Alaska State Facts:

Alaska State Capital:

Juneau (population of about 31,262) the only state capital is the US with no road access. It can only be reached by air or sea. Learn more about Juneau, Alaska.

 Alaska State Population: 626,932

Alaska Area: 586,412 sq. mi. - two and a half times larger than Texas.

Motto: North to the Future - created to represent Alaska as a land of promise. more...

Territory: 1912

Entered the Union: 49th state on January 3rd, 1959

Iditarod DreamIditarod XXXIV starts

on Saturday,

March 4th, 2006

Gold rushes were a major part of Alaska history beginning in the 1880's.

“There’s Gold In Them Hills”

The last full-scale, old-fashioned, frontier-style gold rush in the United States roared into life in 1909 at Iditarod, 629 trail miles west of the future site of Anchorage and half way to Nome.

GOLD RUSH of 1909

TRANSPORTATION• Travel was difficult for most of the

year due to very cold temperatures and snowy conditions.

• By 1910, the need for year-round mail and freight service to the miners in western Alaska led the Federal government to survey and construct a winter trail from Seward to Nome for use by dog sled teams.

• Thus becoming- the Iditarod Trail.

Month of the Year Types of Travel

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail,• Had its beginnings as a mail and

supply route from the coastal towns to the interior mining camps. Mail and supplies went in. Gold came out. All via dog sled. Heroes were made, legends were born.

• In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs.

Dog Power

• The typical traveler on the Iditarod was a musher driving a team of twenty or more dogs pulling a massive freight sled capable of carrying half a ton or more.

½ ton = 1,000 pounds

That is approximately

50 pounds per dog.

Why Dogs and Not Horses?• Dog teams were practically the only way to reliably move across long

distances in Alaska when river travel was not possible.

• Dogs were ideally suited for winter travel for a number of reasons.

• Pound for pound, the sled dog is the most powerful draft animal on earth, and a team of twenty dogs averaging perhaps 75 pounds each can easily match a team of horses weighing more than twice as much.

vs

WINNER

DOGS RULE…

HORSES DROOL

Dogs are faster than horses over the long haul.

Capable of maintaining average speeds of eight to twelve miles an hour for hundreds of miles (including rest stops)

Can exceed twenty miles an hour or more on shorter sprints

Heavy draft animals cannot use the snow packed winter trails.

YMMM DINNER!!!

• Even better, dogs can be fed from the land with moose, fish, or caribou in the winter, while horses or oxen require expensive hay or grain.

DOGS ARE AN INTEGRAL (IMPORTANT) PART OF THE IDITAROD DREAM…

WITHOUT THEM- THE MUSHER WOULD BE WALKING INSTEAD OF RIDING…

CARE OF THE DOGS

PAW CARE

Sixteen dogs. Sixteen dogs with four feet each, each foot needing protection: 16 x 4= 64 booties per Iditarod dog team.

Of course, that’s just for one wearing. Booties have a tendency to get lost, have holes poked in them, or get wet, necessitating repeated changes along the 1,049 mile Iditarod Trail. Most mushers will use anywhere from 1500 to 2500 booties per race. At a minimum of a dollar a bootie, that adds up fast.

$ $ $ $ $

                                                        

In Nome, some dogs help out by showing how skilled they can

become at taking off their booties. This is just one of the reasons mushers carry extras although.

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE SMART DOGS LIKE THIS

Weather

Click on the map for current weather forecasts.

Trail in Odd Years

Trail in Even Years

Overlay of Trails

The Most Common Question asked about the trail:

• Why does the trail go one way in even years (northern) and the other way in odd years (southern)?

Both sections of trail are a part of the Iditarod National Historical Trail which was used in early years for all winter travel. Dog sleds delivered the mail, the preacher, the groceries and hauled out gold and furs all the way to Anchorage or Fairbanks.

During the early years of the Iditarod Race, the mushers only traveled the northern trail. After several years, the Iditarod Board of Directors realized that the smaller villages were being heavily impacted by the race coming through their village year after year. It was decided to use both sections of the trail.

This decision had a three fold effect. The northern villages of Ruby, Galena and Nulato only had to deal with the large group of mushers, press and volunteers every other year.

The second effect was that the race was able to pass through the actual ghost town of Iditarod.

Lastly, the villages of Shageluk, Anvik and Grayling were able to participate in the race.

                                                                                                                                                  

  

                                        

                     Jr. Iditarod XXIX, February 25-26, 2006

138 Mile Junior Iditarod Race

Melissa Owens, winner of the 2005 Jr. Iditarod

• Melissa won when she was just 15 years old and on her 2nd attempt in the Junior Iditarod Race.

Information and Picture References

• http://welcometoalaska.com/juneau.htm

• http://www.welcometoalaska.com/Pictures.htm

• http://www.juneau.org/index.php

• http://wallpapers.jurko.net/pic/1232/

• http://images.google.com/images

• www.iditarod.com