Sunday, March 8, 2015 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner M11 IDITAROD 2015 The Iditarod trail CHECKPOINT DISTANCES Fairbanks to Nenana 60 miles Nenana to Manley 90 miles Manley to Tanana 66 miles Tanana to Ruby 119miles Ruby to Galena 50 miles Galena to Huslia 82 miles Huslia to Koyukuk 86 miles Koyukuk to Nulato 22 miles Nulato to Kaltag 47 miles Kaltag to Unalakleet 85 miles to 40 miles ushers and dog teams in this year’s Unalakleet Shaktoolik MIditarod will be passing through some of the remot- Shaktoolik to Koyuk 50 miles est communities in Alaska. They’ll be seeing com- Koyuk to Elim 48 miles munities rich in Alaska history and Alaska Native culture. Elim to White Mountain 46 miles Below is some basic information about each of these check- White Mountain to Safety 55 miles points, with an emphasis on those communities called into Safety to Nome 22 miles service for this year’s unusual Iditarod reroute. CHECKPOINT SNAPSHOTS FAIRBANKS: Iditarod racers will established around 1867, a trading leaving Shaktoolik, population start in Fairbanks for the second post around 1880, and a gold rush 258, mushers must travel onto the time in the race’s 43-year history struck between 1884-85. Measles ice of Norton Bay, a treacherous this year. Fairbanks also hosted and food shortages reduced section of trail. Shaktoolik became the Iditarod restart in 2003. The the traditional Alaska Native an occupied settlement as early second-largest population center population by about one-third in as 1839 and the village was in Alaska, the Fairbanks North Star 1900. Its location at the conluence home to reindeer herds around Borough is home to approximately of the two natural highways made 1905. Originally six miles up the 100,000 residents. Each February, it a convenient meeting location. Shaktoolik river, the village was the city hosts the 1,000-mile Yukon This will be Koyukuk’s irst year as moved to the mouth of the river Quest International Sled Dog Race, an Iditarod checkpoint. As with in 1933. But severe storms forced alternating as the start and inish Huslia, Koyukuk was added to the village to move to its current point with Whitehorse, in Canada’s the checkpoint list to remove the location in 1967. Shaktoolik’s Yukon. The city also hosts the Open need for an area of back-tracking checkpoint is located at the armory North American Championships, for mushers. In odd years, when and is 50 miles from the next stop one of two world-class sprint the northern route is used for on the trail. mushing races in Alaska, each the Iditarod, as would have been KOYUK: The checkpoint of Koyuk March. the case this year, mushers pass marks an important turning point NENANA: Nenana will serve as by Koyukuk on their way to the for mushers — the remaining trail the irst checkpoint on the 2015 checkpoint in Nulato. travels only on land. On the mouth Iditarod, its second chance to NULATO: The distance to Nulato of the Koyuk River, 347 people host the race after 2003. The from the previous checkpoint is live in the community. The nearby community is one of only three one of the shortest links of the site of lyatayet on Cape Denbigh Iditarod checkpoints on the Alaska 2015 Iditarod. At 22 miles, the has traces of human habitation road system. Just one hour from Koyukuk-to-Nulato stretch is only dating back 6,000 to 8,000 years. Fairbanks via the Parks Highway, longer than the 18-mile stretch Historically, villagers were nomadic. Nenana is home to about 400 from Golovin to White Mountain A Western Union telegraph expedition in 1865 noted the people. The community is known at the tail end of the race. Nulato village of Konyukmute. The present in large part for the annual Ice is a community of about 246 town site began to be populated Classic, in which people buy tickets people. It’s origin is a troubled around 1900, and two boom one — starting out as a Russian to guess — down to the minute towns popped up in the region trading post in the mid-1800s, the — the moment the ice will go out around 1914. A church hosted the on the Tanana River at Nenana, community was burned to the irst school in 1915. In the early knocking down a tripod erected ground on two separate occasions 20th century coal was mined near each year for the event. Nenana by local Koyukon Alaska Natives. Koyuk to supply steam ships and has a long history with mushing The community hall serves as the for export to Nome. and actually served as the start of Iditarod checkpoint. ELIM: When racers reach the the life-saving serum delivery, by KALTAG: The community of Kaltag a relay of dog teams, to Nome in checkpoint of Elim, population is in Koyukon Athabascan territory 347, they have less than 100 1925. It was that event that inspired and historically has been used the Iditarod. The community will miles to travel. Located on the as a cemetery for surrounding northwest shore of Norton Bay, host mushers who choose to stop Three-time Iditarod champion Jeff King, of Denali, Alaska, villages. Relatives of recently in Nenana at the tribal hall. Elim’s checkpoint is located in the drives his team on the Yukon River as he leaves the Ruby, Alaska, deceased hold the weeklong Stick ire hall. From Elim — formerly the MANLEY: Manley, a community checkpoint of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 10, Dance Festival in Kaltag to thank Malemiut Inupiat Eskimo village with a population of 117, will those who helped during times of 2006. AP FILE PHOTO/AL GRILLO of Nuviakchak — racers travel 95 serve as the second checkpoint mourning. In 1839, smallpox struck miles over the hills of the Kwiktalik on this year’s Iditarod. It is located the Koyukon, the irst of multiple Mountains toward Golovin Bay. about 150 river miles and about on the Iditarod’s northern route, HUSLIA: Huslia, home to 338 epidemics. On the west bank of 160 road miles from Fairbanks. where the route connects with residents, marks the halfway the Yukon River, Kaltag is situated WHITE MOUNTAIN: White Manley sits on the Tanana River at the Yukon. This year, however, with point of the 2015 Iditarod. The on a 35-foot bluf at the base of Mountain, population 199, is 55 the terminus of the Elliott Highway. the changes to the route, Ruby northernmost checkpoint on the Nulato Hills and ofers mushers miles from the inal checkpoint of The community was settled in will serve as the fourth checkpoint the Iditarod, it is located on the a brief respite from driving winds. Safety. Located on the west bank of the Fish River and near the Niukluk large part for its hot springs and and the second checkpoint on the Koyukuk River about 86 miles Kaltag’s oicial checkpoint River, the village at one point was was named Baker’s Hot Springs for Yukon. The village has a population upstream from its conluence and gathering spot is at the the Inupiat ish camp of Nutchirviq. 50 years. Manley Hot Springs was of 186. Gold discoveries in 1907 with the Yukon. This will be Huslia’s community hall. Infrastructure homesteaded by John Karshner and 1911 led to huge population irst year serving as a checkpoint White Mountain was one of many arrived in the village as early as communities to grow during the in 1902 and in the 1950s was spikes in the area, at one point for the Iditarod. When the race 1867 with a military telegraph line. renamed after miner Frank Manley, serving as home for more than started in Fairbanks in 2003, the gold rush of 1900. A government- Kaltag was oicially established subsidized orphanage opened who built the spacious Hot Springs 1,000 miners. By the 1940s, route included a stretch where after the food shortage and and was converted into a school Resort Hotel in 1907. however, most of the miners had mushers doubled back on the river measles epidemic of 1900 when in 1926. A post oice followed TANANA: The village of Tanana lies left the village, and the community to gain extra miles, but this year villagers from three nearby camps in 1932. The checkpoint is in the at the conluence of two of Alaska’s had been reduced to a population trail planners elected to extend the moved to the area to regroup. community hall building, uphill mightiest rivers: the Tanana and of about 140. The Ruby community race north overland from Galena Kaltag is home to Virginia Kalland, from the store. the Yukon. The village now known hall serves as the Iditarod to Huslia before having racers widow of Edgar Kalland, who was checkpoint. wind down the Koyukuk back to one of the original mushers who SAFETY: Safety is 22 miles from as Tanana was previously known Nome on the coast of the Bering to Alaska Natives as Nucklakayette GALENA: With a population of the Yukon. The village was home helped carry diphtheria serum to one of Alaska’s most iconic along the trail 90 years ago. Sea and is the inal checkpoint or Nuklukayet — the meeting about 450 and a large boarding before the inish line. After Safety of the two rivers. Long before school residency on top of that, mushing legends, George Attla, UNALAKLEET: Just north of the who died in February, less than a mushers mostly race on the beach European contact, Tanana served Galena is one of the biggest Unalakleet River delta on Norton to their ultimate destination.