BOO!

The trail used by Iditarod dog teams to travel from Takotna to Ophir (O-fur) follows an old mining road that was built in the 1920’s to connect Takotna and Ophir with Sterling landing. Water levels on the Kuskokwim River were not always deep enough for steamboats to navigate all the way up river to Takotna so an alternate landing was established. The supplies unloaded from the steamboats at Sterling Landing were then transported to the local supply center and mining towns using the road. This “bush” road like all others in Alaska, doesn’t connect to any state highway system.

In his trail notes, Don Bowers tells the mushers that as they leave Takotna heading toward Ophir, the trial climbs to the top of the divide between the Kuskokwim and the Innoko Rivers. It’s not a serious climb, only about 800 feet over nine miles of trail. After cresting the divide, the trail runs along Independence Creek and the Innoko River until it reaches the ghost town of Ophir. Many teams have taken their 24 hour rest at Takotna so the dogs are ready to get up and go. Mushers say that the view from the top of the 1,200 foot divide is very scenic.

Now for a little history. NationMaster.com, an online encyclopedia says that Ophir, Alaska was named by gold miners after the Ophir mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. Supposedly, rich King Solomon received shipments of gold, silver, precious stones, ivory, apes and peacocks from the famous wealthy land of biblical Ophir.

Gold was first discovered around Ophir, Alaska in the late 1800’s. At its peak in 1907 to 1908, Ophir had a population of 1,000 people and who knows how many dogs. In gold rush towns, dogs were invaluable for hauling supplies out to the mines and gold back from the mines. As the gold supply was exhausted, the miners and dogs moved on. Today the population of Ophir is zero and only a few buildings, a gold dredge and dilapidated runway remain to mark the location of the once vibrant mining town. As of 2006 small mining operations still exist along some of the nearby creeks. Mining today is far different that it was in the early 1900’s.

The checkpoint for Iditarod is located in a cabin owned by Dick and Audra Forsgren. Mushers and volunteers really appreciate the big pot of stew that Audra cooks up on the woodburning stove in the cabin. Ophir Temperatures (-42 to +80) and precipitation (10 inches) will be very similar to Takotna and McGrath.

Well, there you it – some history and information about Ophir, one of the ghost towns on the Iditarod Trail. Thanks so my friends, Jane Blaile the 2007 Teacher on the Trail and Robert Bundtzen for sharing their favorite photos of Ophir. Next Handler will tell us about Iditarod Checkpoint. Stay tuned for that story and remember, in everything do your best everyday and have a plan.

Born to run,
Sanka

The village has 55 residents. It’s a big deal when Iditarod comes through – everyone needs to help. Folks from the lower 48 who have relatives in Takotna head to the little village to share in the work load. The school children are on vacation so they can help. The checkpoint is manned day and night by residents, friends and relatives in 12 hour shifts. Handler worked with school children who were on the 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. cleanup crew. When a musher left, the children would rake up the left over straw, food and poop then bag it. Another crew would work from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Takotna is an amazing place and Iditarod is truly a labor of love.

Takotna is known for its cold winters and cool summers. On Average, temperatures range from -42°F to zero degrees in the winter and between 42 and 80°F in the summer. Precipitation would be very similar to McGrath with 10 inches of rainfall including around 7 feet of snow. The river is frozen from November through May. The community has electricity. The school and community center have running water and flush toilets. Water is hauled from the waterworks for home use and honey buckets and outhouses are used for sewage disposal. Travelers come and go from the village by either plane or boat. The local road system covers about 15 miles including a road that climbs to the airstrip located high above the village. Handler made the 1.5 mile trek up to the airstrip and was treated to a distant but breath taking view of Denali.

The population of the community is a mixed group of non-Natives, Ingalik Athabascans and Eskimos. Some residents have jobs with the school district, post office, health clinic or local businesses like the small grocery store or seasonal construction companies. A great majority of the area residents rely on moose, salmon, gardens and wild berry crops as food sources. Take a close look at this picture of the inside of the checkpoint. What items do you see that also appear on your table at home? Think about this – this tiny village is in the interior bush of Alaska – accessible only by plane or boat – they hunt and fish for most of their meat – yet we have many things in common.

Now for a little history that Handler and I learned from the Alaska Community Data Base. Over the years, Takotna has been known as Berry Landing, Portage City, Takotna City, Takotna Station and Tocotna. In 1908 after gold was discovered in the Innoko District, Arthur Berry was hired to bring supplies up the river. The village was founded at the spot where the river became too shallow for Berry’s sternwheeler to continue. The village prospered during the gold rush having several commercial companies and roadhouses as well as a post office, radio station and news paper. The water level changed from year to year and so it was not always possible to get supplies to Takotna thus a landing was established further down river. Later in the 1930’s mining activity declined, the Alaska Commercial Company closed the store and McGrath became the supply hub for the area.

Well, there you have it – Takotna, the friendliest little checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail. Our friend and Iditarod Champion, Joe Runyan considers Takotna an excellent choice for the 24 hour layover saying, “It’s a quiet spot for mushers to rest inside a warm dry building, dry out wet gear, eat delicious food and gather information about trail conditions and weather.” Next handler will tell us about Ophir Checkpoint. Stay tuned for that story and remember, in everything do your best everyday and have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka