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Tag Archives: Nenana
Togo’s Serum Run
As the worldwide fight against the coronavirus goes on we are reminded almost daily that pandemics and epidemics have happened before, and we have struggled through them with far fewer resources and much less medical and scientific knowledge than we have now. That is a very real comfort, and lends a bit of perspective to what we are facing. One such epidemic was a deadly diphtheria outbreak which raged across Alaska almost 100 years ago. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, News & Information, Sled Dog History
Tagged Bering Sea, Bluff Roadhouse, Dexter Roadhouse, diphtheria, Dr. Curtis Welch, Elizabeth Ricker, Golovin, Governor Bone, Iditarod Trail, Isaac's Point, Kaltag, Leonhard Seppala, Manley Roadhouse, Minto Roadhouse, Nenana, Nome, Nulato, Olson Roadhouse, Port Safety Roadhouse, Scott Bone, Seppala, Serum Run, Shaktoolik, Siberian huskies, Solomon Roadhouse, The Cruelest Miles, Togo, Tolovana Roadhouse, Unalakleet, Unlakleet
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Sled Dog Movies
Last year, 2018, was noted by the Chinese calendar’s zodiac as being the Year of the Dog, but this year, 2019, seems to be the Year of the Sled Dog, as film after film featuring heroic sled dogs is released to movie theaters and home streaming services. There are two movies about the great Serum Run to Nome during the 1925 diphtheria epidemic, one focusing on the champion musher Leonhard Seppala, and the other on his favorite lead dog, Togo. One is an independent production, the other is from the powerhouse film company Disney Studios, but both are absorbing stories, beautifully filmed. Another champion musher, the sprint racing legend George Attla, is the subject of a new PBS documentary, and one of the greatest dog stories of all time is brought to life by a great film legend, Harrison Ford. Pass the popcorn! Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, Movies, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Videos
Tagged Attla, Brian Presley, Disney, George Attla, Harrison Ford, Huslia, Joe Bifelt, Leonhard Seppala, Nenana, Nome, Serum Run, Siberian huskies, sled dogs, The Call of the Wild, The Great Alaskan Race, Togo
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The Ascent of Denali
Hudson Stuck (1865–1920), known as the Archdeacon of the Yukon and the Arctic, was an Episcopal priest, social reformer, and mountain climber in the territory of Alaska who co-led the first expedition to successfully climb Denali (Mount McKinley) in June, 1913. He wrote a book based on the climb, The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley): A Narrative of the First Complete Ascent of the Highest Peak in North America, which was published in February, 1914 by Charles Scribers Sons, New York. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Explorers, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History
Tagged Alaska and the Klondike, Denali, Esaias George, Frances Welles, Harry Karstens, Hudson Stuck, Johnny Fredson, Kantishna, Mount McKinley, Mt. McKinley, Nenana, Peter Trimble Rowe, Robert Tatum, SS Princess Sophia, Ten Thousand Miles with a Dogsled, The Ascent of Denali, Voyages on the Yukon, Walter Harper
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Alaska Railroad 1902-1923
This 400-page book is a wide-ranging look at the many ways in which the railroad played a major role in Alaska’s growth and development. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Book Reviews, Books
Tagged Alaska Central Railroad, Alaska Railroad, Anchorage, coal mining, Fairbanks, Golden Spike, Guggenheim, Hurricane Gulch, monopoly, Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, Nenana, Palmer, Seward, steamboats, Talkeetna, Turnagain Arm, Wasilla
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Icebound
The documentary ‘Icebound’ is the story of the 1925 Serum Run, a heroic testament to the human spirit, and to the dogs of the far north. But beyond the legend lies a complex tale, filled with irony, tragedy, and myth. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Sled Dog History
Tagged Daniel Anker, diphtheria, dog teams, epidemic, Icebound, Leonhard Seppala, Nenana, Nome, Serum Run, sled dogs, Togo, Wild Bill Shannon
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Alaska Nellie
Nellie Neal Lawing, familiar to Alaskans as “Alaska Nellie,” lived a life much larger than most, even by Alaskan standards. She was a fisherman, a hunter, a trapper, a cook and a roadhouse keeper; she fed the crews building the Alaska Railroad, welcomed princes and presidents into her home, guided big game hunters and developed an impressive trophy collection of her own. She mushed a dog team, kept a pet bear cub, became famous for her strawberry pies, and saw a movie made about her adventures. She was one of a kind, an Alaskan original, and she lived life to the fullest. Continue reading
Alaska’s Coal History
Alaska’s railroad history has been interwoven with Alaska’s coal resources almost from the beginning, and the black rock has driven the development of the Alaska Railroad since the days of its smaller predecessors. Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Books, News & Information
Tagged Alaska Coal Act, Alaska Engineering Commission, Alaska Railroad, Ballinger-Pinchot Affair, Bering River, Cap Lathrop, Chickaloon, coal, Copper River & Northwestern, CR&NW, Evan Jones, federal coal claims, Gifford Pinchot, Healy, Homer Pennock, Jonesville Coal, Kenai, Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, Nenana, Republican Party split, Richard A. Ballinger, Sutton, Usibelli
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The Alaska Railroad 1902-1923
The Alaska Railroad: 1902-1923 , subtitled Blazing an Iron Trail Across The Last Frontier, shares the compelling story of the construction of the Alaska Railroad and its predecessors, from 1902, when John Ballaine built the Alaska Central Railroad; through 1923, … Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Books, News & Information
Tagged A.E.C., AEC, Alaska, Alaska Central Railroad, Alaska Northern Railroad, Alaska Railroad, Alaskan Engineering Commission, Anchorage, ARR, Denali, Fairbanks, Golden Spike, Helen Hegener, Nenana, President Harding, Seward, Tanana Valley Railroad
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Dog Team Doctor
In 1896 Dr. Joseph H. Romig traveled to Bethel, Alaska, and opened the first doctor’s office and hospital west of Sitka, at a time when there were very few non-native people living in remote southwest Alaska. Four decades later a … Continue reading
Leonhard Seppala’s Serum Run
The 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the Great Race of Mercy, was a 675 mile dog team relay of diphtheria antitoxin across the U.S. territory of Alaska, accomplished by 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs in … Continue reading
Posted in Alaska History
Tagged Bering Sea, Bluff Roadhouse, Dexter Roadhouse, diphtheria, Dr. Curtis Welch, Elizabeth Ricker, Golovin, Governor Bone, Iditarod Trail, Isaac's Point, Kaltag, Leonhard Seppala, Manley Roadhouse, Minto Roadhouse, Nenana, Nome, Nulato, Olson Roadhouse, Port Safety Roadhouse, Seppala, Serum Run, Shaktoolik, Siberian huskies, Solomon Roadhouse, The Cruelest Miles, Togo, Tolovana Roadhouse, Unalakleet, Unlakleet
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