Knik-Susitna Trail
RST 118 CASEFILE SUMMARY
KNIK-SUSITNA TRAIL
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LISTED IN ALASKA STATUTE (AS 19.30.400(d)) AS A QUALIFIED RS2477 RIGHT-OF-WAY.
VIEW LAND DESCRIPTION
LEGAL TEXT: Casefile Summary
RST 118
Knik-Susitna Trail
I. Trail Location
The Knik-Susitna Section of the Iditarod Trail Begins in the Town
Of Knik, On the North Side of Knik Arm North of Anchorage. the
Trail Heads Northwest, Joining ADL 200644, A 200 Foot Right-
Of-Way Which Runs Through T16n, R3w, Sm. This Easement Becomes
ADL 222930, A 400 Foot Right-Of-Way Which Heads West To the
Trail's Terminus at the Susitna River Within T17n, R7e, Sm.
Total Trail Length Is Approximately 30 Miles. the Trail Is Shown
On USGS 1:63,360 Anchorage B-8 and Tyonek C-2.
Ii. Historic Documentation
The Knik-Susitna Trail Is Part of the Historic Iditarod Trail,
Used To Transport Mail and Freight To Villages Between Anchorage
And Nome. the Route Is, Included in Alaska Road Commission (Arc)
Documentation As Route 20a. the Knik-Susitna Trail Is, Included
In the 1973 Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(DOT&PF) Trails Inventory On Map 69 (Anchorage Quadrangle) As
Trail #62, and On Map 70 (Tyonek Quadrangle) As Trail #7 and #12.
Alaska Road Commission Reports
1. 1912: Reported $2691.51 Spent On the Route; Arc Report
States: "This Trail Was Completed On November 2, 1912. It
Conforms To the Adopted Standard for Winter Trails and Provides A
Direct Route From Knik To Susitna Station for Winter Travel. It
Is Passable in Summer, But Can Not Be Considered A Good Summer
Trail Because of the Swampy Ground Necessarily Traversed.
Communication Between the Terminals Is Maintained in Summer
Chiefly By Boats On Knik Arm, Cook Inlet, and the Susitna River.
The Cost of the Construction of This Trail Averaged $76.75 Per
Mile. It Was Located and Constructed By Mr. R.S. Giddings,
Foreman, Who Was in Charge of All Work On the Divisions of Route
20 During the Past Year;"
2. 1916: Reported $256.00 Spent On the Route; Arc Report
States: "The Work Done On This Route Covered 15 Miles and
Comprised the Removal of Windfalls and A Small Amount of Grading.
The Total Expense for the Section Worked Over Averaged $13.35 Per
Mile;
3. 1917: Reported $120.00 Spent On the Route; Arc Reports
"Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars Was Expended On Route 20a During
The Year, Chiefly in Clearing Windfalls and Bridging Small
Streams Which Are Difficult To Cross During the Spring and Fall;"
4. 1918: Reported $253.59 Spent On the Route;
5. 1954: Reported A Total of $8437.44 Spent On the Route.
USGS Bulletins
USGS Bulletin #410, "The Innoko Gold-Placer District,
Alaska," Maddren, 1910, Lists the Distance From Old Knik To
Seward As 128 Miles, From New Knik To Seward As 148 Miles, and
From Susitna Station To Seward As 180 Miles.
Other
1. Iditarod Pioneer, 8/10/10, "Dr. Sleem Tells of Seward,"
Tells of Dr. D.H. Sleem's Journey From Seward To Iditarod City
After Completing A Reconnaissance of the Country Between Iditarod
And Cook Inlet. the Article Describes the Gentle Grades of Rainy
Pass Offering A Natural Corridor Into the Interior of Alaska, and
The General Route Into Iditarod;
2. Iditarod Pioneer, 8/10/10, "Seward Trail for Winter
Route," Describes the Nome To Seward Trail, Stating: "From the
Mouth of the Yentna To Seward the Trail Will Be Traveled All
Winter and Many Roadhouses Are Located at Convenient Distances.
