Iditarod National Historic Trail marker
Object Details
- Description (Brief)
- White plastic, triangular shaped trail marker sign with a yellow center with a sled dog pulling a sled in blue, "Iditarod [/] National Historic Trail." This was collected by the donor, Jen Reiter while a volunteer at the race. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race begins on the first weekend in March with the Saturday ceremonial start held in Anchorage, Alaska. Each musher escorts a rider in his sled that has bid for the spot. These are known as Iditiriders and every musher escorts these riders eleven miles through downtown Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip. Sunday is the official “re-start” of the race and all mushers gather at Willow, Alaska about 50 miles northwest of Anchorage where the race begins on the frozen lake. There have only been two instances since the race began that the re-start has taken place in Fairbanks due to poor trail conditions or lack of snow in the Alaska Range.
- The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is an extreme sports challenge that tests the skill and endurance of competitors while celebrating Alaska’s sled dog culture and history. Teams of 12 to 16 dogs, primarily Alaskan Huskies, and their musher experience harsh terrain and weather conditions during the 1,150 mile run from Anchorage to Nome. In its modern iteration as an extreme sport, the Iditarod takes an intense physical toll not only on the human competitors but also on the sled dogs. The race follows a large network of Native trade and travel routes which travelers used when gold was discovered in the isolated town of Iditarod. This discovery led to a “rush” of miners and settlers from across the country, transforming the trail into the region’s main mail and supply route. The area’s harsh winter conditions made sled dog teams the main source of transportation along the Iditarod Trail and it is this rich history which the Iditarod race celebrates today. In 1978 Congress designated the 2300 mile Iditarod Trail as a National Historic Trail recognizing its importance in the shaping of America. Through its beginnings as a regional story, the Iditarod provides us the opportunity to explore the American Experience through the origins of the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the transformation of the Alaskan sled dog culture into an international sport. The Iditarod is now the largest and most prominent sled dog race in the world, attracting international competitors and world-wide media attention.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- 2015
- ID Number
- 2016.0008.04
- accession number
- 2016.0008
- catalog number
- 2016.0008.04
- collected by
- Reiter, Jennifer
- Object Name
- trail marker, sled dog racing
- Physical Description
- plastic (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 9 in x 8 1/2 in; 22.86 cm x 21.59 cm
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
- web subject
- Sports
- name of sport
- Dog Sled racing
- level of sport
- Professional
- related event
- Iditarod Sled Dog Race
- Record ID
- nmah_1804141
