Category Archives: Alaska History

Joe Redington, Sr.

Posted on November 25, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Joe Redington came to Alaska in 1948, settling on a homestead near Knik, south of Wasilla, with his family. He learned about sled dogs and how to handle a dog team from his new neighbors, mail and freight team driver Sharon Fleckenstein and Lee Ellexson, one of the last dog team mail drivers on the Iditarod Trail. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Dick Mackey, George Attla, Gleo Huyck, Hudson Stuck, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail, Iditarod Trail Committee, Joe Redington, Ken Chase, Knik, Leonhard Seppala, Nome, Raymie Redington, Tom Johnson, Unalakleet, Vi Redington, Wasilla | 2 Comments

Icebound

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The documentary ‘Icebound’ is the story of the 1925 Serum Run, a heroic testament to the human spirit, and to the dogs of the far north. But beyond the legend lies a complex tale, filled with irony, tragedy, and myth. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Sled Dog History | Tagged Daniel Anker, diphtheria, dog teams, epidemic, Icebound, Leonhard Seppala, Nenana, Nome, Serum Run, sled dogs, Togo, Wild Bill Shannon | Leave a comment

Alaska Road Commission

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The Commission did not favor use of these trails by trucks or automobiles, declaring in 1914 that it made “no pretense of having built roads adapted for automobile travel….” Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Roadhouses | Tagged Alaska Road Commission, George Parks Highway, Iditarod Trail, Roadhouses, Seward-Nome Trail, Trans-Alaska Military Trail, Valdez to Eagle Trail | Leave a comment

Roadhouse Registers

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Travelers of the Trail • Seeking Shelter and A Warm Meal 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Gold Rush History, News & Information, Roadhouse, Roadhouses, Sled Dog History | Tagged Iditarod Trail, Knik, Manley Roadhouse, Pioneer Roadhouse, roadhouse, Roadhouses, Woodchopper Roadhouse | Leave a comment

Ernest de Koven Leffingwell

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Ernest de Koven Leffingwell was a joint commander, with Ejnar Mikkelsen, of the 1906-1908 Anglo-American Polar Expedition, which established that, contrary to long-held myths and stories, there was no land north of Alaska.

Self-described as “the forgotten explorer,” as his efforts went largely unrecognized in his own time, Leffingwell is credited for later mapping about 150 miles of the Arctic coastline, between Point Barrow and Herschel Island, along with the adjacent Brooks Range, between 1906 and 1914. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Kindle eBooks, Sled Dog History | Tagged Anglo-American Polar Expedition, Arctic, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Barrow, Brooks Range, Canning River, Ejnar Mikkelsen, Ernest de Koven Leffingwell, explorer, Flaxman Island, Joe Henderson, National Historic Landmark, sled dogs | 1 Comment

Trailing and Camping in Alaska

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Trailing and Camping in Alaska, subtitled Ten Years Spent Exploring, Hunting and Prospecting in Alaska – 1898 to 1909, was written in 1909 by Addison M. Powell, an adventurer, prospector, hunter, and a former guide for Captain William R. Abercrombie’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, News & Information | Leave a comment

Jujiro Wada, Trailblazer

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Helen Hegener

There are many strange and unusual stories in the annals of northern sled dog travel, but one of the most fascinating concerns an enigmatic Japanese explorer and adventurer named Jujiro Wada. Born in Japan in the 1870s, the second son of a lower-class samurai warrior, he traveled to the U.S. in 1890 and worked as a cabin boy for the Pacific Steam Whaling Company and at Barrow for the renowned Charlie Brower, manager of the Cape Smythe Whaling and Trading Company, which history buffs agree was probably where he learned to handle sled dogs and began learning the Alaska Native languages. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged Barrow, Charlie Brower, E.T. Barnette, Fairbanks, Felix Pedro, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail, Jujiro Wada, musher, mushing history, Nome, Seward, Seward-Nome Trail, trailblazer, Yukon Quest, Yukon River | 1 Comment

Seppala House Update

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The Seppala House Project STILL needs funds for moving and restoration, please donate generously: Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged Jon Van Zyle, Jona Van Zyle, Leonhard Seppala, Martha Ethridge, Nome, Richard Benneville, Seppala House, Urtha Lenharr | Leave a comment

Leonard Seppala House

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The Leonhard Seppala House Restoration Project is an effort to save what many believe to be a key piece of Alaskan history, the home of a legendary musher, three-time champion of the All Alaska Sweepstakes, who played a central role … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged HABS, Iditarod Trail, Jon Van Zyle, Leonhard Seppala, Nome, Nome Nugget, Seppala House, Serum Run, Togo, Urtha Lenharr | Leave a comment

New Compass Rose Logo

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Welcome to the new Northern Light Media website, designed for easier access to the books I publish and a cleaner, clearer, and more compelling layout! I have revised how books are ordered, changed the sidebar, and reworked the tone and feel of the entire site to better showcase my books and share my love of Alaska’s history. Continue reading →