About Us
While the Iditarod Trail is well known nationally and internationally due to the contemporary sled dog race, many Alaskans and most Americans are unaware of the basic history of the Trail. While parts of the Trail go back thousands of years to trade routes used by Alaska’s native people, today’s Iditarod Trail began with an Alaska Road Commission scouting expedition in mid-winter 1908. With the strike of gold in Iditarod, the ARC blazed the trail the winter of 1910, giving the Iditarod and Innoko mining districts overland access to the deep water port of Seward, and eventually, the Alaska Railroad.
Flashing to the end of the 20th century, Congress passed the National Trails System Act in 1968 establishing a framework for a nationwide system of national trails supported by public-private partnerships of users, managers, and others with an interest in trails. The Iditarod National Historic Trail was designated by Congress as a National Historic Trail in 1978 to commemorate the last great American gold rush.
The Iditarod National Historic Trail, Inc. dba Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is a statewide nonprofit organization chartered to advance the knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of the historic Iditarod Trail. The Alliance was founded in 1999, and a number of Board members have been involved in efforts for the Trail for over 30 years. Several served on the Department of Interior’s Iditarod National Historic Trail Advisory Council, which sunsetted in 1998.
The Alliance, along with its partners, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Iditarod Trail from 2008 to 2012. Between 1910 and 1912 over 10,000 gold seekers came to Alaska’s “Inland Empire”. While not everyone made it rich, over $30 million of gold was taken out of Iditarod along the Iditarod Trail. Moving forward, the Alliance looks to highlight other historic anniversaries of the trail (such as the 2014 100th anniversary of the first mail contract to Iditarod) and the overall story of how the Trail changed Alaska.
Flashing to the end of the 20th century, Congress passed the National Trails System Act in 1968 establishing a framework for a nationwide system of national trails supported by public-private partnerships of users, managers, and others with an interest in trails. The Iditarod National Historic Trail was designated by Congress as a National Historic Trail in 1978 to commemorate the last great American gold rush.
The Iditarod National Historic Trail, Inc. dba Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is a statewide nonprofit organization chartered to advance the knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of the historic Iditarod Trail. The Alliance was founded in 1999, and a number of Board members have been involved in efforts for the Trail for over 30 years. Several served on the Department of Interior’s Iditarod National Historic Trail Advisory Council, which sunsetted in 1998.
The Alliance, along with its partners, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Iditarod Trail from 2008 to 2012. Between 1910 and 1912 over 10,000 gold seekers came to Alaska’s “Inland Empire”. While not everyone made it rich, over $30 million of gold was taken out of Iditarod along the Iditarod Trail. Moving forward, the Alliance looks to highlight other historic anniversaries of the trail (such as the 2014 100th anniversary of the first mail contract to Iditarod) and the overall story of how the Trail changed Alaska.
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Our Board and Officers
OFFICERS:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Class of 2025
Class of 2026
Class of 2027
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IHTA Board Members and Partner Agencies assemble for planning session at Campbell Creek Science Center 2023
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Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, Inc.
dba Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance.
1. If you believe discrimination has occurred as a participant in an IHTA program under the Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and you wish to file a complaint:
Contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
1-800-669-4000 (toll free), or 1-800-669-6820 (toll-free TTY number for individuals with hearing impairments).
Information is also available at www.eeoc.gov
In the State of Alaska contact the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights
907 274-4692 or 800 478-3177.
Website: http://humanrights.alaska.gov
Address: 800 A Street, Suite 204, Anchorage, AK 99501-3669
2. The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance operates an equal opportunity program and does not discriminate in its program participation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, genetic information, pregnancy, parenthood, or veteran status.
3. It is the policy of the IHTA to prohibit retaliation against a participant who pursues a complaint of discrimination against IHTA or otherwise engages in any protected EEO activity.
4. Individuals with limited English proficiency who are seeking access to the programs and services of the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance are encouraged to contact the organization. If an individual feels they were not allowed to participate in a program because of limited English proficiency please contact us.
Requests can be sent to:
President, Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance
P.O. Box 2323
Seward, AK 99664
Email: [email protected]
Contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
1-800-669-4000 (toll free), or 1-800-669-6820 (toll-free TTY number for individuals with hearing impairments).
Information is also available at www.eeoc.gov
In the State of Alaska contact the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights
907 274-4692 or 800 478-3177.
Website: http://humanrights.alaska.gov
Address: 800 A Street, Suite 204, Anchorage, AK 99501-3669
2. The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance operates an equal opportunity program and does not discriminate in its program participation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, genetic information, pregnancy, parenthood, or veteran status.
3. It is the policy of the IHTA to prohibit retaliation against a participant who pursues a complaint of discrimination against IHTA or otherwise engages in any protected EEO activity.
4. Individuals with limited English proficiency who are seeking access to the programs and services of the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance are encouraged to contact the organization. If an individual feels they were not allowed to participate in a program because of limited English proficiency please contact us.
Requests can be sent to:
President, Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance
P.O. Box 2323
Seward, AK 99664
Email: [email protected]