The Iditarod National Historic Trail Comprehensive Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The GJditarod National GfIistoric Trail Seward to GNome GRoute c..A Comprehensive UVIanagement GPlan March 1986 Prepared By: Bureau of Land Management Anchorage District Office Anchorage, Alaska ~TABLE OF CONTENTS~ Iditarod National Historic Trail Comprehensive Management Plan INTRODUCTION I. PROJECT BACKGROUND .............................•......................... J A. National Trails System Act ........................................•.•........ 3 B. Alaska Gold Rush Trails Study. ................................................. 3 C. Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. ............................................... .. 3 D. National Historic Trails. ..................................................... It E. Comprehensive Management Plan 5 F. Advisory Council ...........................................................5 G. Management Goals .........................................................6 H. Management Objectives. ................................................... .. 6 II. HISTORIC OVERVIEW. ......................................................... .11 III. REGIONAL PROFILE 35 A. Seward to Rainy Pass ....................................................... .35 B. Rainy Pass to Kaltag ....................................................... .39 C. Kaltag to Nome Itlt iii IV. SIGNIFICANT SITES AND SEGMENTS .........................•••.................. .51 A. Primary Route and Connecting Trails. ....................·....·.................. 52 B. Resource Inventories ..................................................... .... 52 1. Historic (Gold Rush Era) Resources .....................•.......•............ .52 2. Pre-Gold Rush Era Resources 52 3. Natural (Scenic) Resources .........................................•...... 53 if. Outdoor Recreation Resources ......................•.•..................... 55 C. Management Categories .55 1. Active and Minimum Management of Segments.................•.................55 2. Recommended Man8rgement Levels for Historic Sites .......................•.......55 3. National Register of Historic Places ............................•.............57 D. Secretary's Interim Criteria for Inclusion of Non-Federal Sites and Segments into the INHT System 60 V. MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. .........................••.•.......•......... .. 65 A. Cooperative Management System.........................•••.......•.•.....•....65 1. Management Philosophy 65 2. Secretary's }\dministrative Responsibilities.................•..•.....•••......••65 3. Management Roles and Responsibilities....................•.. ; ..•.....•....... 66 if. Cooperative Agreements :76 B. Trail Management Guidelines...........................•..•...•.•..•....•.•.' .. 76 1. Protection Options for Trail Segments....................•••.....•.....••.•••. 77 iv 2. Trail Corridor Guidelines. .........................•.....•...•.......•.....79 3. Uniform Trail Markers...........................•••.........•............ 80 If. Trail Marking Standards..........................•........................ 81 5. Maintenance........................................................... 82 6. Construction 82 7. Off-Road Vehicle Use ............................••...................•.. 82 8. Commercial/Competitive Activities. ....................••...........•.•... .. 83 9. Mining............................................................... 83 10. Wildfire/Prescription Burning 81f C. Information/Interpretation ........................................••.....•... .8lf D. Research Opportunities ....................................•................. .8lf 1. Comprehensive History...........................................••...... .8lf 2. Oral History Documentation ....................................•.......... 85 3. Archeological Research ...........................•..•.......•............ 85 If. Preservation of Historical Photographs, Maps, and Documents 86 5. Historical!Archit~ctural Research......................•...•..••.••..•••...•.86 E. Segment Management Opportunities ............................•.••..•.•..•....• 86 1. The Primary Route (Goodwin's 1910-11 Route).................••................86 2. Connecting Trails 92 VI. APPENDICES 99 1. Iditarod National Historic Trail Advisory Council. 99 v 2. Public Involvement Record...........................••.......•...••....•.... 100 3. Historic/Pre-Gold Rush Sites ..........................•.......................103 if. Sites on the National Register of Historic Places in the Proximity of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. ....................•.....•..•...•. ~ •.... •. 125 5a. Site Management Opportunities - Primary Route....................•.••.•....•..... 130 5b. Site Management Opportunities - Connecting Trails. ...............•................. 139 6. Information/Interpretation Opportunities ....................