Buser inducted into Knik Museum’s Mushers’ Hall of Fame

WASILLA — Sunday was the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Knik Museum and the Mushers’ Hall of Fame. Martin Buser was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year as the museum celebrated its anniversary with a potluck picnic, a special postage ceremony via sled dogs, raffles and a guided tour of the historic Knik Village.

The museum was open to tour freely during the course of events. People brought homemade dishes to share. There were also platters full of food and snacks, sandwich meats provided by Arby’s and fried chicken provided by Kentucky Fried Chicken. Buser spoke to the crowd, relating his experiences mushing and his take on the Knik area and its historic significance.

A team of sled dogs showed up with hand-delivered mail in a burlap sack for the occasion. Jon Brautigan rode in with his 4-wheeler pulled by six Alaskan Huskies. Visitors could use their own mail or buy postcards signed by Buser and get a special postmark mark that noted the day. Letters, postcards and the like were cancelled with a special seal with an image of the Knik Museum building and text that read, “Celebration Station: Knik Museum inducts Martin Buser into the hall of fame July 16, 2017.”

Along the Knik Arm and beside the ocean, the Knik site was the Valley’s original boomtown. During its full swing in 1915, the town had a population of 500, complete with docks and about 50 buildings. Now, there are only two surviving buildings, the museum and an old cabin. The historic site near the ocean has nothing but square-shaped holes in the ground, scraps of metal and shattered glass, and an historic graveyard with resting pioneers.

According to a history of the area on the Knik Museum website, “The gradual demise of the town began when local businesses moved to the new town of Wasilla that sprang up when the new Alaska Railroad route was built 13 miles north of Knik between Lake Wasilla and Lake Lucille.”

The Knik site was originally a significant village and meeting point for Native Alaskans to exchange goods, long before the arrival of miners, trappers, tradesmen and homesteaders. During the Gold Rush in the late 1800s, thousands of people flocked up North seeking gold. Many settled in towns such as Nome, Juneau and Dawson. Several also trickled into the Cook Inlet. In 1898, Knik became the major community hub that shipped goods to the Interior. Settlers forged makeshift trails that connected scattered camps and eventually unified the region between Cook Inlet on the south and the Talkeetna Mountains on the north, and the Matanuska River on the east and the Susitna River in the west. By the 1900s, the U.S government sanctioned dogs to run mail through the trails. The town boomed until it faded out of significance, giving way to the newer towns that eventually turned into the cities that we know and live in today.

In 1916, the Alaska Railroad made it to the site of present-day Anchorage, bypassing Knik and leading to Anchorage's growth. When the railroad reached Wasilla, Knik was no longer the important center for shipping. The buildings were either abandoned or moved to other communities- like the Herning-Teeland-Mead Mercantile building that is now home to Krazy Moose Subs in Wasilla. By 1917, the Knik boom was over and the entire town shut down.

“Knik is at the heart of dog mushing,” Buser said. “We feel like this is our backyard.”

Buser spoke of his career of mushing that spans several decades and touched on the significance of the Knik Museum and the surrounding historic trails. He noted that at least half of the audience was filled with his friends. He was given a framed photograph from the official Iditarod photographer, Jeff Schultz. Schultz’s son, a firefighter, was seriously injured in an accident and is currently getting treatment out of state. Funds from a Sunday raffle are going to help with Schultz’ recovery. After Buser’s speech, he cut that cake and mingled with the crowd.

Buser moved to Alaska in 1979 and competed in his first Iditarod in 1980. Currently, he’s been in every race since 1986. He won the Iditarod in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2002. On 16 occasions, he has finished among the top 10. His training operation, Happy Trails Kennels, is located in Big Lake. Buser is arguably one of Alaska’s most famous mushers and was selected to commemorate the Hall of Fame’s big year. He joked that everyone should be out enjoying the sun instead of hearing him “yakking on.”

“He sure deserves it. He’s been at it for a long time,” Brautigan said. “Anybody that dedicated… I tell ya.”

Buser has been at it for a while and had advice for aspiring mushers in the “ever-changing climate.” He said to make sure it’s what you want to do. It takes a lot of commitment and he said when you take on the lifestyle, you have animals to provide for. He noted how much the sport has shifted over the past decade, saying there have been “drastic changes” in Alaska’s climate.

“The restart in Fairbanks- that’s a pretty good indicator,” he said.

The weather has been a major obstacle for professional mushing in Alaska. There are many challenges mushers face in a time Buser described as increasingly “busy” and “rapidly changing.” This may seem like mushing is on its way out, but Buser said, “it’s not going anywhere.”

Buser noted on the importance of the Knik Museum and the preservation of history. He said that it’s not just for “us old geezers” but for the kids. Brautigan delivers the mail for the museum every year and he plans to have junior mushers to do it next year, passing on the tradition to a younger generation.

“That’s what it’s all about- passing it onto the next generation,” Buser said.