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The Iditarod Sled Dog Race: The Last Great Race's History

Now, we all know, that the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is held in the trail of Balto. But what happened after that? Well, here is the history of the sled dog race. This is what the Official Iditarod website said about the history after the Balto. I have put something in the first line, and it is in bold so you know that I wrote it, but thats all. Enjoy reading!

'Iditarod History
The Beginning
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race first ran to Nome in 1973, (thats quite a while after Balto, but in that time a lot happened. A year later, Balto's statue was built, then Balto was 'on tour' i guess you could call it, and soon he went to Cleveland. So Balto is no longer alive unluckily, when the first Iditarod was held) after two short races on part of the Iditarod Trail in 1967 and 1969. The idea of having a race over the Iditarod Trail was conceived by the late Dorothy G. Page. In 1964, Page was chairman of the Wasilla-Knik Centennial and was working on projects to celebrate Alaska’s Centennial Year in 1967.

She was intrigued that dog teams could travel over land that was not accessible by automobile. In the early 1920's, settlers had come to Alaska following a gold strike. They traveled by boat to the coastal towns of Seward and Knik and from there, by land into the gold fields. The trail they used is today known as The Iditarod Trail, one of the National Historic Trails as so designated by the Congress of the United States. In the winter, their only means of travel was by dog team.

The Iditarod Trail soon became the major “thoroughfare” through Alaska. Mail was carried across this trail, people used the trail to get from place to place and supplies were transported via the Iditarod Trail. Priests, ministers and judges traveled between villages via dog team.

All too soon the gold mining began to slack off. People began to go back to where they had come from and suddenly there was less travel on the Iditarod Trail. The use of the airplane in the late 1920’s signaled the beginning of the end for the dog team as a standard mode of transportation, and of course with the airplane carrying the mail, there was less need for land travel. The final blow to the use of the dog team came with the appearance of snowmobiles in Alaska.

By the mid 60's, most people in Alaska didn’t even know there was an Iditarod Trail or that dog teams had played a very important part in Alaska’s early settlement. Dorothy G. Page, a resident of Wasilla and self-made historian, recognized the importance of an awareness of the use of sled dogs as working animals and of the Iditarod Trail and the important part it played in Alaska’s colorful history.

She presented the possibility of a race over the Iditarod Trail to an enthusiastic Joe Redington, Sr., a musher from the Knik area. Soon the Pages and the Redingtons began promoting the idea of the Iditarod Race to the extent that Joe and Vi Redington moved to the Knik area from their homestead at Flat Horn Lake and they have never moved back. (Flat Horn Lake is approximately 30 miles out of Knik.)

The Aurora Dog Mushers Club, along with men from the Adult Camp in Sutton helped clear years of over-growth from the first nine miles of the Iditarod Trail in time to put on the first short Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1967. A $25,000 purse was offered in that race, with Joe and Vi Redington donating one acre of their land at Flat Horn Lake adjacent to the Iditarod Trail to help raise the funds. (The land was subdivided into one square foot lots and sold with a deed and special certificate of ownership, raising $10,000 toward the purse.) Contestants from all over Alaska and even two contestants from Massachusetts entered that first Iditarod Race, but a newcomer, Isaac Okleasik, from Teller, Alaska, won the race with his team of large working dogs. The short race (approximately 27 miles) was put on again in 1969.

The goal was to have the race go all the way to the ghost town of Iditarod in 1973. However, in 1972, the US Army reopened the trail as a winter exercise and in 1973, the decision was made to take the race the 1,000 plus miles to Nome. Redington and Page were instrumental in getting the first long Iditarod on its way to Nome in 1973, amidst comments that it couldn’t be done. There were many who believed it was crazy to send a bunch of mushers out into the vast uninhabited Alaskan wilderness. But the race went! Twenty-two mushers finished that year and to date, there have been over 400 finishers. Mushers have come from Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Japan, Austria, Australia, Sweden and the Soviet Union as well as from about 20 different states in this country.

The late Dorothy G. Page, the “mother of the Iditarod” is quoted in the October 1979 issue of the Iditarod Runner on her intent for the Iditarod: “ To keep the spirit of the Iditarod the same. I don’t ever want to see high pressure people getting in and changing the spirit of the race. We brought the sled dog back and increased the number of mushers. It is really an Alaskan event. I think the fact that it starts in Anchorage and then ends in Nome has opened up a whole new area for people in Alaska. I think they appreciate that. It puts them in touch with the pioneer spirit." '

Now, if you are wondering, what is the point on this? It is meant to be on the true story! Well, what i am doing is investigating and researching on this Official Site and others, to find out what they say about the Iditarod (Balto's history!) It wasn't actully that easy to find about Balto on the official site. I want to see if the site really does have it! Because if not, thats an outrage! But, i did find some other interesting stuff, and i found a whole piece devoted to Togo! Here it is below in their exact words:

Togo (The Real Story)
Togo was rather a small dog, but he had a huge heart.

