Teller (Inupiaq: Tala or Iġaluŋniaġvik) is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States.
The Inupiat had a fishing camp called Nuuk 32 km (20 mi) south of Teller in the early 19th century.
An expedition from the Western Union telegraph spent the winter at the present site of Teller in 1866 and 1867; they called it Libbyville or Libby Station.
The station was named for United States Senator and Secretary of the Interior Henry Moore Teller in 1892 by Sheldon Jackson.
Teller was established in 1900 after the Bluestone Placer Mine discovery 25 km (16 mi) to the south.
During the boom years in the early 20th century, Teller had a population of about 5,000 and was a major regional trading center.
[6] The dirigible Norge detoured to Teller on its first flight over the North Pole from Norway to Nome in 1926.
Teller is located on a spit 116 km (72 mi) northwest of Nome on the Seward Peninsula.
Teller has been forced to relocate its airport and landfill four miles uphill over the past three decades to escape intense erosion.
[8] In September 2005, all infrastructure on the spit, including the school, power plant, clinic, and homes, were impacted by flooding.