1. Map of North America

Both Alaska and California are in North America. Canada lies to the east & south of Alaska. To the west of Alaska is the continent of ASIA which includes Russia & Siberia. Alaska is separated from Asia by the Bering Strait, only 50 miles away. Three primary oceans surrounding North America are: o Artic Ocean o Pacific Ocean o Atlantic Ocean The three largest countries in North America are Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.

1

2. THE STATE of Alaska

Alaska is known as “The Land of the Midnight Sun” & “The Last Frontier.” It is the largest state in the United States—over twice the size of Texas! In 1912, U.S. President Taft signed the Act creating the Territory of Alaska In 1959, Alaska became our 49th state. The capital of Alaska is JUNEAU. Alaska’s MT. McKINLEY is the tallest mountain in North America (20,320 feet)! Alaska has more than 3 million lakes. It has 3,000 rivers, & the Yukon River is the longest. In 1867, Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million (about 2¢ an acre!).

2

3. Flag of Alaska

Alaska’s flag was designed by a 7th grade student in 1926. It has 8 gold stars which form a constellation in the shape of a ladle called the “Big Dipper.” It is also called Ursa Major which means, “The Great Bear.”

ALASKA’s STATE SONG

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue – Alaska’s flag. May it mean to you The blue of the sea, the evening sky, The mountain lakes & the flowers nearby; The gold of the early sourdough’s dreams, The precious gold of the hills and streams; The brilliant stars in the northern sky, The “Bear” ---the “Dipper”--- and, shining high, The great North Star with its steady light, Over land and sea a beacon bright. Alaska’s Flag --- to Alaskans dear, The simple flag of a last frontier. ---Marie Drake

3

Early Inhabitants Alaska has many different groups of Native People. The ESKIMOS were the native inhabitants of the seacoast of the Arctic. Nowadays, their own name for themselves is INUIT which means real people. Thousands of these people immigrated to North America thousands of years ago by crossing what most scientists agree had been a “Land Bridge” from Asia (Russia). Now, Alaska & Asia are separated by the Bering Strait – 50 miles. Dogsleds were used by the early inhabitants, until the introduction of snowmobiles, etc. Coastal & inland Eskimos gathered at annual trade fairs to obtain materials for clothing, tools or food. When American explorers & gold prospectors arrived in the north, they quickly learned from the Native Alaskans that sled dog teams were the only way to move goods & people across the frozen land. Their early homes were igloos, but homes were also built using animal skins, sod & driftwood.

4

4. TOTEM POLES

Native Americans in Alaska carved and raised totem poles in front of their houses which celebrated legends and events, using symbols. Totem poles are usually made of cedar or spruce. The raising of a totem pole is a very important ceremony that involves the whole tribe. They carry it to the site and then pull it upright with ropes. The ceremony is accompanied by drumming, singing and dancing. Some of the most notable and beautiful totem poles are in a Ketchikan, Alaska museum.

5

By Mitchell

5. MOOSE

The moose was named Alaska’s official State land mammal in 1998. The moose is one of twelve big game species in Alaska. The moose is the world’s largest member of the deer family. Their color ranges from golden brown to almost black, depending upon the season and the age of the animal. Males can weigh up to 1,600 pounds. They eat large quantities of willow, birch and aspen twigs.

6

7. GRIZZLY BEARS

Grizzly bears can be seen at Alaskan fishing spots when the salmon run upstream in the summer. Dozens of bears may gather to feast on the fish. Much of the Grizzly bear’s diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves and roots. They are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, giving them their name. Grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles an hour. They are dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs!

7

8. POLAR BEAR

The world’s largest predator found on land is the polar bear. An adult male weighs around 1,500 pounds. Their bodies are adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water. They hunt the seals which make up most of their diet. Polar bears are an endangered species. Their threat today is the loss of their icy habitat, due to climate change. Polar bears depend on the sea ice for hunting, breeding and in some cases to den.