The Susitna Station Is Quite A New Town Where the A.C. Co. Has A
Large Store and Supplies Can Be Had. Then the Trail Passes By
Knik, Another Town and Postoffice Where There Are Three
Restaurants and Two Good Stores...;"
3. Iditarod Nugget, 12/28/10, "Iditarod-Seward Trail,"
Discusses Alaska Road Commission Plans To Begin Building the
Trail From Seward To Nome;
4. Chitina Leader, 4/15/11, "Seward Trail Proves A Frost,"
Discusses Nome Musher Bob Griffs' Trip Between Nome and Seward,
Stating: "Coming This Way, Mr. Griffs Said They Figured They
Would Be Over the Worst of Their Journey After Covering the 180
Miles From Seward To Susitna, After Rounding Turnagain Arm..."
And Goes On To Describe Difficulties Encountered On the Trail and
The Need To Extend Railroad Service To Knik;
5. the Record-Citizen, 3/13/15, "Overland To Seward," C.K.
Snow From Ruby, Alaska, States: "I Arrived Here Thursday, the
13th After A Never To Be Forgotten Trip of 18 Days. It Was One
Continual Outing From the Time I Left Ruby Till I Arrived in
Seward...After Leaving Knik One Encounters About 16 Miles of Bad
Trail Around Turnagain Arm, Although They Tell Me the Present
Route Is Much Better Than Over the Crow Pass, Which Trail Was
Used Up To Two Years Ago;"
6. Kusko Times, September 14, 1921, "Rainy Pass Mail
Trail, Discusses the Request for Bids for the Mail Route Over
Rainy Pass To the Interior Villages;
7. the Iditarod National Historic Trail, July 1982, Bureau
Of Land Management in Cooperation With the State Department of
Natural Resources, Contins A Map Showing the Trail From Susitna
Station Heading Toward Knik, and States: "Susitna Station, Near
The Confluence of the Yetns (Sic) and the Susitna River, Was A
Trading Post and A Native Village During the 1890s and Early
1900s. the Discovery of Gold On the Yetna (Sic) River and
Further Interior Caused the Growth of Thesettlement and By the
Time of the Iditarod Strike, Susitna Contained Two Stroes, A
Hotel/Roadhouse, and An Assortment of Businesses. the Iditarod
Trail Crossed the Susitna River at the Station;"
8. "Mining in Alaska'A Past," Office of History and
Archaeloogy, Division of Parks, 1980, Describes the Birth of the
Iditarod Trail and States: "Mostly A Winter Trail, the Section
From Seward To Knik Served As A Mail and Supply Route Until the
Extension of the Alaska Railroad To Nancy (North of Knik) By
1918...;"
9. "The Iditarod Trail (Seward-Nome Route) and Other
Alaskan Gold Rush Trails," Bureau of Outdoor Recreation,
Department of the Interior, 1977, States: "By 1900, Crude Winter
Trails for Pack Horses and Dog Teams Were Developed Between
Resurrection Bay and the Sunrise Area and Between Sunrise and
Knik and Susitna," and States: "In 1908, W.L. Goodwin of the
Alaska Road Commission Surveyed A New Trail From Seward To
Nome...From 1911 To 1925, Hundreds of People Walked and Mushed
Over the Trail Between Iditarod and Knik Or Seward."
Iii. Surface Estate Owners As Shown On Bureau of Land Management
And Alaska Division of Land Records, Are Listed As Follows:
1. State of Alaska;
2. Cook Inlet Native Corporation;
3. Knikatnu,, Inc.;
4. 50-67-0601, Trade and Manufacturing Site; No
Appropriation Date; Date of Application: 2/27/61;
5. 50-66-0387, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 4/26/60;
6. 50-65-0578, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 2/27/59;
7. 50-65-0462, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 4/26/60;
8. 50-65-0409, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 3/21/60;
9. 1223576, Homestead Entry: Date of Entry: 4/6/15;
10. 50-67-0197, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 10/26/61;
11. 744169, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 4/6/15;
12. 50-74-0142, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 5/11/66;
13. 1220719, State School Grant, Date of Application:
4/27/60;
14. 1226619, Homestead Entry, Date of Entry: 11/10/47;
16. AA8781, Row Power Transmission Line, Date of
Application: 1/23/74.
