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Redington became known as the "Father of the
Iditarod" for his work promoting the race, and personally competed in seventeen Iditarods from 1974 to 1997, but never placed higher than his 5th-place finish at age 72. He was the honorary musher in the 1997 race, as he was 80 years old when he completed
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Hotfoot beat a pack of 34 mushers who competed in the race to Nome. Negative publicity caused by the death of several dogs during the race reduced the purse to only $ 31,000 in 1974, but the event still attracted a field of 44 mushers. In 1975, the race instituted stronger dog care requirements, and
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This popularity also caused dog mushing to revive in the 1970s as a recreational sport. Largely due to
Redington's efforts, the Iditarod was designated one of the first four National Historic Trails in 1978, and the first official trail marker was put up outside his home in 1980.
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a corporate sponsor raised the purse back to $ 50,000. Despite more negative publicity and funding problems in 1976, the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has since grown into the premiere sporting event in the state, and the largest sled dog race in the world.
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The
Redingtons returned to Knik, and the money was raised. In February 1967, 58 dog mushers competed in two heats along a 25-mile (40 km) stretch of the old Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Knik. The race was modeled after the 1908 to 1918
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In 1948, Redington moved to Flat Horn Lake, Alaska community of Knik River and the ghost town of Knik, where
Redington was known to hail from, are two entirely different places, and are about 45 miles apart by road to boot, where he filed a
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on
February 1, 1917, and lived there until he was six years old. His mother left him shortly after his birth, and he grew up with his father and his brothers James and Ray. Joe Redington's father was a laborer who worked as a
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177:$ 25,000 would be split among the winners. According to Redington, "I wanted the biggest dog race in Alaska... and the best way to do that was to offer the biggest purse".
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155:, the future "Mother of the Iditarod", at the Willow Winter Carnival in 1966. She wanted to sponsor a sled dog race to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
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villages in the 1950s, every household had five or six dogs. They were the only transportation. But by the late 1960s, village dogs were almost gone."
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On
February 18, 1953, he married Violet Redington, and they moved to a new homestead on Flat Horn Lake, Alaska and worked from 1954 to 1958 as
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the race. Joe also organized and ran 5 Iditarod
Challenges, a guided trip to Nome for paying clients, 1993–1997.
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guides along the
Iditarod trail. He and his wife also helped clear the overgrown trail, and lobbied to make it a
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While initially a success, enthusiasm had waned. Redington wanted to expand the race, from Knik to the historic
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Despite widespread skepticism, the trail was cleared and a total of $ 51,325 was raised. In 1973,
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33:(February 1, 1917 – June 24, 1999) was an
44:owner, who is best known as the "Father of the
342:People from Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
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347:United States Army personnel of World War II
112:after the war and returned to Pennsylvania.
332:Sportspeople from Jersey City, New Jersey
96:, Maryland. He was later transferred to
271:Joe Redington, Sr. (Father of Iditarod)
173:Redington agreed to help if a purse of
327:People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
230:Redington died on June 24, 1999, from
250:Sherwonit (1991, pages 45–46).
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214:of Red Devil, Alaska, and his lead
84:In 1940, Redington enlisted in the
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278:Iditarod: The Great Race to Nome.
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337:People from Kingfisher, Oklahoma
106:Pacific Theater of World War II
27:American dog musher (1917-1999)
367:Sportspeople from Pennsylvania
100:, where he became part of the
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269:Dorothy G. Page (1974/2000).
90:6th Field Artillery Regiment
46:Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
357:United States Army soldiers
273:. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
266:. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
253:Sherwonit (1991, page 47).
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362:Sportspeople from Oklahoma
262:Iditarod Trail Committee.
352:Dog mushers from Alaska
276:Bill Sherwonit (1991).
146:National Historic Trail
264:Joe Redington Memorial
186:All-Alaska Sweepstakes
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68:Redington was born in
52:run annually from the
31:Joe Redington, Senior
110:Fort Dix, New Jersey
70:Kingfisher, Oklahoma
98:Fort Sill, Oklahoma
48:", a long distance
157:purchase of Alaska
86:United States Army
18:Joe Redington, Sr.
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16:(Redirected from
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194:Leonhard Seppala
125:claim along the
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302:Find a Grave
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153:Dorothy Page
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58:Nome, Alaska
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322:1999 deaths
317:1917 births
311:Categories
257:References
135:Sourdoughs
94:Fort Hoyle
79:oil fields
64:Early life
38:dog musher
201:gold rush
188:(AAS) of
54:Anchorage
236:dog sled
216:sled dog
205:Iditarod
203:town of
165:Interior
116:Iditarod
102:infantry
56:area to
35:American
142:hunting
75:rancher
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232:cancer
161:Russia
42:kennel
246:Notes
159:from
281:ISBN
190:Nome
131:Knik
40:and
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238:in
175:USD
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