There is a community water and sewer system in Elim.  Most homes have indoor plumbing and the convenience of washers, dryers and hot water heaters.  The Eskimo people of Elim live off the land.  They depend on fishing, crabbing, whaling and hunting seals, caribou, moose, reindeer and small game.  They also plant gardens and harvest wild greens, salmon berries, blueberries, blackberries and cranberries.  The folks who have cash jobs work at the school, the store, local offices or with the airlines.

Before taking the name of Elim, the Eskimo village was called Nuviakchak (Nu-ve-AK-chak).  These folks had a very well developed culture and were well adapted to the cool/cold climate and otherwise harsh environment.  Around 1900,  herders from Norway were brought to western Alaska to show the natives how to raise reindeer to create an additional source of food and materials for clothing.  Because of this project a very large population of reindeer existed in the area.  In 1911, the area became a federal reindeer reserve of 298,000 acres.  The first school to exist in Elim was built in 1914 by Rev. L.E. Ost.  He founded a Covenant mission and school that became know as the Elim Mission Roadhouse.  Today there are about 90 students who attend Elim’s Aniguiin K-12 school  where 10 teachers are employed.

If you lived in Elim you’d enjoy about 150 days of sunshine each year along with 120 days of precipitation.  Annual precipitation is around 19 inches which includes 80 inches of snow.    The average July high is 61 degrees and the average January low is minus 5 degrees.  Summers are cool and moist while the winters are cold and dry.

The trail from Koyuk to Elim follows the main snowmachine trail.  The trail switches between the ice of Norton Bay and Seward Penninsula land for the 48 mile run.  a few miles short of Elim, mushers will pass by a settlement of old cabins.  This is old Elim and now serves as a fishing camp.  Some thirty years ago, Elim was rebuilt on higher ground.  Mushers will also pass an abandoned airport.  Between 1940 and 1970, this was a refueling stop for Nome plane traffic.  Upon reaching the checkpoint located in the Elim fire station, mushers will see a familiar face.  Jasper Bond has moved from Rohn checkpoint to Elim.

Well there you have it – a summary of Don Bower’s Trail Notes for the run between Koyuk and Elim along with some information from Wikipedia and Sperlings Best Places about the village of Elim.  Thanks to my friend Robert Bundtzen for sharing some of his pictures from Iditarod 2007.  Next Handler is going to tell us about White Mountain and a fun story about something that happened to Jeff King a few years back as he left Elim.  Stay tuned and remember in everything do your best every day and always have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

 

Koyuk a village of 310 is located at the mouth of the Koyuk River on Norton Bay.  Most of the people living in the village are Inupiaq Eskimos.  They depend on fish, reindeer, seal, beluga whale and moose for meat.  Some people have part-time jobs to supplement their subsistance lifestyle.  Some hold commercial fishing licenses and fish herring.  Some folks work at reindeer herding.  A new water and sewer system has been completed for the west half of Koyuk but the east side piping is still under construction. People and supplies travel to and from Koyuk by air or sea.  LIke most other bush villages, local transportation is by snowmachine and 4-wheeler.  The average summer temperature falls between 46 and 62 degrees.  In winter the average temperature falls between eight below and eight above.  The lowest temperature every recorded in Koyuk was 49 degrees below zero.  The highest recorded temperature was 87.  Nineteen inches of annual precipitation includes forty inches of snow.

Early residents in the area were nomadic and moved about to gather and harvest food.  Around 1900, the actual village of Koyuk began to take shape.  Dime Landing, Haycock and Norton Bay Station were nearby boom towns that supplied area miners.  Both gold and coal were mined up river from Koyuk.  The first school was established in 1915 by a church mission .  In 1928 the government built a new school.  Today the K-12 Koyuk-Malemute School has 124 students.  When asked what they like to do, most students will tell you they like to hunt, fish and play basketball.  Volleyball, skiing and Native Youth Olympics also rank among the top favorite activities for high school kids.

The Iditarod checkpoint is in the community center.  School lets out for a few days while the race is passing through.  Many of the children work at the checkpoint and are very proud of the Koyuk Iditarod Volunteer buttons they earn.

Well, there you have it – a little trail description and some basics about the village of Koyuk and the folks who live there.  Thanks to Sonny Chambers, a long time volunteer at Koyuk for sharing his pictures.  There was so much to share about Koyuk, I decided to divide this story into two parts.  I hope you take time to read about the great mushing history that has taken place on the Norton Bay section of the Iditarod Trail.  Next Handler is going to tell us about Elim.  Stay tuned for that story and remember, in everything do your best every day and always have a plan.  If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

Born to Run,
Sanka W. Dog