Alaskan History
Dr. Curtis Welch had arrived in Alaska in 1907. He was very familiar with the winters and rather enjoyed the isolation of the ice bound, blizzard swept town of Nome. Nearly half of Nome’s population shipped out for the winter on the last vessels departing before the Bering Sea froze. Being icebound November through June, …
When the calendar pages reveal the arrival of January 2025, there’s an anniversary that begs to be celebrated. January of 2025 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Serum Run, sometimes referred to as The Great Race of Mercy. Twenty drivers and about 150 sled dogs carried the diphtheria antitoxin from Nenana to Nome in …
Leaving Shageluk and mushing on toward Anvik, the teams will have fewer miles to go than they have covered. Anvik (AN-vik) is the first checkpoint of the southern route on the famous Yukon River. No one would be so bold as to say that it’s downhill to Nome from Shageluk because the Yukon River and …
Shageluk is almost 160 miles from Takotna, the last village populated with humans. Since departing Takotna, the teams have traveled through the ghost towns of Ophir and Iditarod. Handler didn’t actually visit Shageluk as the 2006 Teacher on the Trail because ’06 was an even year so the teams followed the northern route. It was …
by Martha Dobson Edgar Nollner and Josephine Roberts. Father and daughter. Volunteers working in Tanana were thrilled to meet Josephine, now 93, who was a 3 year old when her father, Edgar, ran one of the relay legs of the 1925 Serum Run to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, combating the epidemic there. The first …
A recent, narrative nonfiction account for middle school age and older, through adults, about a part of WWII kept secret for decades. Find out more here.
Thus far you have met our heroes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton, Balto and Togo. You have read about their great skills, determination and perseverance. Our hero, Baldy of Nome, has accumulated equally impressive accomplishments. Have you noticed that some of our heroes are from current times, some are from the recent past and some are …
Ever wonder how the dog teams from the lower 48 – perhaps Michigan, Colorado or Montana get to Alaska to compete in the Iditarod? They drive and there aren’t many choices for routes. They take the notorious Alcan Highway. My black lab friend, Ellie, travels the highway frequently. Hoping that I might have the opportunity …
I can’t believe I’m actually standing at mile 0.0 of the infamous Alaska Highway! It’s my black lab friend Ellie and me traveling with Ellie’s human Pam Flowers. Oh this is so exciting, I can hardly keep from jumping and barking! From my last story you know the history of this storied road. It was …
We’re back on the road, looking at Dawson Creek and Mile Zero in the rear view mirror. This portion of the Alaskan Highway is also known as British Columbia Highway 97. Ellie has told me that we’re going to see amazing things today. We’ll be going up and over the Canadian Rockies and there’s bound …
