Tag Archives: Nome

The Ghost of Wild Bill Shannon

It had been a long evening’s presentation as the mushers, snowmachiners, support crews and others gathered in the Nenana community center listened intently. The trail boss, musher coordinator and others explained the final preparations and outlined their trip across the … Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Alaskan Roads and Trails History

Alaska’s history can be defined in large part by the network of trails and roads which criss-cross the state, threading through the seemingly endless forests and across the wide tundra lands; winding over great mountain ranges and bridging tumultuous rivers. … Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Iditarod National Historic Trail

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 , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arthur Treadwell Walden

“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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Long Hard Trails excerpt

An excerpt from the book, Long Hard Trails and Sled Dog Tales, by Helen Hegener, published by Northern Light Media. This chapter is about the 2008 centennial running of the All Alaska Sweepstakes race: We were surprised to learn that … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Early Days of Mushing

“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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Alone

Lance Mackey is one of the greatest dog drivers of all time. Four-time Yukon Quest Champion. Four-time Iditarod Champion. Winner of the Humanitarian Award for excellence in sled dog care for both races, winner of numerous awards  over the years … Continue reading

Posted in DVD & Video, Sled Dog Races | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

1973 Iditarod, The First Race

“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 , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A One-Thousand-Mile Race

  Joe Redington, Sr., known as the “Father of the Iditarod,” was born on February 1, 1917, in a tent on the banks of the Cimarron River, north of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, on the famous Chisholm Trail. It was a fitting … Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Sled Dog Races | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Baldy of Nome

Scotty Allan’s Legendary Leader A chapter from Along Alaskan Trails, Adventures in Sled Dog History In Esther Birdsall Darling’s classic book, Baldy of Nome, a story is told of a driverless dog team in the 60-mile-long Solomon Derby, a race … Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment