HomeMy WebLinkAbout10192018 City Council Laydown - Pamphlet Walk the First Mile of the Iditarod TrailThe Iditarod Trail
The history of the Iditarod Trail
began in 19o8, when the Alaska Road
Commission sent a party to survey a
winter mail trail from Seward to Nome.
The Commission was established by
Congress in 1905 to build roads and
trails in Alaska.
The discovery of gold in the Iditarod
District on Christmas Day 19o8 led to
the last great gold rush in Alaska.
Because of increased traffic over the
trail from Seward to the Iditarod
District, the Road Commission
provided for the improvement of the
condition, alignment and marking of the
trail from Seward to Nome in t9io-ii.
Thousands of people and tons of
supplies, mail and gold went over the
trail until the late 1920s when mining
declined and the airplane replaced the
dog team.
In 1978 Congress designated the
Iditarod Trail from Seward to Nome as
the first National Historic Trail.
The 'frail For All Seasons
Seward Iditarod "frail Blazers
The Trail Blazers oversees the location,
construction, maintenance and promotion
of the Iditarod National Historic Trail from
Seward to Girdwood.
Over the years,
the Alaska Railroad
and the Seward
Highway overlaid
parts of the original
trail between Seward
and Girdwood. The
main goal of the Seward Iditarod Trail
Blazers is to reestablish a continuous
alternative trail between Seward and
Girdwood. With help from the Chugach
National Forest much has been done, but
there are still gaps in the trail that need to
be completed.
Membership information at:
Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers
PO Box 11923, Seward AK 99664
sitblazers@gmail.com
Iditarod IlisforicTrail Alliance
The Alliance promotes public awareness
of the Iditarod National Historic Trail from
Seward to Nome and its gold rush and
Alaska Native Heritage by encouraging
education programs, historical research and
assisting in the protection, improvement
and marking of the trail.
Membership information at:
Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance
PO Box 2323, Seward AK 99664
IditarodHTA@gmail.com
s'p G wvt-� C, r, 'o t d
WALK THE FIRST
MILE OF THE
IDITAROD NATIONAL
HISTORIC TRAIL
IN SEWARD, ALASKA
The First Mile of the Iditarod National Historic Trail
A. Trail Blazers
Alaska
Sealife Center
•
Enjoy the magnificent scenery along the trail and the interpretive signs about the
flora, fauna and history of the Seward area. Special points of interest include:
A. Trail Blazers statue, erected in 2012 by the Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers, commemorates Seward's
important role in the history of the Iditarod Trail.
B. Historic Alaska Railroad Depot and Hoben Park. The depot, built in 1917 at the foot of Adams Street,
was moved next to Hoben Park in 1928. It served as the Alaska Railroad Depot until the 1964 Alaska Earthquake.
C. Jujiro Wada statue, erected in 2016 by the Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers, honors this Iditarod Trail pioneer.
D. The Founders' Monument commemorates the founding of Seward in 1903.
E. The Mile Zero sign of the Iditarod National Historic Trail from Seward to Nome.
F. Remains of the 800 foot U. S. Army dock built in 1943 and destroyed by the 1964 Alaska Earthquake.
G. Japanese Gazebo, a gift from Seward's sister city Obihiro, Japan, is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the beauty
of Resurrection Bay, and to think about the mail carriers and prospectors leaving Seward for the long trip to Iditarod.
H. Scheffler Creek Bridge overlooks a popular fishing and wildlife viewing area.
I. Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center. Stamp your National Park Passport here with an Iditarod Trail
Mile 0 stamp and in the space below.*
* To learn more about the Iditarod Trail, visit the Seward Comunity Library and Museum at 239 Sixth Avenue.
First Mile Iditarod National Historic Trail
D St Van Buren St
A Fourth Avenue
I
B H
Library & Museum
C
NORTH )-
,a
Ballaine Boulevard Seward Boat Harbor
D
%E G
F
Resurrection Bay Resurrection Bay
• National Historic Trail
Mile 0
S—d. Alaska
r 1
Alaska
Railroad
Depot
•
C. Jujiro Wada
E. Mile Zero
G. Japanese Gazebo
H. Scheffler Creek Bridge
I. Mile 0 Stamp