The Tripod, July 2020

The Tripod Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, PO Box 2323, Seward AK 99664 http://www.Iditarod100.org IditarodHTA@gmail.com The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. July 2020 The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes public awareness of the Iditarod Historic 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 and developing partnerships that foster stewardship commitments and support. From the past… “Iditarod Pioneer” June 27, 1914 “Iditarod Pioneer” July 11, 1914 FLAT CITY’S CELEBRATION Though the crowd was not large, probably about 200 being present at the exercises, yet Flat City certainly had some Fourth.

The exercises were opened on the ball grounds about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, at which time W. Fred Harrison read the Declaration of Independence and followed with an oration in which he called the attention of the audience to the heroic deeds of some of the great men of the days of the American Revolution and gave a brief resume of American history, with special regard to the deeds of war in which our country has been engaged in the past 138 years, enlarging upon the fact that the theory of freedom and equality, as well as generosity to beaten foes, expressed in the Declaration of Independence, has been continuously adhered to ever since the signing of that document. The address was enthusiastically received and at its close the sports were started with a ball game between two picked nines.

These teams were so well picked and the score so exceedingly high that it would be an unkindness to publish the names of the participants as ballplayers. Suffice it to say that although the game was not marked by any brilliant baseball plays, there were a great many amusing stunts pulled off by both sides, the audience being in an uproar most of the game. After the ball game there was a continuous performance of racing, jumping, etc., until 7 o’clock in the evening, when the tug-of-war teams were turned loose. The teams seemed to be very evenly marched and it seemed doubtful which side would win, although the Swedes started off by pulling the ribbon a few inches over the line.

However, after pulling for about fifteen minutes, the anchor-man on the opposing team had the misfortune to have his harness break and from that time until the close of the match the audience considered that the crippled team was fortunate in not being dragged clear over the line, as the holding power of the anchor-man was reduced considerably. After thirty minutes of constant pulling the Swedes were declared the winners. A noticeable feature about the match was the interest taken in the contest by the ladies, many of whom had husbands in one team or the other. They were busy fanning the insects away from their favorite team and heartily cheering them on to victory.

In the evening the festivities were closed with a very largely attended ball in the Moose hall. 1 The Tripod July 2020 There were between twenty-five and thirty couples dancing from the beginning to the end of the affair and there were besides the usual large number of gentlemen without partners. The music, furnished by Messrs. Hudson and Lowrie, was excellent as the work of these gentlemen always is. All went to their homes satisfied that while the population of Flat City is not as great as it was a few years ago, there is still enough of the patriotic holiday spirit among those that are left to make a creditable holiday. Sled dogs related to 9,500-year-old ‘ancient dog’ Modern sled dogs are part of an ancient linage, according to a study published last month in the journal Science. Genetic analysis suggests sled dogs emerged much earlier than previously thought.

DNA extracted from a 9,500-year-old dog from the Siberian island of Zhokhov, which the dog is named for, shows extremely early diversification of dogs into types of sled dogs. Until now most scientists assumed Zhokhov was a kind of proto dog. Breeds, researchers estimated, came later. But when scientists compared the DNA of modern dogs to DNA taken from the 9,500-year-old dog they found considerable overlap between the genomes of the Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Malamute and the Greenland sled dog and the genome of Zhokhov. This means that modern sled dogs and Zhokhov had the same common origin in Siberia more than 9,500 years ago. Researchers also analyzed the genomes of a 33,000-year-old Siberian wolf and ten modern Greenlandic sled dogs, as well as dogs and wolves from different parts of the world.

They saw traces of cross breeding with wolves, such as the 33,000 old Siberian wolf, but not with modern wolves. This emphasizes that the origin of the modern sled dog goes back much further than previously thought. The modern sled dogs had more genetic overlap with other breeds than they do with Zhokhov. The Greenland sled dogs have the least overlap with other breeds of any modern breed, suggesting the Greenland sled dogs were one of the earliest breeds, the original sled dog. Swan Lake Boardwalk and Trail The Swan Lake Boardwalk & Trail in Wasilla are now open. This beautiful boardwalk and trail take you into the Palmer Hay Flats, with a viewing platform at Swan Lake and a 1-mile upland loop through a birch forest. Great Land Trust and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game recently finished building a trail to connect the main trails to the road and it is ready for visitors.

Instead of having one big ribbon cutting event, Great Land Trust invites everyone to check out these new trails on their own. For directions to the trailhead and for more info on the project visit-http://greatlandtrust.org/projects/swan-quggesh-lake-boardwalk-trail/ This project was made possible through funding from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, the Alaska Waterfowl Association, ConocoPhillips, The Conservation Fund, ERM Group Foundation, Gateway Community Council, JL Properties, Mat-Su Trails & Parks Foundation, M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, NOAA, Rasmuson Foundation, Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program, and many generous individuals. Unified safety message Alaska State Parks worked with National Park Service, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U. S.

Forest service on the Kenai Peninsula to come up with one cohesive message for a safe and fun summer for Alaska: ►Feeling under the weather? Please visit later-your adventure will still be here when you are feeling better. ►Give everyone space. Keep a minimum of 6 feet distance and respect others’ social bubbles. ►Avoid crowds and keep gatherings small. Check current guidelines prior to arrival. ►Wash your hands often. Use warm, soapy water for 20 seconds or hand sanitizer as a backup. ►Help Alaska’s wildland firefighters during this pandemic. Attend your campfires and put them out entirely. 2