Iditarod National Historic Trail History

Once used by ancient native hunters, then by Russian explorers and early 20th century gold seekers, the Iditarod Trail is actually a network of more than 2,300 miles of trails. The trail takes its name from the Athabascan Indian village near the site of a 1908 gold discovery. By 1910 a gold rush town flourished and for a time was the center of the Iditarod Mining District. Shown left is First Avenue in the town of Iditarod in 1911.


Trails formerly used for trade and commerce by Ingalik and Tanaina Indians and Russian fur traders were improved by and for the miners. Starting at the ice free port of Seward, prospectors entering the territory trekked through heavily forested lands which are now a part of the Chugach National Forest following news of each new strike. Gold seekers often bought provisions in Seward or the town of Knik as a prelude to sledding, hiking or snowshoeing across the Alaska range en route to the various mining districts. Shown right, express dog teams from Iditarod arrive in Seward around 1910.

Other adventurers started their travels in Nome after arriving by steamboat. Many prospectors worked the beaches of Nome panning for gold for a time before moving south. The two ends of the trail developed toward the center eventually meeting at the Iditarod Mining District. At left, Nome beach miners and their tents extending along the beach for a distance of 20 miles ca. 1899. 

The trail was officially surveyed by the U.S. Army's Alaska Road Commission in 1908 and dubbed the Seward to Nome Mail Trail. The survey party of the Goodwin expedition around 1911 is shown right.

The trail was heavily used until 1924 when the airplane came into common use. At left, Alaska's first airmail flight from Fairbanks to McGrath; February 1924.

In 1925, the dog team and driver recaptured the attention of the nation in a dramatic episode of courage and stamina. A diphtheria epidemic threatened the town of Nome, which was low on serum to inoculate the community. Plans to send the serum by airplane were thwarted by weather. A relay of dog teams was instead dispatched from the town of Nenana to carry the serum down the Tanana and Yukon rivers to the Iditarod Trail. Twenty mushers carried the serum 674 miles in 127 hours. The mushers and dog teams became heroes. President Coolidge sent medals, and lead dogs of the teams were immortalized in statues across the country. Shown right is lead dog, Togo, and all his awards. The era of the sled dog and the Iditarod Trail went out in a blaze of glory.

The Iditarod Trail was forgotten for more than forty years until the 1960s when interest in sled dog racing was renewed. In 1967, the first Iditarod race was staged between Knik and Big Lake on nine miles of the old Iditarod Trail. In 1973, the race was run between Anchorage and Nome. Since then, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has come to be known internationally as the "Last Great Race." Shown left, modern Iditarod racer near Rohn 1997.

 Learn more about the history of the Iditarod Trail.

Who to Contact:	Telephone:	EMail:
Kevin Keeler, Iditarod National  Historic Trail Administrator	(907) 267-1207	kkeeler@ak.blm.gov