The Tripod, June 2021

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. The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes 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 and developing partnerships that foster stewardship, commitments and support. Seward Library showing Iditarod video this summer The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance’s video of the History of the Iditarod Trail will be shown at the Seward Library this summer. The showing was canceled last summer because of COVID.

It will be shown in conjunction with the Seward Community Library Association’s video, “Waves Over Seward: The Good Friday Earthquake.” They will be shown at 2 pm Tuesday through Saturday. The Resurrection Bay Historical Society plans to show the videos on Sunday. Income raised by the showings will be divided by the Library, Library Association, Alliance and Historical Society. Long Trail The Alaska Long Trail got a huge boost recently when $13 million for the project was included in the Senate’s version of the Alaska state budget. An amendment for the trail funding by Sitka Republican Sen. Bert Stedman and Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski passed the Senate unanimously and is now part of the ongoing budget negotiations.

The long trail as broadly planned, an exact route has not been set, would follow a scenic route close to the Parks Highway from Fairbanks to Talkeetna, then swing east through the Alaska Range, south to Hatcher Pass and Chugach State Park, then follow the Iditarod Trail from Girdwood to Seward. One of the biggest problems is bridges, which can be much more expensive than ordinary trail. Chris Beck, one of the lead planners of the trail project, said it could take decades or more for the Long Trail to become walkable from end to end without venturing onto roads. About a third of the trail exists as an established route, but the remainder is going to take work to become established routes, but he noted that the Appalachian Trail also took decades.

National Trails Day® in Seward The Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers celebrated National Trails Day® on June 5 by hosting a historic walking tour along the first mile of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. The tour was conducted by Lee Poleske, historian of the Trail Blazers and Sue McClure, president of the Resurrection Bay Historical Society.

The tour covered Seward’s role in the historic Iditarod Trail and many of the historic events that happened along the route of the trail: the building of the Phoenix in 1793-94, the first ship built by the Russians in Alaska, the founding of Seward in 1903, the building of the first railroad dock and since the trail runs along the beach of Resurrection Bay much of the tour was about the damage to the area caused by the 1964 Alaska Earthquake. 1 The Tripod June 2021 From the past… “Iditarod Pioneer” May 25, 1912 Mailing gold On December 6, 1913, Postmaster General Albert S.

Burleson issued order number 7707 which announced “that after January 1, 1914, gold coin, gold bullion, and gold dust offered for mailing between any two points in Alaska or between any point in Alaska and any point in the United States or its possessions shall be enclosed in sealed packages not exceeding 11 pounds in weight and sent by registered mail. The rate of postage thereon shall be two cents an ounce or fraction thereof regardless of distance in addition to the registry fee.” Although the postage rate never increased, registry fees did increase over the years. Postmaster General Harry S. New issued order number 5347 on April 11, 1927, which increased the maximum weight of an Alaska gold parcel to 50 pounds. The February 10,1977 Postal Bulletin reported that the Alaska gold rate would be eliminated effective March 6, 1977.

Obey or Pay Along with the scenic hiking trails in Hawaii come inherent risks, be it flashflood warnings, hazardous cliffs, or falling debris, among other dangers. Despite signage indicating that areas are closed, many still venture beyond the warnings and find themselves in precarious situations. To emphasize the importance of adhering to warnings, a proposed bill is making its way through the Hawaii state senate that would require those hikers who disobey signs to pay for their own rescues. Bill S.B.

No. 700, states, "Whenever any government entity engages in a search or rescue operation for the purpose of searching for or rescuing a person, and incurs search and rescue expenses therein, the government entity may seek reimbursement in cases where the need for search or rescue was caused by any act or omission by the person searched for or rescued, constituting intentional disregard for the person's safety, including, but not limited to, intentionally disregarding a warning or notice." 2