Guest Author - Deb Frost
Alaska’s last great race! The Iditarod Trail today is considered part of nature’s winter playground for men and women who are willing to take on anything Mother Nature can dish out and come back for more.
The arduous 1250+ mile long sled dog race runs along the Iditarod National Historic Trail, a route originally established by settlers in the early 1900s. The route was named for the tiny bush town of Iditarod, which is now pretty much a ghost town. The section of the trail used for the race began in the small coastal trading village of Knik (about fifteen miles outside of what is now Wasilla, Alaska), passing through many native villages and ending at the far distant gold fields of Nome, Alaska.
The history of the Iditarod Trail is part of the colorful history of Alaska. During the winter during those early days, this route was only accessible by dog sled. Even so, it became a heavily used passage for the times; carrying mail, freight and even passengers from seaports near Knik and even far southern Seward, Alaska (on what is now the Kenai Peninsula), to and from Nome and the bush villages.
The introduction of the airplane to Alaska eventually brought the usefulness of the Iditarod trail to a near standstill. It had one last memorable mention in history when a life-threatening diphtheria epidemic threatened isolated, icebound Nome in the winter of 1925.
In 1925 there was only one pilot in the entire state capable of flying in such unpredictable and dangerous winter conditions over such an expanse of mountain ranges and isolated tundra – and that one pilot was unavailable. It was decided the only way to save the town was to rush the life-giving serum from Anchorage to Nome by the fastest possible ground transport.
The first leg of this difficult trip was made by train from Anchorage to Nenana (near what is now Denali National Park), and then using a “Pony Express” type of relay of dog teams to rush it down the frozen Tanana river to the Yukon river and across a daunting expanse of isolated winter wilderness. Time was of the essence. Native villages along the route offered their fastest teams to the relay, racing from one village to the next until they reached Nome – in time to save the residents of the town.
Dog sleds remained the main means of transportation in bush Alaska until airplanes became more common … and until the advent and availability of the snowmachine. Even then, dog sleds remained a common means of transportation in native villages for many years. Still, by the 1960s, the Iditarod trail itself was nearly forgotten.
It is partially in memory of the amazing “serum race” that the Iditarod Sled Dog Race was developed. But another and possibly more important reason was because sled dog mushing enthusiasts such as Dorothy G. Page of Wasilla realized in the 1960s that sled dogs – and their importance as working animals in the development of early Alaska - were being forgotten. They were on the verge of becoming a thing of the past.
Dorothy Page brought her idea for a race to musher Joe Redington, Sr. Between the Pages and the Redingtons, the idea blossomed and began to spread. The first short Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was held in 1967.
That first race was only about 27 miles long, with a $25,000 purse being offered to the winner. Enthusiastic entrants came from all across Alaska and even two from the “lower 48”. The race was a resounding success and was repeated in 1969. By 1973, the Redingtons and Pages had enough backing and support to reach their goal of extending the race another 1000+ miles to Nome, Alaska!
From the traditional “Ceremonial Start” on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, to the now famous burled arch in far northwest Nome, Alaska, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is a one of a kind competition. It draws annual media attention, and top notch competitors, from all over the world.
