40 Years of Iditarod

Photo Collection 2012

These photos are from the 40th running of the Iditarod, Iditarod 2012.

Remembering Takotna’s Jan Newton

by Terrie Hanke… Iditarod has many legendary figures. Most have stood on sled runners and coached dog teams from Fourth Avenue in Anchorage to Front Street in Nome. Jan Newton has never run a dog team in The Last Great Race but her contributions to the race are remarkable and have elevated her to a …

40 Years… Well, Before That!

Woof, woof, howl!  Hello Boys and Girls! As you have probably already heard, the 2012 Iditarod is the 40th running of Iditarod!  Isn’t that amazing?  We can’t wait for you to learn all about the past 40 years and about this year’s Iditarod.  Mushing, dog care, and the Iditarod have changed over the years. Even …

Zoom Lens – Unalakleet Happenings

On the day Iditarod crowned its youngest champion ever, plenty of other things were going on three hundred miles away in the community of Unalakleet. There was a pie social at the Covenant Church. It was as much fun eating the pie as it was listening to people decide on what kind of pie to …

Iditarod Trail History Speaks

by Martha Dobson The Iditarod Trail is an official historic trail, running from Seward, Alaska to Nome, Alaska. When it was first used, men, and a few women, who were looking for new prospects turned to the lure of gold, disembarking a boat in Seward and beginning their trek for fortunes. 2012 is the fourth …

Running Iditarod in Five Decades

by Terrie Hanke In 1977 Bob Chlupach attempted and completed his rookie Iditarod. In total he’s completed ten Iditarods over four decades. The 2012 race makes for running an Iditarod in each of five decades. After graduating with a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University, Chlupach took a fisheries job in …

Bib Numbers Drawn for Iditarod XL

by Terrie Hanke Sixty-six mushers drew bib numbers tonight at the Musher Banquet. Joe Redington, known to all as the father of the Iditarod has a pair of grandsons who’ll be the bookends of the mushers leaving the starting line. Ray Redington, Jr. drew bib number two and his brother, Ryan Redington drew bib number …

Remembering 40 Years of Iditarod. . .

The 2012 Iditarod is the 40th running of the Last Great Race®.   Remembering 40 years of Iditarod… . These memories were first shared on our Facebook page as snippets of history remembered and gather the stories together as articles for this website. Remembering 40 Years of Iditarod. .  . The Original Iditarod Trail Committee members were: Al …

Remembering 40 Years of Iditarod..the 80’s

Ray “Lightening” Lang finished 41st in the 1986 Iditarod with a total time of 16:22:39:02. Ray, a dentist in Nome, became interested in dog mushing in 1978.  His wife, Carla, had bought Shelley Gill’s entire team when she got to Nome.   Ray suffered sore knees after barging down the trail from Rabbit Lake to Skwentna.  …

Remembering 40 Years of Iditarod: This is not the Last Great Rest

Prior to the 1978 race, three young ladies were in training for the Iditarod.  Susan Butcher, Varona Thompson, and Shelley Gill  Vandiver.  To get in practice for the conditions that would be faced during the race, Susan decided to go for a swim in a hole in the ice at Knik Lake.  With photographers there …