Surface Estate Interests As Shown On Bureau of Land Management
And Alaska Division of Land Records, Are Listed As Follows:
1. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Iv. Acceptance of Grant
The Earliest Reservation Along the Subject Route Was for
Homestead Entry 744169, With An Entry Date of 4/6/15. the Grant
Of the RS 2477 Right-Of-Way for the Knik-Susitna Trail Was
Accepted By Construction and Use, Subject To Valid, Existing
Rights, When the Land Was Not Reserved for Public Purposes.
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KNIK-SUSITNA TRAIL
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USGS Map Meridian Township Range Section Section Lat/Long
Anchorage B8 Seward
016N 003W 16 N 61 28 38.434, W 149 49 18.134
016N 003W 17 N 61 28 38.434, W 149 51 6.842
016N 003W 18 N 61 28 38.434, W 149 52 52.339
016N 003W 19 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 52 52.214
016N 003W 21 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 49 17.958
016N 003W 22 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 47 29.301
016N 003W 23 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 45 40.644
016N 003W 24 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 43 51.987
016N 004W 21 N 61 27 46.445, W 150 0 3.783
016N 004W 22 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 58 15.126
016N 004W 23 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 56 26.469
016N 004W 24 N 61 27 46.445, W 149 54 37.812
016N 004W 26 N 61 26 54.455, W 149 56 26.393
016N 004W 27 N 61 26 54.455, W 149 58 15.000
016N 004W 28 N 61 26 54.455, W 150 0 3.607
Tyonek B1 Seward
016N 004W 19 N 61 27 46.445, W 150 3 38.039
016N 004W 20 N 61 27 46.445, W 150 1 52.440
016N 004W 21 N 61 27 46.445, W 150 0 3.783
016N 004W 28 N 61 26 54.455, W 150 0 3.607
016N 005W 07 N 61 29 30.423, W 150 14 24.115
016N 005W 08 N 61 29 30.423, W 150 12 38.719
016N 005W 09 N 61 29 30.423, W 150 10 49.961
016N 005W 14 N 61 28 38.434, W 150 7 12.369
016N 005W 15 N 61 28 38.434, W 150 9 1.077
016N 005W 16 N 61 28 38.434, W 150 10 49.784
016N 005W 23 N 61 27 46.445, W 150 7 12.294
016N 005W 24 N 61 27 46.445, W 150 5 23.637
016N 006W 01 N 61 30 22.412, W 150 16 9.537
016N 006W 02 N 61 30 22.412, W 150 17 58.345
016N 006W 03 N 61 30 22.412, W 150 19 47.154
016N 006W 12 N 61 29 30.423, W 150 16 9.512
Tyonek C1 Seward
016N 006W 01 N 61 30 22.412, W 150 16 9.537
016N 006W 02 N 61 30 22.412, W 150 17 58.345
016N 006W 03 N 61 30 22.412, W 150 19 47.154
017N 006W 33 N 61 31 14.401, W 150 22 12.020
017N 006W 34 N 61 31 14.401, W 150 20 23.161
Tyonek C2 Seward
017N 006W 29 N 61 32 6.390, W 150 24 1.106
017N 006W 30 N 61 32 6.390, W 150 25 49.788
017N 006W 32 N 61 31 14.401, W 150 24 0.879
017N 006W 33 N 61 31 14.401, W 150 22 12.020
017N 007W 23 N 61 32 58.379, W 150 29 27.456
017N 007W 25 N 61 32 6.390, W 150 27 38.471
017N 007W 26 N 61 32 6.390, W 150 29 27.380
Last updated on Friday, February 16, 2007. Site optimized for Netscape 7, IE 6 or above.
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