Winterfest is kicked off this week at UAA! Winterfest features lots of different activities on campus and around Anchorage – and it has us thinking more about the winter celebrations in Alaska – we’re highlighting a few of them here on the blog!
The Iditarod is a long distance race of dog teams that has been happening annually since 1973 – while the race used to run from Anchorage to Nome, due to lack of snow conditions, the start in Anchorage was modified to be a ceremonial start with the race re-starting in Willow. This year’s ceremonial start will be held in downtown Anchorage this Saturday, February 28th.
The current race route is based on the original Iditarod trail that was used by dog teams to transport freight every winter into the 1920s, when the use of airplanes became more common. In 1925, dog teams saved the day when a diphtheria epidemic threatened Nome. There wasn’t a pilot available who could handle the difficult flight, so a relay of dog teams transported needed serum to Nome in time to prevent an epidemic (Bowers). The race was introduced in 1973 as a way to commemorate the historic trail and continue the tradition of using dog teams.
The Iditarod Trail Annual is an annual book that was released each year and featured information about the route, official entries into the race, as well as stories from the trail from the previous year, including a diary that followed the progress of the mushers each day and profiles of the finishers. We have copies of the Iditarod Trail Annual that you can browse in the Alaska Collection – find them at call number REF ALASKA SF 440.P43. This one is from 1985!
The Fur Rendezvous Dog Mushers’ Annual also includes lots of great photos of the dog teams and their mushers – the one below is from 1965. Find these in the Alaska Collection at call number REF ALASKA F 914.A4 F9
You can also search for photos in the Alaska Digital Archive to see photos of the mushers and dogs at different times in Alaska’s history – how does this photo from the 1966 start in Anchorage look different from today? Do you recognize any landmarks from downtown Anchorage?
This from photo from the Iditarod start in 1966 was taken by Robert Fortuine.
We hope that you enjoy the winter festivals that Alaska has to offer and that you’ll explore their history in the collection!
References for this post:
Bowers, Don. “Booms and Busts: Iditarod Trail History.” Iditarod, https://iditarod.com/booms-and-busts-iditarod-trail-history/. Accessed 20 February 2025.