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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. September 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. Time to renew Alliance membership dues for 2021 are now due. A renewal form is enclosed with this newsletter. This is a good time to upgrade your membership level and to recruit new members for the Alliance.
Every member is an important part of our mission to preserve, protect and promote the Iditarod National Historic Trail. Trail use during a pandemic Some advice from Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the state’s epidemiologist and a hiker: If someone tests positive for COVID-19, anyone who was within 6 feet of them for more than 15 minutes is deemed a close contact, which means walking past someone on the trail does not fit that category. When he is out hiking, McLaughlin says he will step off the trail, turn his head or even hold his breath if he starts to get too close to someone.
From the past… “Iditarod Pioneer” September 16, 1916 PREPARATIONS BEING MADE TO INCREAS EFFICENCY OF WINTER MAIL Respecting the winter trail service between this district and Seward which goes into effect November 1, Postmaster William Ansley has received two interesting communications, which show that there is at least a disposition on the part of the postal authorities to improve on the former somewhat indifferent service furnished. The first of these is from Alva Eames, chief clerk of the Railway Mail service, with headquarters at Cordova, and is as follows: “Cordova, Aug 12, 1916.
Postmaster, Iditarod Please furnish me with a list of the patrons of your office who will remain ‘Inside’ the coming winter, so that the Seward postmaster may exclude mail addressed to the persons who are not in Iditarod, thus increasing the mail for those who stay there.” The winter mail contract provides for the carrying of 475 pounds of mail from Seward to Susitna and from Susitna to Iditarod the weight limit is 400 pounds, as this includes all classes of mail matter, for a population of probably twelve or fifteen hundred persons, it can be seen that it is desirable that no unnecessary mail be carried in order to provide the best possible service. The task set by the chief clerk for postmaster Ansley is however impossible of fulfillment.
He has no means of telling how many of the hundreds of persons who received the mail at the Iditarod office will remain ‘Inside,’ but he will endeavor to furnish a list the residents of this city and vicinity who are leaving for the ‘Outside,’ and whose mail should not be sent here during the winter months. 1 The Tripod September 2020 For this purpose, he has opened up a list at the post office, and those leaving for the Outside should register there, designating the address to which they desire their mail forwarded from Seward. In this manner the facilities for carrying mail for those who remain here will be correspondingly increased.
Heretofore Iditarod has been the terminal of the SewardIditarod mail route, but this year according to a communication just received from Otto Praeger, second assistant postmaster general, the mail will depart from Flat, and incoming mail will be consigned to that office. Aside from the weekly service between Flat and Iditarod, contract will be entered into for an extra weekly mail between the two towns. Kenai National Heritage Area photo contest The deadline for the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm (KMTA) National Heritage Area photo contest is September 30. Amateur and professional photographers are invited to submit images that capture the essence of the Kenai MountainsTurnagain Arm National Heritage Area, which includes Iditarod Post Office the area’s trails, or speak to its role in preserving, promoting and protecting the national heritage area.
All photographs must be taken within the KMTA area which include the communities of Indian, Bird, Girdwood, Whittier, Hope/Sunrise, Moose Pass, Seward and Cooper Landing. For more info go to https://kmtacorridor.org/photo-contests/ Great American Outdoors Act There is an interesting article about the Great American Outdoors Act in the September Alaska Trails Newsletter entitled: GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT; THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY. You can read it at Alaska-Trails.org Trail Bound Alaska Max Romey, an Alaskan artist who found his voice through watercolors and film, works as an outdoor videographer all over the globe, but his true passion is being on Alaskan trails and in the community that they create. This summer he set off to retrace the Iditarod National Historic Trail on a journey over the southern trek of the Trail from Seward to Girdwood.
The film will utilize a combination of documentary style footage, personal interviews and watercolor sketches to share a big picture of the area, while also including personal narratives. To learn more about his Trail Bound project go to: maxromeyproductions.com/trailboundalaska and kmtacorridor Indian to Girdwood bike trail The Alaska State Parks has made a 9-minute video introduction to the Indian to Girdwood bike trail, funded with a grant from the Kenai Mountain Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area. The video includes a good section on the history of the area. It can be seen at: https://kmtacorridor.com/birdtogird