Togo was owned by Leonhard Seppala and was famous on the sled dog racing circuit. He was 12 years old when he lead Seppala’s team in the 1925 Serum Run. Balto became famous during that race because he was the lead dog on the team that mushed into Nome. However, Togo lead his team over more miles of the trail than any other leader and team. Shortly before his death, Togo finally got his recognition at Madison Square Garden in New York City in front of 20,000 spectators. Togo died in Maine in 1929 at the age of 16.

That piece there was all i found on the real history. Balto was slightly mentioned, but it is all on Togo! I know Togo did most of the miles, but they are forgetting all the heroic stuff Balto did. He was most famous, because he lead the team home, even though Gunner Kassen coudln't find his way back. Also, he was the last dog to come into Nome, so that is true. But don't you think they should have a little more than that for the part on Balto and Togo? Its very small. But it's still good that there was so info, but it was in this section of the site http://www.iditarod.com/2-1-3.html a section called legends? But anyway, i am a little disappointed at the amount they put in on Balto and Togo, but at least they do have some. I was getting worried that they wouldn't have anything at all! But i also found out, that there is a tradition called the "Red Lantern" which is when the Red Lantern is awarded to the musher who comes in last, for keeping on the trail and not quiting even though they were last. Could this "Red Lantern" have anything to do with Balto's story? Well, i know from the movie, that there was a red lantern that could switched on when Balto lead the team into Nome, and there most likely was an actual Red Lantern in the real story. So could this represent Balto a little bit? For when he didn't give up and led the team back? Anway, please tell me what you think of this, and you have found any more info, please tell it here! I would be delighted to know!

oh, last but not least! Here is the official website for you to check out! It's a good site, even though there isn't much on Balto. Have fun!
http://www.iditarod.com/

Very good addition, Highland! Look at that...you're becoming a history buff!

thank you! ^^ It's my first so it isn't very good and isn't too much to do with history, but i will make some better ones i hope in the future! Just thought i should make a point about it! Its a good site though, even though they only mention Balto and Togo in a tiny paragraph

Hmm, they should definately include Balto, Togo, Fritz and all the others much more, after all, it was the relay that they ran that started the Iditarod dog-sled race in the first place.

i agree! It was Balto, Togo, Fritz ect. that started the whole Iditarod race! They should get a little more credit for that on the site. I've never been to the Iditarod museum, but hopefully they would have more on Balto there, i hear that Togo is in some Iditarod building (his stuffed body that is)

I just posted some info on the "mount" thread...and have e-mailed the Iditarod Trail Museum to settle the question of exactly which building Togo's mount currently is displayed in.

Keep in mind, gang, that the Iditarod exists as much to commemorate the Great Serum Run as it does to keep interest in dog sledding and dog sled racing alive. It honors ALL the dogs and mushers of that time, without necessarily singling out any specific dog or musher (even though it would be the rare musher indeed who didn't know the history of the Great Serum Run, or at least some of it. Most are quite passionate about it).

Besides, the Iditarod doesn't even follow the original Serum Run route. It follows, more or less, the original Iditarod Trail...which was an overland footpath for those wishing to enter the remote north. And it's southern route (as there is a point where it splits into two routes...a northerly and a southerly route) passes through the old town of Iditarod.

The original Serum Run route was almost due west (with some necessary turns and detours across mountains and rough terrain) from Nenana, a suburb of Fairbanks, to Nome. The Iditarod Trail, conversely, runs northwest from Wasilla to Nome.

yea, the Iditarod is the most famous Sled Dog Race, and your right, every musher should know about the 1925 Serum Run. There is actully a musher up here in Scotland! Believe it or not, he lives quite close to me actully. And if you think, well there isn't any snow, they dont use sleds, they use a station thing on wheels through a forest. He also has loads of huskies and you can see them from the road, so we often go by there when traveling cause i love to see them! There is also a very popular Sled Dog Race in a place called Avimore. You can make trips there and visit the kennels, take a trip on the sled and help set up the team! I am going there before summer ends and i can't wait! But anyway, when i do, i should ask them about the Serum Run and if they have heard of it, and the same with the other musher cause i am gonna visit his races next year.


good for you! I do think he is in the museum, but we will find out soon

Weeeeell, I'm quite sure that ol' Scotland gets quite snowy at certain times of the year! LOL!

Heck...there are mushers all over the world! If you follow the various internet sites, you'll find mushers in the most unlikely of places...like Australia! Yep...there are mushers (with Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes...and probably Chinook dogs too) with wheel sleds even in warm climates!

well, some places get more snow than others, but this year, in January, we had piles and piles of snow! In fact we got a whole week and more off school just because the roads were so bad! I love the snow! It's the greatest thing ever, i hope we get as much snow up where i live again! But anyway, little off topic there!

Cool about all those mushers, I think Australia sounds a little crazy though! Not saying your lying or anything, just think its a crazy place to have a sled dog team!

yeah they better have balto togo and the others because they like kida invented the idiorad race balto should not be forggoten