4-time Iditarod champ to be inducted into Mushers’ Hall of Fame

WASILLA — As Knik Museum celebrates the 50th anniversary of its Mushers’ Hall of Fame, it will honor one of the Valley’s most noted mushers.

Four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Martin Buser will be inducted into one of Alaska’s oldest halls of fame during Knik Museum’s annual potluck picnic Sunday afternoon in Knik.

“I think it’s a really big deal,” museum curator Diane Williams said earlier this week. “(Buser) has always had a lot of support in the community.”

In addition to his four titles in the Last Great Race, Buser, of Big Lake, has completed the Iditarod 34 times. He has 19 top-10 finishes, and holds the mark for the most consecutive finishes, 32. But Williams said that’s not the only reason why Buser is the 32nd member of the museum’s mushing hall of fame.

“Its not just winning races,” Williams said.

Williams said Buser has also long been known for the care of his dogs. The Wasilla-Knik Historical Society board members are responsible for nominating potential candidates and choosing those they induct. Williams said members look for ambassadors of the sport, and those who have advanced knowledge throughout the sport.

In addition to his titles, Buser has earned the Iditarod’s Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award five times, last in 2014. He garnered the Iditarod sportsmanship award twice and was named Most Inspirational Musher in 2005.

Williams said those honors add to Buser’s hall of fame resume.

Buser, a native of Winterthur, Switzerland, came to Alaska in 1979 to continue in the sport of mushing. He competed in the Iditarod for the first time in 1980, placing 22nd. Buser, who was inducted into the Alaska Hall of Fame last year, finished 10th in 1987, starting a run of 14 straight years in the top 10. He won his first Iditarod title in 1992, and also finished first in 1994, 1997 and 2002. Buser has hauled in more than $800,000 in career prize money, according to Iditarod.com.

The annual potluck is scheduled for Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Knik Museum, located at Mile 13.9 Knik-Goose Bay Road. Williams said those interested in attending can bring a dish to share with fellow guests.

Williams said Sunday’s event is also meant to recognize the history of Knik, a community settled long before Anchorage or Wasilla. Knik was once Southcentral Alaska’s epicenter, and about 10,000 people depended on the community, Williams said. In 2016, the Wasilla-Knik Historical Society celebrated the community’s 100th anniversary.

The Knik Museum is housed in the last remaining commercial building left from the old Knik community.

Williams said there are a number of activities in addition to the potluck. Buser is scheduled to speak. There will also be the annual delivery of the mail via dog sled. The mail will even feature commemorative postmark.

There is also an archeological dig planned to recognize the history of the area.

For more information, contact the museum at 376-7755.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.