The Tripod, July 2013

Shelter cabin at Iditarod Race Headquarters The shelter cabin, built for the Alliance, located at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race Headquarters at Wasilla has been made ready for the summer tourist season, thanks to Greg Bill, Chris Minguez, Kyle Kitter and Dan Seavey. It has been made handicap accessible, the roof repaired and furnished like a shelter cabin on the trail. Open to tourists it has a twofold purpose: it shows visitors what shelter cabins along the Iditarod Trail look like and the purpose they service and to make information about the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance available to visitors.

The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes public awareness of the Iditarod Trail and its gold rush and Alaska Native heritage by encouraging education programs and historical research, assisting in the protection, improvement, maintenance and marking of the trail, developing partnerships that foster stewardship commitments and support from land owners, local communities, organizations and others. The trail for all seasons iTREC! workshop The summer workshop for this year’s Iditarod Trail in Every Classroom (iTREC!) teachers will be August 5-9 at the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood. There are 16 teachers in the program this year from Nome, Holy Cross, Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley.

What others are doing The mission of the Master Trail Builder program, sponsored by Volunteers for Outdoor Missouri, is to build a force of volunteer workers that provides the resources for state, county and cities to draw upon in building and maintaining trails. To become a Missouri Trail Builder, an individual must first attend 30 hours of classroom core course training. Then the trainees are required to give 30 hours of volunteer service back to their community. Serum Run film update The “Calgary Herald” reports that the producers of the film “Race to Save Nome,” owes 113 carpenters and others roughly $792,000 for their labor, in November 2012, in building Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance PO Box 2323, Seward AK 99664 IditarodHTA@gmail.com http://www.Iditarod100.org massive sets to transform an area west of Calgary into the city of Nome.

The film, which was to tell the story of the 1925 Nome Serum Run, was scheduled to start shooting in January 2013, but the production company closed its Calgary office in December. The company web site says the film is “in develop ment.” The Alberta Employment Standards Office plans to file judgments with the courts and then to proceed with collections. Centennial June 7, 2013 was the 100th anniversary of the first ascent of the north peak of Mt. McKinley. A new book, The Seventymile Kid by Tom Walker (The Mountaineers Books, $19.95) tells the story of that event. Two of the climbers, Harry Karstens and Hudson Stuck, were well-known dog mushers. Struck is best known for his book Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled, about his travels in Alaska (including Iditarod) as Archdeacon for the Yukon and Tanana Valleys and the Arctic Regions to the North of the Same for the Episcopal Church.

Stuck refused to call the mountain McKinley, feeling the Native name should be retained; the book he wrote about the climb is entitled, The Ascent of Denali. Harry Karstens learned his mushing skills as a young man carrying mail along the Yukon and gold shipments from Iditarod. In 1921 he was appointed ranger-at-large of Mount McKinley National Park. The first member of the party to stand on the top of the mountain was Walter Harper. Unfortunately he was also a part of another major event of the North. He and his wife were on the Princess Sophia when it went down with all on board on October 23, 1918. From the past… From “Iditarod Pioneer” July 6, 1912 GREAT DOING ON FOURTH OF JULY The Fourth of July celebration at Flat was a credit to the city and district; and it would be difficult to overpraise the indefatigable organizers and participants who contributed to the success of the meeting.

A large number of visitors from Iditarod were in attendance and the miners and other residents of Flat and Otter creeks turned out in force. Most of the operators closed down for the occasion and from early morning of the Fourth until the sun had risen on another day, a spirit of harmony prevailed. The proceeding opened with a selection by the Silver Cornet band, which had been engaged for the day at great expense. The next thing on the program was the ball game between Flat and Otter. A big crowd witnessed the event; the grandstand being taxed to capacity and many hundreds finding standing room only. The visitors won a well played game by 6 to 3. An interval was then taken for refreshments, during which time the band played more melody. Dinner being over, the sports commenced. All the sporting events were keenly contested and watched with interest by large numbers of spectators.

The pack race probably caused the most comment, Graham Sirwell and other competitors making excellent time with heavy loads. The ladies’ race and the nail-driving contest also occasioned considerable excitement. There was an immense crowd at the dance in the A. B. Hall. Professor McSmart’s orchestra skillfully rendered selections from the classics and the dance was much enjoyed.