8

9. AMERICAN BALD EAGLE

Each fall, more Bald Eagles are found near Haines, Alaska than anywhere else – (nearly 4,000) -- to feed on salmon. In 2007, the Government took the American bald eagle off the Endangered Species List. The American Bald Eagle is AMERICA’S NATIONAL BIRD. The bald eagle is the only eagle unique to North America. About half of the world’s 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Eagles are a member of the same family of birds which include hawks, kites & old-world vultures. They do very well in the northwest coast of North America because of the plentiful salmon.

9

10. QUILTING IN ALASKA

Quilting in Alaska is a very popular, especially when the days are short & the nights are long. Quilting is a creative art form and brings color and art into the home. It brings people together to work on projects, teaching each other new techniques. Sometimes, a quilt has a story to share & one quilt is often made by several people. Alaskan quilt-makers are known for giving comfort by making quilts for the Red Cross, fire departments, hospitals, disaster victims and others. “The Quilt,” by award-winning children’s author, Gary Paulsen, is a book about a six-year-old child who found quiet and peace when he was sent to live with his grandmother in Minnesota. During his stay, he watched the women as they worked together on a quilt.

“The room grew quiet and he looked at the women’s hands gently holding the edges of the quilt. …he knew he was seeing a sweet thing, like when his mother’s face was there looking down on him as he awakened from a nap, or when his grandmother looked at him when she held him.”

10

11. GOLD DISCOVERED IN ALASKA

From the Iditarod Historic Trail VISITOR GUIDE, produced & designed by Alaska Geographic, under BLM Coordinator Kevin Keeler:

“Nine months after the route (Seward to Nome Trail) was surveyed [1908], two prospectors made a ‘Christmas Day Strike’ in the Iditarod Mining District, and the last great rush was on. Between 1910 and 1912, 10,000 gold-seekers came to Alaska’s ‘Inland Empire’ and in the following years worked $30 million worth of gold from the ground.” FOOTNOTE: The largest gold nugget from Alaska was found near Ruby, Alaska in 1998. It weighed 294.10 Troy Ounces, i.e., worth then: $88,230. In the 2008 gold market, this same nugget would have been worth $249,995! Get more information online. Check to see what this nugget would be worth today.

11

12. Map of THE IDITAROD HISTORIC TRAIL

The original mail route from Seward to Nome was 938 miles – by dog sled. This original Iditarod Historic Trail was used as late as the 1940s, when airplanes replaced the sled dog teams for delivering mail. The National Trails Act established the Iditarod National Historic Trail in 1978. Wildlife along the trail includes moose, caribou, brown bear, bison, wolf, dall sheep and many varieties of birds and smaller mammals. The Iditarod Historic Trail was very important during the gold rush days and was used to transport people, mining equipment, supplies and the gold. January 2008 marked the 100th anniversary of the start to open the route from Seward to Nome. It was first scouted in 1908 & completed by crews working in temperatures of -50F in 1910 and 1911.

12

13. THE 1925 SERUM RUN

In the winter of 1925, the town of Nome was hit with diphtheria – a terrible disease – especially for the native Inuit children. They needed serum to save their lives! The Bering Sea was frozen for the winter, airplanes could not fly through the blizzard and no roads or railroads came anywhere close to Nome in 1925. The Serum was rushed by train from Anchorage to Nenana which was as far north as the railroad went in 1925! In Nenana, the serum was picked up by the first dog sled team. Twenty of Alaska’s best mushers took part in this pony express-type relay and carried the serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. The dog teams saved the day! It took the mushers & dog teams less than 5-1/2 days & the serum saved hundred of lives! Two of the most famous lead dogs in this Serum Race were “Togo” and “Balto.”

