Category Archives: Alaska History

The Matanuska Colony Barns

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Helen Hegener

In 1935 the U.S. Government transported 200 families from the Great Depression-stricken midwest to a valley of unparalleled beauty in Alaska, where they were given the chance to begin new lives as part of a federally-funded social experiment, the Matanuska … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaska, Albert Marquez, Barbara Hecker, barn, barns, Breeden, Colony farm, Colony Project, Dave Rose, Eric Vercammen, Great Depression, Havemeister, Hegener, Jim Fox, Joanie Juster, Matanuska Valley, MATI, Northern Light Media, Palmer, Ron Day, Stewart Amgwert, The Matanuska Colony Barns | Leave a comment

Iditarod National Historic Trail

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Helen Hegener

The 2015 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is over, but the Iditarod Trail is much more than just a sled dog racetrack. This network of over 2,300-miles of winter trails, which first connected ancient Native Alaskan villages, opened the territory for … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged Iditarod, Iditarod National Historic Trail, Iditarod Trail, Knik, National Historic Trail, Nome, Seward | Leave a comment

Along Alaskan Trails

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Helen Hegener

Along Alaskan Trails, Adventures in Sled Dog History, by Helen Hegener, is a collection of true stories about Alaskan sled dogs and the role they played in the development of the north, with dozens of historic photos from the archives … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Baldy, Balto, Chinook, Fritz, Helen Hegener, Iditarod Trail, Jujiro Wada, Leonhard Seppala, Mary Joyce, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, Scotty Allan, Slim Williams, Togo | Leave a comment

Arthur Treadwell Walden

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Helen Hegener

“Let me tell you about this man Walden.” These words, found in the introduction to Arthur Treadwell Walden’s classic book, A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1928), are the reader’s invitation to meet one of the most respected … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon, Antarctica, Arthur Treadwell Walden, Chinook, Circle City, Dawson City, Helen Hegener, Kate Sleeper, Katherine Walden, mushing, mushing history, New England Sled Dog Club, Nome, Northern Light Media, Richard E. Byrd, Yukon River | 2 Comments

1935 Matanuska Colony Talk

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Helen Hegener

On the third Wednesday of May I’ll be giving a presentation about my book on the 1935 Matanuska Colony for the Palmer Historical Society’s History Night. Through photos, stories, and a look at the history behind the Colony Project, I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaska, Colonist, Colony, Fireside Books, Helen Hegener, Matanuska, Matanuska Valley, New Deal, Northern Light Media, Palmer | 1 Comment

The Huskies and the Reindeer

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Helen Hegener

From 2009 through 2013 the twice-weekly Team & Trail column, written by Northern Light Media’s Helen Hegener, ran in the online newsmagazine Alaska Dispatch, and featured news of interest to the mushing community, including sled dog race reports, news, photos, articles, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon, Along Alaskan Trails, Archdeacon of the Yukon, Archdeacon Stuck, Arthur Treadwell Walden, Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, Helen Hegener, Hudson Stuck, huskies, Northern Light Media, reindeer, Scotty Allen, Sheldon Jackson, Ten Thousand Miles with a Dogsled, The Cruelest Miles | Leave a comment

Alaskan Roadhouses

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Helen Hegener

My current writing project is a book chronicling the old roadhouses of Alaska, and I’ve been sharing progress reports at a site I created for the book which is titled, as the book will probably be titled, Alaskan Roadhouses. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaskan Roadhouses, books, Helen Hegener, history, Northern Light Media, roadhouse, writing | 5 Comments

The Early Days of Mushing

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Helen Hegener

“I spent almost the entire winter freighting with my dogs to the outlying creeks, and so was away from civilization most of the time. There was more money in it than in ordinary freighting to the mines, and the life … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaska, All Alaska Sweepstakes, Helen Hegener, Hudson Stuck, Iditarod Trail, Leffingwell, Leonhard Seppala, mushing, mushing history, Nome, Northern Light Media, Scotty Allan, sled dog racing, sled dogs, Yukon River | Leave a comment

1973 Iditarod, The First Race

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Helen Hegener

“W. A. Dikeman and Charles Peterson reported by Iditarod Nugget as “First Mushers Over the Iditarod Trail: Taking 45 Days from Seward to Otter, they meet several others on the trail including Harry Johnson and Bob Griffis.” (Iditarod Nugget, December … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaska, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail, mushing history, Nome, Northern Light Media, Serum Run | 1 Comment

The First Iditarod

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Helen Hegener

“Musher after musher agrees that no one – racers or officials – knew what to expect.” ~Bill Sherwonit in Iditarod: The Great Race to Nome (Alaska Northwest Books, 1991) This book is the result of several years of researching, interviewing, … Continue reading →