•.....•........•.•... 11f3 7. Determination of "No Effect" Correspondence...................••..............••• 157 vi ~G)LIST OF MAPS(C?~ ~G)LIST OF TABLES~ Map 1 Iditarod Trail System ...... Inside Cover Table 1 Community Profiles - Seward to Rainy Pass ................. 38 Map 2 Map of Alaska - Alaska Railroad Commission (1916) ..•.• .. 10 Table 2 Community Profiles - Rainy Pass to Kaltag .........•......... If3 Map 3 Primary Route and Connecting Trails - Seward to Rainy Pass. ..........•....•• 37 Table 3 Community Profiles - Kaltag to Nome '+7 Map If Primary Route and Connecting Trails Rainy Pass to Kaltag Table If Primary and Connecting Routes. ......•. .. 51f (Southern portion). ..........•.....• .• If1 Table 5 Level 1 Historic Sites. ............... .. 58 Map 5 Primary Route and Connecting Trails Rainy Pass to Kaltag Table 6 Level 2 Historic Sites. ............... .. 59 (Northern portion). ...........•..... .. 1f2 Table 7 Management Opportunities - Map 6 Primary Route and Connecting Trails - Primary Route. ..................... 90 Kaltag to Nome............•....•.... '+6 Table 8 Management Opportunities - Map 7 Generalized Land Status- Connecting Trails. ................. .. 91 Seward to Rainy Pass.........•..••.... 67 Map 8 Generalized Land Status Rainy Pass to Kaltag (Southern portion). .........•••..•.. •• 69 Map 9 Generalized Land Status Rainy Pass to Kaltag (Northern portion). ................. .. 71 Map 10 Generalized Land Status - Kaltag to Nome. ................. ... 73 vii University of Oregon Library..........••••••.•. Cover University of Oregon Library..........•••...•..•• 18 BLM Photo. .............................. .. 1 Glenbow Archive:;, Calgary, Alberta......••.•...•.• 18 Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta. ......•...•.• .• 9 One Man's Gold Rush by Murray Morgan, University of Washington Press..........•••••••. 19 Alaska and Its Resources by William Dall, Boston Lee and Shepard. 1870.........••..•••.•• 11 Rich Pay Struck in the Iditarod Fairbanks Weekly Times, February 24-, 1910 .•..•... 20 Alaska and Its Resources by William Dall, Boston Lee and Shepard. 1870.........••••.••••. 12 Over Three Hundred Stampeders Leave Fairbanks Weekly Times, June 1, 1910....•••..•... 20 Alaska and Its Resources by William Dall, Boston Lee and Shepard. 1870.........•.•.••...• 13 More Iditarod News Worth Considering Nome Daily Nugget, June 24-, 1910.......•..••••. 20 Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum B71.71.26 ...................•...•••••••.•• 14- Another Shooting Affair in Iditarod Fairbanks Weekly Times, April 13, 1910....•..••.. 20 1898 newspaper advertisement. ...........•.•.•••• 15 University of Oregon Library..........•.......•.. 21 University of Arizona ............••••.••••.•.. 16 Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta.......•..••..•. 21 Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum B67.1.150 ..................•..•..........• 17 University of Oregon Library..........•.......... 21 viii Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta.......•..•.•.•. 22 Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta 33 University of Oregon Library.........••.......... 23 BLM Photo ...................•........... .. lf9 Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta.......•........ 63 B7lf.16.28 • •••••••••.......••••••••••••••• •2lf Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta. ......••...• •. 97 Glenbow i\rchives, Calgary, Alberta 25 Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta...........•...•26 Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta......•......... 26 Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum B81.19.2...................••.•...•••• , .•. 28 Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum B71.71.28 ................••...•.....•.•••. 29 One Man's Gold Rush by Murray Morgan, University of Washington Press 30 Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum B74.16.36 ..•...........................•.. 30 ix ~@ INTRODUCTION (j)/b, IDITAROD is a magical word not only in Alaska, but also in Rush Period in Interior Alaska from the 1880's into the the Nation and in many other parts of the world. It is a word 1920's, with some based on even earlier Indian trails. In that raises different images and emotions in different addition to the trails used during this period, other routes people. To the oldest i-\laskan Natives, it recalls the used yearly in the IDITAROD TRAIL SLED DOG RACE are approximate name of a 19th century Athabaskan Indian also part of this Trail system. Collectively, these trail village on a small river now also called Iditarod. To segnlents and associated historic sites make up what is "Sourdoughs" and others familiar with the State's history, referred to as the IDITAROD NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL IDITAROD refers to the now-abandoned Gold Rush town of SYSTEM. the 1910's and its associated mining district in Southcentral