Are people in Nome always waiting at the finish line for mushers to arrive? Nope! But when a musher is about one mile away, a siren will sound, giving everyone a chance to layer up and head to the Burled Arch. A lot of people have access to the GPS tracker and will start walking to the Arch when a musher is a few miles away. Then, when the musher gets onto Front Street, they have a police escort to the snow ramp that leads up to the finish line. From the moment the siren sounds, it all seems to go so fast. One of my favorite parts about watching a musher come in is seeing the excitement from the family members. Tonight was extra special, because Liz Failor was anxiously waiting for her husband, Matthew Failor, to arrive as the 11th place finisher of Iditarod 2025. Liz was excited for many reasons, including a gender reveal for their second baby. Matthew was overjoyed when he pulled the blue booties out of the box that Liz was holding. Such a special moment!
Nome has a rich history, which I had the chance to learn more about while waiting between musher arrivals. In the late 1800’s, Three Lucky Swedes discovered gold on the beaches of Nome, and then the rush was on! People from all over the world flocked to Nome for their chance to strike it rich. There are many parts of Nome where you can still see the aftermath of the Gold Rush.
Lesson Idea: Have students write a short story or journal entry from the perspective of someone involved in the Gold Rush. They should include details about what they saw, felt, and experienced during their journey to Nome, and reflect on whether they found gold or not. Challenge- have students describe the connection between gold miners, settlers, and sled dogs.
