The national Trails System Act (Public Law 90-543), as amended by the National Parks and Recreation Act (Public Law 95-625), required that a comprehensive plan be completed for the management and use of the Iditarod Trail. The plan must include, but not be limited to, the following

“specific objectives and practices to be observed in management of the trail, including the identification of all significant natural, historical, and cultural resources to be preserved.”

--The National Trails System Act as amended (through P.L. 95-625, November 10, 1978), Section 5 (e)(l). (Emphasis added.)

To qualify as a National Historic Trail, the trail had to:

“have significant potential for public recreational use or historical interest based on historic interpretation and appreciation.”

--Section 5 (b)(11)(c). (Emphasis added.)

To meet these congressional requirements, the project team and specialists from other State and Federal agencies identified the “significant” natural, historic, cultural, and outdoor recreation resources associated with the Iditarod Trail system. Because of the vast mileage of the trail system and the hundreds of historic, cultural, and natural sites associated with the gold rush trail system, the specialists and agreed upon the following three-step procedure to inventory and evaluate information and to determine the most “significant” components of the Trail system for this comprehensive management plan.

1. Identification and selection of the primary route and connection trails.
2. Inventory of historic (gold rush era), pre-gold rush era, natural, and recreational resources along the primary route and connecting trails by specialists.
3. Recommendation of priority levels of management for segments and sites.

The resource evaluations summarized in this document and discussed in detail in Resources Inventories are by no means final. The evaluations, instead, are the project teams’s identification of all significant natural, historical, and cultural resources of the Iditarod Trail system as required by Congress. The evaluations, however, will be most valuable to individual land managers/owners. Using this comprehensive management plan, each land manager/owner can begin to view how a particular property fits in with the entire Iditarod NHT management scheme.

The project team has evaluated all known sites and segments associated with the Iditarod Trail system and has made recommendations as to which sites and segments have the highest priority for management action. It will be each individual land manager/owner who will review these and/or protect part of the Trail system, and then take the appropriate management action.

A. Primary Route and Connecting Trails

As discussed in the Introduction, the Iditarod NHT is made up of a primary route and connecting trails. The primary route was selected after considerable discussion by the project was selected after considerable discussion by the project teams. The Trail surveyed by W.L. Goodwin of the Alaska Road Commission in 1910 to connect Seward, Nome, and the town of Iditarod was selected by the project team as the “primary route” of the Iditarod NHT. This route was the most important travelway of the Trail system during the Iditarod Gold Rush.

Branching from the Iditarod NHT primary route are over a thousand miles of Connecting trails which were important components of this gold rush trail system. Though the terms “primary and connecting trails” lead readers to assign a relative level of importance to individual segments inventoried in each type of trail, that was not the intent of the project team. The primary route of the 1910’s is not the exact route accepted as the “modern day” Iditarod Trail. The northern and southern Iditarod Trail race routes actually use portions of Goodwin’s route (primary route), some connecting trails and some trails not presently included in the National Trails System.

The primary route and the connecting trail system as identified by the project team is displayed in Table 4.

B. Resource Inventories

1. HISTORIC (GOLD RUSH ERA) RESOURCES

The inventory of historic resources of the Iditarod NHT system certainly was the most exhaustive of the four inventories listed herein. The inventory consisted of literature searches, record searches, oral interviews, and field examinations.

The project team gathered all the information that could be located on historic trail segments and sites related to the Iditarod Trail system. The information was organized into Site and Segment Files, now stored at Anchorage District Office of BLM. This information came mostly from local sources, but information was also located in place as unlikely as Reno, Nevada; Calgary, Alberta; and Eugene, Oregon. This research served as the information base for field examinations conducted in 1980 and 1981. In addition to the research of literature and records, an oral history of the Iditarod Trail was initiated to further gather and record many previously unrecorded accounts of uses of the Trail.

The purpose of the field examinations of the Trail system was to verify locations of both sites and segments which had been identified on “paper.” Once historic sites were located, general condition was noted. They were then rated on a weighted point system to determine the relative manageability compared to other Iditarod NHT sites. The management rating criteria was based on access, condition, and potential visitor use. During the course of the evaluation, 364 historic sites were inventoried and rated with may of the sites north of Rainy Pass actually located and evaluated during field examinations.

2. PRE-GOLD RUSH ERA RESOURCES

Although the Iditarod Trail was designated as a National Historic Trail to commemorate Alaska’s gold rush era, it is also a Trail system which incorporates many portions of an earlier system of Indian and Eskimo travel routes. In addition, it also is a Trail system which passes prehistoric and contact period villages, temporary campsites, cemeteries, and traditional gathering places. Many of the historic sites overlie pre-gold rush era sites which are important to Native Alaskans.

As a result of the initial cultural resource inventory effort, known pre-gold rush sites along the primary and connecting routes have been identified, including prehistoric and contact-period villages, temporary campsites, cemeteries and traditional gathering places.

The first step of the inventory of these pre-gold rush sites was exclusively a literature search of known information.

The specialists identified 100 known sites along the primary and connecting routes. It is recommended that all such sites receive further evaluation for potential nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Accordingly, final decisions concerning the management of any of the pre-gold rush sites should be made only after proper consideration of their importance based on National Register criteria.

The second step of the inventory was to evaluate the significance of these cultural sites in terms of their association with the National Historic Trail. Because of the disparity in the amount of information available for individual sites, specialists proposed a “significance level” for each of the cultural sites.

Significance Level 1 – Sites Likely eligible or on the National Register.

Significance Level 2 – Sites potentially eligible for the National Register.

Significance Level 3 – Sites likely not eligible for that National Register.

Significance Level 4 – Sites for which potential eligibility could not be determined.

The Native settlements along the Iditarod Trail, which continued to be occupied during the gold rush era, demonstrated the relationship between the historic and prehistoric system of trails and exemplify Native involvement in the activities of the system. Roadhouses were often located in villages and run by Native families. Natives served as guides for the early explorers and played a major role in later years in the delivery of mail and freight, a role that is little understood and not well documented. Determining the particular significance of these sites should be a priority for the land manger/owner.

Native sites with a historic Iditarod component”

3. NATURAL (SCENIC) RESOURCES

Legislative intent called for identification and protection of significant natural qualities along the Trail. Scenic quality is perhaps best described as the overall impression a person retains after passing from one landscape type to the next along the Iditarod Trail.

Table 4
Primary & Connecting Routes

The first step of the process was to identify broad physiographic provinces using Physiographic Division of Alaska (Wahrhaftig 1973). The physical appearances of the topography provided the basis for differentiating one division from another. Divisions were further delineated by the geologic structure, which may or may not be visually distinctive. For example, the Innoko lowlands and the Kuskokwin lowland were evaluated as separate landscapes, even though they look similar. Topographic maps, aerial photographs, and regional resource maps were used to definethese physiographic boundaries. Then, the scenic values within each physiographic unit were inventoried using seven key factors: landform, vegetation, water, color, influence of adjacent scenery, scarcity, and cultural modifications. A standardized point system assigned great, same, or little importance to each factor. The values for each category were calculated, and according to total points, three scenic quality classes were determined and mapped:

Class A – Areas that combine the most outstanding characteristics of each rating factor.

Class B – Areas in which there is a combination of some outstanding features and some that are fairly common to the physiographic region.

Class C – Areas in which the features are fairly common to the physiographic region.

These ratings were verified by flying over the primary route in a fixed-wing aircraft.

4. OUTDOOR RECREATION RESOURCES

Outdoor recreation opportunities on the Iditarod NHT were analyzed according to the following factors:

-- existing recreation use
-- potential recreation use
-- season of use
-- accessibility
-- proximity to population centers
-- distribution of historic sites
-- ownership
-- manageability

Each segment identified in Table 4 was evaluated according to the interrelated, but varied aspects of the Trail which determine the potential for outdoor recreation use. Based on this evaluation, those segments which were recognized to enhance and support the historic nature of the Trail system were determined as having a HIGH POTENTIAL for outdoor recreation and historic interpretation.

C. MANAGEMENT CATEGORIES

1. ACTIVE AND MINIMUM MANAGEMENT OF SEGMENTS

Once trail locations were identified and evaluated for historic, pre-gold rush, and natural significance and outdoor recreation potential, management recommendations for specific segments were made using the broad categories of ACTIVE and MINIMUM management.

The ACTIVE MANGEMENT category applies to segments that are recommended for physical trail management. The primary route was recommended for active management in order to connect Nome, Seward, and Iditarod on a continuous trail. Certain connecting trails were recommended for active management due to the relative significance of the individual segments to current or potential use.

Active management is a broad category. A recommendation for only a roadside sign is considered “active” management. Other management actions may include trail marking, trail clearing, trail reconstruction, parallel trail construction, shelter and visitor facility construction.

The MINIMUM MANAGEMENT category was applied to Trail segments where existing laws and regulations are adequate for trail management purposes. Periodic reevaluation of these segments is recommended.

2. RECOMMENDED MANAGEMENT LEVELS FOR HISTORIC SITES

There are inherent difficulties in assigning a level of significance and appropriate management to each site, especially when dealing with as many sites as there are on the Iditarod Trail. Also, the detailed process of evaluating sites and segments of the trail as to potential eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places remains to be done and will precede any decisions which could affect them. Thus, this additional evaluation step may result in certain changes as to recommended management. Further, if oversights become apparent or new information becomes available, this information also should be evaluated by the appropriate land manager and new recommendations should be proposed and reviewed by the Iditarod National Historic Trail Advisory Council.

Following the resource inventory step, all historic sites were rated and tentatively assigned a management level to establish and prioritize management recommendations.

a. Level 1—Recommended Priority Management

Every effort should be made to actively preserve and protect those sites recommended for Level 1 management category, which may include:

--Future evaluation for possible site-specific or thematic nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

--Complete documentation of the historic and cultural resources through established architectural and archeological procedures.

--Protection of sites from disturbance due to natural and manmade causes in accordance with established Federal and State procedures.

--Stabilization, restoration, or adaptive use (sometimes in support of recreation activities) of existing sites or structures after National Register eligibility evaluation.

--Identification and location of adequate easements for protection of access and visual integrity.

--Table 5 lists all Level 1 sites.

--Appendices 5a and 5b describe site management opportunities for sites listed in Table5.

b. Level 2—Recommended Secondary Management

Passive preservation of historic resources assigned Level 2 may include:

--Future evaluation for possible site-specific or thematic nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for certain sites.

--Preservation of certain significant sites to the extent that funds and resources are available, as determined by the managing agency.

--Identification and location of adequate easements for protection of access and visual integrity.

--Mitigation of disturbance to or destruction of these sites.

--Stabilization, restoration, or reconstruction at specific sites to support recreational activities, or other needs after National Register eligibility evaluation.

--Further site documentation and recording to support continuing trail documentation or interpretation.

--Table 6 lists all Level 2 sites.

--Appendices 5a and 5b describe site management opportunities for federally administered sites listed in Table 6.

c. Level 3—Recommended Minimum Management

--Further evaluation for possible thematic nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for specific area.

--Adequate site protection in accordance with established Federal or State regulations.

--Level 3 sites are listed in Appendix 3.

Recommendations have been made for 47 Level 1 sites, without regard to land ownership, in hopes that the landowners will realize the historic significance of their properties and take the necessary actions to protect and preserve them. Recommendations for Level 2 sites were made only for known Federal properties.

3. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list, involving an inventory process, for the Nation’s significant cultural resources. It was established by the Historic Sites Act of 1935 and further expanded by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant as physical reminders of the prehistoric and historic past. One major use of the National Register is in facilitating consideration of these values by Federal and State agencies for planning and other purposes. In all, the register is designed to insure future generations an opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the rich heritage of the Nation, including Alaska’s historically significant trails and associated sites.

The Iditarod NHT is one of a new type of nationally commemorated routes and events that have been designated by Congress. Because of this designation, the entire Trail has been considered as “potentially eligible for inclusion into the National Register of Historic Places.” More appropriately, only certain segments probably deserve National Register status. Nominations to the National Register should be made for those specific Trail sites and segments which best represent the historic values of the Trail. These would include sites and segments where physical remains exist which are associated with the Iditarod Trail. Nominations would be accomplished within the Federal planning process for Federal lands and through the Alaska State Historic Preservation Plan for State and private properties.

a. Nomination of Specific Sites Associated with the Trail

As of 1984, there were 34 sites or districts on the National Register associated with the historic Iditarod Trail for the period 1880 to the 1920’s. There is also a 35th, a prehistorical site on Cape Denbigh Peninsula in the vicinity of the Trail but unrelated to it historically. (See Appendix 4.) Other potential National Register listings include the Level 1, 2, and 3 sites and connecting trails discussed earlier in this plan. All would be evaluated for individual significance related to the Trail and nominated to the National Register as individual sites or as components within a more comprehensive thematic Iditarod Trail nomination (discussed below). However, no attempt would be made to list privately owned sites along the Trail on the National Register without the concurrences of the owner. If privately owned properties are listed individually on the National Register, owners may choose to apply for matching Federal Historic Preservation funds and Tax Act certification.

b. Thematic Iditarod Trail Nomination

A thematic group format submission for nominating properties to the National Register is one which includes a finite group of resources related to one another in a clearly distinguishable way. A thematic Iditarod Trail nomination would include those sites or Trail segments (including physical remains of the Trail, such as trail tread) which relate to the Trail’s significance for the period 1880 to the 1920’s. It has been recommended by both the BLM and the State Historic Preservation Officer that a thematic nomination to the National Register by undertaken. The thematic nomination procedure offers the most flexible and open-ended process for applying National Register designations. It will also serve as a criteria basis for inclusion of non-Federal sites into the Trail system by the Secretary of the Interior (as required under the National Trail System Act of 1978).

TABLE 5
Level 1 Sites
(Federal & Non-Federal Properties)

c. Highways and Other Transportation Corridors

No land or site located along a designated historic trail . . . shall be subject to the provisions of section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 1653(f)) unless such land or site is deemed to be of historical significance under appropriate historical criteria such as those for the National Register of Historic Places.

special effort should be made to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside and public park and recreation lands, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and historic sites.

cooperation and consult with the Secretaries of the Interior, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture and with the States in developing transportation plans and programs that include measures to maintain or enhance the natural beauty of lands traversed. After the effective date of the Federal Highway Act of 1968, the Secretary (of Transportation) shall not approve any program or project which requires the sues of any publicly owned land from a public park, recreation area, or wildlife and waterfowl refuge of national, State, or local significance as determined by the Federal, State, or local officials having jurisdiction thereof, or any land from an historic site of national, State, or local significance as so determined by such officials unless (1) there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use to the land, and (2) such program includes all possible planning to minimize harm to such park, recreational area, wildlife and waterfowl refuge, or historic site resulting from such use.

D. Secretary’s Interim Criteria for Inclusion of Non-Federal Sites and Segments into the Iditarod NHT System

--The primary and connecting routes identified in Table 4.

--Historic sites identified in Appendix 3.

--Pre-gold rush sites with an Iditarod component, in Appendix 3. --Natural landmarks identified on the maps in Resources Inventories.

--Statements of Significance
--Relationship to Iditarod NHT Focus
--Location
--Legal Description
--Condition
--Photo Documentation
--Proof of Ownership