13

14. SERUM RUN DOG: “TOGO”

“Togo” was a real champion Siberian Husky. He was small—but strong & brave & determined. Togo was one of the most famous lead dogs in the Serum Run. In this race, Togo pulled his team a total of 547 kilometers (km) -- (881 miles)! None of the other teams made more than 85 km (53 miles)! [convert kilometers into miles: 1.61 X miles = km] Togo was raised by Nome’s best Musher, Leonhard Seppala, & they won many races together. Many modern trainers of the best Siberian Huskies trace the lineage of their dogs back to Togo. But, ALL the dogs of the Great Serum Run were heroes in some way, and they were just doing what they were told.

14

15. SERUM RUN DOG: “BALTO”

Balto was the famous lead dog of the team that had the honor of bringing the medicine the last miles into Nome, so he received most of the fame & glory – even though he and his team had not traveled the most miles. Books were written about him, movies were made about him & his statue was placed in Central Park in New York City where it remains today. Balto was raised in the same kennel as Togo, owned by Leonard Seppala, one of the most famous mushers of Alaska.

15

16. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (“The Last Great Race on Earth”) The Iditarod Race is held in honor of the Iditarod National Historic Trail &the memory of the “Great Race of Mercy” (Serum Run of 1925). The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was started to preserve the sled dog & its wonderful history of dog mushing in Alaska & around the world. It is run the 1st week of March each year. Last Year (March 2008) there were 96 teams – each with 1 driver (musher) & 16 dogs. Man and “Man’s Best Friend” must work together like a team & care for each other if they hope to be first to the finish line in Nome. The name Iditarod may be derived from the Native name which means “Distant Place.” The first woman to win the race was LIBBY RIDDLES in 1985, and she won it while braving a blizzard.

16 The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race – Page 2

The youngest person to enter this race was a young man—only 18 years old! The very 1st race was in 1973 & it took the dog teams 20 days to complete the race! (Now, it usually takes from 8 – 12 days.) The race covers close to 1,200 miles from Anchorage to Nome. The race covers jagged mountains, Spruce forests, wind-swept coastlines. And, the teams must deal with falling snow, blizzards, piercing winds & other hazards. There are 26 checkpoints where mushers and their teams must sign in and where dog food & other things have been delivered by volunteer airplane pilots & other helpers. Possible temperature ranges are +45° F and -60°. Dog teams from all over the U.S. enter, as well as various other countries. The Musher must spend lots of time caring for the dogs – feeding them & making sure they are always happy and healthy. The musher & the dogs are a real team – they respect each other! The rules of the race say: “Common sense and good sportsmanship shall prevail.” Moose are the most troublesome hazards on the trail. Around 37 veterinarians tend to the dogs during the race. There are hundreds of volunteers who help during the long race. The winning musher takes home a large cash prize, plus a new pickup truck. Alaskan Malamutes & Siberian Huskies are two of the usual types of dogs that run in the race. In the closest race, the winner and the runner-up were only 1 second apart! The entrants in the race must pay between an estimated $20,000. to $30,000! To help pay the fee, mushers have sponsors who help them. The Winter Olympics is considering adding dog sled racing to the events. The Iditarod Trail is impassable during the spring, summer and fall. Volunteer “Trail Breakers spend considerable time before the race to get the trail in condition.

17

17. LIBBY RIDDLES

Libby Riddles has competed in the Iditarod six times, and then in 1985, she became the first woman to win the Iditarod, & she braved a very bad blizzard to do this! It took her 18 days to get to the finish line.

Libby learned early how to set goals, & she tells young children to become interested in something they really love – something that might then develop into what they do when they grow up. But, to reach these goals & end up happy, children must work very hard in school.

As a child, Libby knew she wanted a life where she could live in the wilderness surrounded by animals. By the time she was 16, her dream had become to move to Alaska. Later, she did move there and fell in love with the wilderness and dog sled racing.

She worked very hard and never gave up until she fulfilled her dreams of dog racing. She had actually lived like an Eskimo in a village near Nome for 6 years & and then won the Iditarod!

She collected & trained huskies for about 2 years and then began to enter dog sled races. In 1980, she ran her first Iditarod, placing 18th out of 60 teams.

She had to save her money & work hard to get her dogs ready for the Iditarod. She took good care of herself by stretching, biking & swimming to get in shape for the Iditarod.

18

18. LANCE MACKEY

Lance Mackey has won the Iditarod 2 times so far -- 2007 and again in 2008! (He is also entered in the 2009 Iditarod.) In 2007, he became the first Musher to win BOTH the Yukon Quest Race & the Iditarod in the same year – a feat that he repeated in 2008! His father Dick and his brother Rick have also been past Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champions! When Lance won the Iditarod in 2007, his Lead Dogs were called Larry & Lippy. He completed this race in 9 days. Lance won the Iditarod again in 2008; and his Lead Dogs this time were Larry & Handsome. He completed this race in 9 days also.

UPDATE! (End of 2009 Iditarod)…. Lance Mackey of Fairbanks won the 2009 Iditarod competition for the third time in a row! It took him 9 days & 21 hours to complete the 1,131-mile race with his team of sled dogs. “They’re SUPERSTARS,” he said of his four- legged team mates. Never before has the Iditarod known a three-time winner who also has four victories in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Only twice before have mushers put together three wins in a row in this race, and those mushers – the late Susan Butcher of Fairbanks and Doug Swingley from Lincoln, Montana – are now legends, along with Lance Mackey -- in the sport.

19

19. A DOG TEAM

Dog sled teams were used by the original native people of Alaska. Sledding was adopted by later immigrants & Americans for hauling freight, delivering mail & some transportation. As railroads, cars, airplanes & snowmobiles arrived in Alaska, sled dogs began to be forgotten. Each team competing in the Iditarod is composed of a driver (also called a MUSHER), 12 – 16 dogs and a whole lot of gear. At the race’s start, there must be between 12 and 16 dogs per entrant & at the race’s end, at least six dogs must be part of the team that crosses the finish line. A dog team is attached to the sled with a series of lines called rigging. This includes the tow line (or gang line), tug lines and neck lines. Each dog wears a collar and a harness & also has a micro chip, in case they get lost.

There are no reins, and the dogs respond to the musher’s vocal commands.

20

20. A DOG SLED

Besides dog sled racing, the purpose of the sled is to carry people & supplies over the snow. The sled weighs about 100 pounds, and twice that once loaded with gear. A sled costs about $1,500. The cargo bed is the portion of the sled designed for carrying the load. The sled bags (baskets) are on top of the bed where gear is carried & a tired dog can rest. Sleds have braking devices to slow or stop the team. They also have a snow hook (like an anchor) to keep the team stopped. The brushbow is the “bumper” of the sled. Mushers stand on footboards on top of the sled’s runners.

21

21. A “MUSHER” (Driver)

A musher is the Driver of the Sled Dog Team and needs strong leg muscles and good balance. When on the trail, the musher must not have any help from another person. Some of the main things that mushers must pack for the race include a sleeping bag, an ax, snowshoes, a cooker, fuel for boiling water, headlamps, batteries, radio, tools, & sled repair parts. Mushers must outfit themselves in attire that will protect them from the harsh elements, including warm boots and eye goggles. Ski poles, a gun, a headlamp and food are among the other supplies carried on the trail. Mushers sleep very little during the race, but there are designated sleeping areas for the mushers at each checkpoint. They must stop for one 24-hour period and two eight-hour rests. Other than that, they push themselves to stay awake.

22 Page 2: A Musher (Driver), by Jack

Team Dog Any dog other than the Lead Dogs, Point Dogs, Swing Dogs & Wheel Dogs Trail! Request for right-of-way on the trail/wants to pass Wheel Dogs Dogs placed directly in front of the sled. Their job is to pull the sled out & Or Wheelers around corners or trees. They are usually the heaviest, strongest. Whoa! Command to halt the team Easy! Command for the dogs to slow down Gangline The main line that the dogs & sled are attached to Point Dogs Means the 2 dogs right behind the Lead Dogs. (Also called Swing Dogs)

MUSHING TERMINOLOGY Musher Person who drives a sled dog team (also Driver) Gee Command for right turn Haw Command for left turn Husky Any northern type dog Lead Dog Dog who runs in front of other dogs & generally the most intelligent and the fastest. Mush – Hike Commands to start the team Rigging All the gear used to attach dogs to a sled Runners The 2 bottom pieces of the sled which come in contact with the snow. Snow Hook Heavy piece of metal attached to sled. It is embedded in the snow to hold the team & sled. Swing Dogs Dogs that run directly behind the lead. His job is to “swing” the team in the turns or curves.

23

22. SLED DOGS

Hard-working sled dogs have been used for thousands of years, & without these hard working sled dogs, the native peoples of the north would not have been able to survive. The dogs that race in the Iditarod are primarily of a mixed breed, called ALASKAN HUSKY, bred for their speed and endurance & weigh around 40 – 45 pounds. The most intelligent and fastest dogs are picked to be LEAD DOGS, and they run in front. Behind them run SWING DOGS, who direct the team around turns & curves. At the back of the team are the WHEEL DOGS who are right in front of the sled and are actually the largest and strongest of the team. The rest of the dogs are simply known as TEAM DOGS. Sled dogs need to eat around 10,000 calories per day & meat is the main ingredient. The dogs are fed at each checkpoint, but they also get snacks every few hours. Before the race, mushers ship food to points along the trail, so it is waiting for them at checkpoints. Gear for dogs includes fabric booties to protect their feet from the ice & snow, and each team may go through 2,000 booties during the race.

24

23. THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

The scientific name for the Northern Lights is “Aurora Borealis.” It was Galileo (an Italian astronomer), in the 15th century, who gave it this name. When our sun throws solar particles into space, Northern Lights appear in some parts of the world, when conditions are right. The solar particles collide with the gases in earth’s atmosphere. The earth’s atmosphere, which acts as a shield, captures the particles, and that energy causes auroras (lights) that move (dance)across the sky. Depending on the altitude, if the conditions are right, you can see different colors dancing across the sky such as red, blue, violet or green. Northern Lights are only visible in certain parts of the world, and Alaska is one of the best sites. For more information on the Northern Lights, check the Science Section of your library or the web site: www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroralForecast/Printer.asp

25

24. MORE INFORMATION ON ALASKA

SUNLIGHT IN ALASKA

Longest Day Shortest Day

June 21 December 21 Sunrise – 3:19 a.m. Sunrise – 12:03 p.m. Sunset – 12:48 a.m. Sunset – 3:57 p.m. 21 hrs. 39 min of sunlight 3 hrs. 54 min. of sunlight

26 Page 2 -- More Information on Alaska, by Dana

On the average: In the winter, it is DARK for 20 hours & LIGHT for 4 hours. In the summer, it is LIGHT for 20 hours & DARK for 4 hours.

Example for SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: February 4, 2009

Sunrise – 7:09 a.m. Sunset – 5:31 p.m. (close to 10-1/2 hours of sunlight)

TEMPERATURES IN ALASKA ALASKA’S AVERAGE TEMPERATURES January 13°F July 56°F February 3°F August 50°F March 11°F September 42°F April 18°F October 22°F May 36°F November 10°F June 51°F December 4°F

SYMBOLS OF ALASKA Animal Moose Bird Willow Ptarmigan Fish King Salmon Flower Forget-Me-Not Gem Jade Marine Mammal Bowhead Whale Mineral Gold Nickname Land of the Midnight Sun Song “Alaska’s Flag” Tree Sitka Spruce

MORE FACTS State Abbreviation AK State Capital Juneau Largest City Anchorage Area 656,425 square miles Population (2006) 670,053 Major Industry Oil (petroleum) Major River Yukon River Highest Point Mt. McKinley (20,320 feet)

27 State Sport Dog Mushing

28