As Alaska’s most fantastic race kicks off today, we are excited to highlight a project by Seward Iditarod Trailblazers and give a sneak peek behind the scenes. The group has been working to create a bronzed statue of Seward pioneer, Alfred Lowell, and two husky sled dogs to be installed on Seward’s waterfront around June. Below is an excerpt from the plaque that will sit alongside the statues.
With the discovery of gold in the Iditarod country in 1908, Seward merchants saw great commercial possibilities serving winter traffic to and from the new gold fields. In 1909, they hired famous Japanese mushers Jujiro Wada and Alfred Lowell, who proved that the Iditarod Seward route was feasible. . . . Alfred is honored for his significant contribution to the development of Seward through his work on the trails connecting the Kenai Peninsula to Cook Inlet and north on the Iditarod Trail, over which tons of mail, supplies, and gold were carried from 1910-1923. (Seward Iditarod Trailblazers, 2023)
Many contributors are helping to make this project possible, including Pat Garley of Arctic Fires Bronze Sculptureworks, Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm Natural Heritage Area, Seward Community Foundation, generous individual donations, and many volunteer hours.
Thank you, Seward Iditarod Trailblazers, for keeping Seward’s history alive! We can’t wait to see the finished piece. And, thank you to SCF donors that enable SCF to award grants that fund various causes to benefit the Seward area!