Alaska's Iditarod Memorabilia

For Sale on ebay here Joe Redington Sr. "Father of the Iditarod" !

WHO IS JOE REDINGTON, SR.?

Joe Redington, Sr., was born February 1, 1917. He began homesteading in Alaska and mushing dogs in 1948. He was the driving force behind the first Iditarod in 1973, and through his efforts the race became an international sensation. He personally competed in seventeen Iditarods from 1974 to 1997, and continued to mush until he died of cancer on June 24, 1999. He was 82 years old. There can be no doubt about Joe's place in the heart and history of Alaska. His contributions to the sport of dog mushing earned him the title "Father of the Iditarod." When he passed away, Governor Tony Knowles ordered the Alaska state flag to be hung at half-mast. In 2003, the Iditarod Trail Committee Headquarters unveiled a memorial to Joe with a life-size bronze statue.

Susan Butcher, four-time Iditarod champion, said, "There's no one like Joe. He taught me some about mushing and the Iditarod, but mostly about what being an Alaskan is, and how a true pioneer lives."