New Book Highlights History of the Iditarod

Jan. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- The next addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of Sports series is Iditarod by local author Tricia Brown, with a foreword by Jeff King, four –time Iditarod champion. The book is set to release on February 3, 2014 and boasts more than 200 vintage images that chronicle the history of mushing in Alaska and this iconic trail sled dog race.

For sled dog–racing fans worldwide, the most important calendar day is the first Saturday in March, when teams convene for the start of mushing’s Superbowl—the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race®. Iditarod chronicles the history of the race since its start in 1973. Vintage images follow this ultimate challenge beginning in the state’s most populated city, Anchorage, and then diving into the Alaska Bush on a historic trail that wends over mountain ranges, along frozen rivers and onto the Bering Sea ice, and finally to the finish line lies 1,000-plus miles away in Nome.

Official Iditarod photographer Jeff Schultz, who covered the race for thirty-plus years, provided many of the images in the book.  Photographs show scenes from the race as well as the dogs and their drivers being greeted by masses of locals, vacationing fans, officials, media and other mushers at the finish line. Author Tricia Brown hopes, “readers will get a bigger perspective on the history of mushing and the role of doges in the far north, beyond the daily race coverage of the Iditarod®.”  This pictorial history depicts the grueling and fascinating sport of mushing, where the goal is simply to finish; to win is the accomplishment of a rare few.

Highlights of Iditarod include:

•Information on the history of the dogs in transportation during the gold-rush era and the designation of the historic Iditarod Trail, the first National Historic Trail in the nation.
•A chapter focusing on the champions and record-breakers, in which faster races lend insight into improved technology and dog care.
•Changes in the dogs through time. Originally, the Alaska Sweepstakes dogs were bulky, used to pull loads of gold. Today’s distance racing dogs are lighter and leaner.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/.