nordstrom
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