The Anchorage Mushing District

Greater Anchorage Inc. (Anchorage Fur Rendezvous)—with the support of the Municipality of Anchorage, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, and downtown community—intends to designate an area along Fourth Avenue as the Anchorage Mushing District. The purpose of this district is to celebrate the rich history of dog mushing in the State of Alaska and particularly of dog racing on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage. Phase one of this project will include a three-block strip of Fourth Avenue from C Street to F Street. The following amenities are proposed for the district.

1Street signs designating this area as the Anchorage Mushing District, located at the intersections but also along both sides of the street.
2Interpretive/informational signage along the sidewalk on both sides of the street. They will describe the history of dog mushing in Alaska with emphasis on dog racing on Fourth Avenue.
3Develop banners that would be hung from the light standards picturing our “mushing greats.” On the North side of the street we will have the famous Iditarod greats such as Joe Redington, Susan Butcher, Rick Swenson and many more. On the South side of the street we will have the World Championship greats such as George Attla, Doc Lombard, Roxy Wright and many more.
4Create a Mushing Hall of Fame listing all of the past champions of the World Championship races and the Iditarod races and the years they won. This will be in the Fur Rondy Shop on the corner of 4th Avenue and D Street.
5Inlay bronze dog paws and husky profiles inscribed with the names of those that donated to this development. The dog paws will be cast in bronze disks 5 inches in diameter and the husky profiles will be cast in bronze disks 6 inches in diameter with the inscription “Anchorage Mushing District” around the perimeter and the donor’s name inscribed on the paw print or husky. These disks will be inlaid along both sides of the street in the sidewalk or in the base of the arch at 4th Avenue and D Street.
6Construct a permanent steel arch over Fourth Avenue just to the west of the intersection of Fourth and D Street, which is the start line of both the Open World Championship Sled Dog Race and the Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod Race and the finish line for the Open World Championship Sled Dog Race. The arch will be constructed of a steel truss arching across the roadway with the silhouette of a dog musher, his sled and a team of dogs on top of the arch. The arch will meet all highway and roadway clearance requirements and will be the focus of our downtown Anchorage Mushing District.
7Future phases are intended to include bronze statues of some of the mushing greats similar to what you see in most major league ballparks celebrating their team heroes. Our mushing greats would be displayed in the mushing district and will be a major tourist attraction.

 In the future, the Mushing District may be expanded to include more of Fourth Avenue or D Street.

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