HomeMy WebLinkAbout11182015 Historic Preservation Laydown - Trail Blazer 1....4;t6 POD
Trail Blazer's's , . ,.. i„,
1100 i 'l': • i
ow The Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers overseas the location,
--,4" construction, maintenance and promotion of the Iditarod _4 "' •�
f � National Historic Trail from Seward to Crow Pass. '
fl-P Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers, P Box,. O 1923, Seward AK 99664 ., �MI -
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ETA November 2015
Dues due Wasilla (Machetanz Elementary,
Our membership year runs from September to September. Fingerlake Elementary,Twindley
The dues for the 2015-2016 membership year are now due Bridge Charter School) and
If you have already renewed your membership,thank you. Anchorage (Sand Lake
If you haven't renewed yet, please do so.A membership Elementary, Polaris K-12,
renewal form was enclosed with last month's newsletter Firewood Frontier Charter
November meeting School).
The spring workshop will be
The November meeting will be on Monday, November 16 at held in Nome.
5:30 p.m. in the museum at the Community Library& Museum Iditarod Trail to Every
building at 6/n and Adams. Classroom is a professional
Litter pick-up development program that helps
teachers develop their own place-
: ! Saturday, based curriculum to increase
.,. October 24,was a understanding and appreciation
-' rainy day, but that of the Iditarod National Historic
didn't stop the Trail. These curricula integrate
litter pick-up of hands-on study of the natural and
.0,11".! �., our section of the
";� .. cultural resources of communities
'r Exit Glacier Road,
from Seward to Nome addressing
-; scheduled for that concepts in ecology,sense of
t . -
morning.One of place,civics,outdoor recreation
those picking up and volunteerism.
" * litter was Linda
Sewall,shown above. iTREC! participants in museum.
iTREC! workshop - f... .
The fall workshop for the Iditarod '� Mi_-'' ' 3 _ K.
Trail to Every Classroom (iTREC!) wasIP - j �� I
held in Seward on November 6-8. The t'
workshop included classroom work,
w r i
presentations of proposed projects by
the teachers and fieldtrips.Trail Blazer I i ell . t
members, Lee Poleske and Dan Seavey ' ', .'di .,,,,
11
talked at the workshop on the history of • i I0
the Iditarod Trail and the Iditarod Trail ;:. �� ,
Sled Dog Race. lid a ��' t
Fifteen teachers are in the program2
this year.They are from Nome 0 - It � �`
Elementary,Girdwood School, . • .- .- . ..
From the past... which pile up snow to the top of the fences.The
fences are then removed and placed on top of the
"Iditarod Pioneer" 27 November 1915 headed-up snow,and this process is carried on
PRODUCT OF IDITAROD DISTRICT AND indefinitely.The amount of snow caught is
VICINITY IS NEARY TWO AND A QUARTER astonishing.Some of the artificial drifts last year
MILLION DOLLARS were upward of fifty feet deep,and solidly packed
by the strong winds. This year many thousands of
In charge of three experienced mushers half a feet of lumber have been purchased for use in
million dollars in gold,the results of operations in this manner and the operators expect to pile up
this district since the close of navigation, left for the snow over an enlarged area to a depth of
the Outside via the Seward Trail last Monday. upward of 100 feet.
The bullion was loaded on three sleds, in The snow in these drifts melts slowly in the
charge of Bob Griffis,Jim Haley and J. E. Beattie, summer sun,and furnishes a constant supply of
and the weight of the shipment was sufficient to water for mining operations.
constitute three good loads. There are now many miles of these fences and a
Bob Griffis and Jim Haley have been taking out force of men is kept constantly employed in
the final shipment each year for some years from tending to them.
this camp,but the extraordinary bulk of the
treasure this year necessitated the additional Annual meeting
carrier. The annual membership meeting of the
The output of the Iditarod this season,while it Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance will be held in
was expected to be larger than last season,was a Anchorage on December 2-3.
surprise even to well-informed mining men. The 2nd will be a workshop day for the Board
Gathered from various sources,the figures are and will be held at the Campbell Creek Science
placed at$2,210,000 and these may be taken as Center. The annual membership meeting will be
correct. held on the 3rd at the Millennium Lakefront Hotel,
The total output of the Iditarod district last 4800 Spenard Road.
year was $2,055,390.40.This included shipments
from Ophir,and also from near-by Kuskokwim Purchase anniversary
creeks.The increased product this year is At its December 8th meeting in Anchorage,the
accounted for by the fact it was an exceptionally Alaska Historical Commission will be discussing
wet year,and the miners on the hill claims had how to involve all Alaskans in commemoration of
more water than usual.Then,too, the two the 150th anniversary of the Alaska purchase in
dredges worked almost continuously from 2017.
opening of the season,the interruptions to their The commission will have a grant program
operations being few and unimportant. next year for small research,interpretation and
A big factor in the increased production education projects for the commemoration. If you
however, is the extent to which measures are have an idea or plans for a commemorative
being taken for the conservation of the water activity,contact Jo Antonson,
supply.The building of snow fences has jo.antonson alaska.gav or 907-269-8714
developed into an important feature in the High
operation of the placers at the head of Flat creek,
Chicken creek, Happy creek and adjoining tides
streams,and to such an extent is this practice There y 4.
carried on that already there have been cashes of were some '`
conflicting interests in the location of these aids very high
to placer mining.Someone facetiously remarked tides the
that soon the legislature would be called upon to last week of
pass laws for the staking of snow fence rights on October in
the same principle as that involved in the Seward,
appropriation of water rights on streams. which
The method employed is build a long line of covered a
fences on the tops and sides of the hills,where small part of the Iditarod Trail by the tidal pool
the exposed position is swept by strong winds, just south of Scheffler Creek.