This is a short history of "The Last Great Race."
The Iditarod Trail
The Most Common Question Asked About the Trail is:
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.
I'm going to try to add a photo of a gift (which will definitely come in handy) from Tim for my trip.
