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Category Archives: Alaska History
Interesting Old Photos
As I’m researching and doing reference work on articles for Alaskan History Magazine I come across many interesting old photographs of Alaska which don’t meet my needs, but which seem worth sharing for those who enjoy the history. Continue reading
Old Alaskan Postcards
This post may take a minute to load, but it’s worth the wait to see these great vintage postcards of Alaskan towns like Nome, Seward, Valdez, Skagway, Juneau and more! Continue reading
Seward’s Day
Seward’s Day, celebrated on March 25 in 2019, is a legal holiday in Alaska, falling on the last Monday in March and commemorating the signing of the Alaska Purchase treaty on March 30, 1867. It is named for then-Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the purchase from Russia. Continue reading
The Ascent of Denali
Hudson Stuck (1865–1920), known as the Archdeacon of the Yukon and the Arctic, was an Episcopal priest, social reformer, and mountain climber in the territory of Alaska who co-led the first expedition to successfully climb Denali (Mount McKinley) in June, 1913. He wrote a book based on the climb, The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley): A Narrative of the First Complete Ascent of the Highest Peak in North America, which was published in February, 1914 by Charles Scribers Sons, New York. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Explorers, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History
Tagged Alaska and the Klondike, Denali, Esaias George, Frances Welles, Harry Karstens, Hudson Stuck, Johnny Fredson, Kantishna, Mount McKinley, Mt. McKinley, Nenana, Peter Trimble Rowe, Robert Tatum, SS Princess Sophia, Ten Thousand Miles with a Dogsled, The Ascent of Denali, Voyages on the Yukon, Walter Harper
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Across Alaska in 1907-08
In October 1907, his work for the 1906-1908 Anglo-American Polar Expedition completed, Ejnar Mikkelsen set out on a formidable journey home, which would take him west along the Arctic coast from Flaxman Island, where he left Leffingwell to continue doing scientific research and mapping. Mikkelsen’s trail led to Barrow, Nome, Fort Gibbon, Manley Hot Springs, Fairbanks, and then down the Fairbanks-Valdez Trail to Valdez, where he boarded a ship for home. The first part of his journey was made by dogsled, the second half riding in the horse-drawn sledges which travelled the winter trails. Continue reading
Tribute to a Sled Dog
Prologue: Tribute to a Sled Dog, from “Sled dog : and other poems of the North,” by Charles E. Gillham, associate editor of Field & Stream magazine, an outdoor writer and game biologist. In 1934 he transferred to the Canadian Arctic as a Federal waterfowl biologist, and his arctic service resulted in four books, “The Raw North,” “Sled Dog,” “Beyond the Clapping Mountains” and “Medicine Men of Hooper Bay.” He left Alaska in 1945. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History
Tagged Charles E. Gillham, gold rush, huskies, husky, Nome, Peary, Sled Dog, sled dogs
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Planet Mackey
Lance Mackey’s achievements were such that they caught the attention of two famous astronomers, and they named a minor planet in his honor. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Iditarod, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races
Tagged 43793 Mackey, Iditarod, Lance Mackey, Larry, Shoemaker-Levy, Yukon Quest
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Sled Dog Mail
Dogs were capable of covering long distances, day or night, and could travel over frozen lakes and rivers and pass through dense forests. By 1901, a network of mail trails throughout Alaska was in use, including a system that followed almost the entire length of the Yukon River. The historic 2,300-mile Iditarod Trail was the main dog trail that carried mail from Seward to Nome. Continue reading
Iditarod National Historic Trail
Nationally, our Historic Trails commemorate major routes of exploration, migration, trade, communications, and military actions that formed America, and only 16 trails in the U.S. have been honored as National Historic Trails. The Iditarod is the only Alaskan trail in the National system, and the only Historic Trail celebrating the indispensable role played by man’s best friend in America’s Last Great Gold Rush. Without dependable sled dogs hauling freight, passengers, mail and more, the history of Alaska and the north country would have been quite different. Continue reading
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