John Stalvey started his talk about Alaska by telling us that he is not a Cheechako and he didn’t live there long enough to claim the title of Sourdough
Cheechako is a slang term for a greenhorn, tenderfoot, or new arrival. The word comes from the Chinook Jargon trade language, combining chee (new) and chako (come). Historically, it described people arriving during the Klondike Gold Rush who had not yet experienced a northern.
Sourdough is a nickname for an old-timer or veteran local. The name originates from gold rush prospectors who carried pouches of live sourdough bread starter close to their bodies through freezing winters so they could bake basic food when supplies were scarce.
John Stalvey
John shared a picture of the Alaska Flag and told us about the Alaska State Song.
Here are the song’s lyrics. You can listen to her by clicking here.
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue,
Alaska's flag, may it mean to you,
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes and the flowers nearby,
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams,
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear," the "Dipper," and shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
O'er land and sea a beacon bright,
Alaska's flag to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.
He was able to share how large Alaska is compared to the rest of the United States with this picture. Alaska is larger than Texas, Montana and California combined. Alaska coastline is 33,904 miles long.
Click read more for more text and photos!
Alaska has a limited road system that makes traveling to the different regions of the state challenging. Some places like the State Capital of Juneau can only be accessed by air or sea. Common forms of travel are ferries, helicopters, planes, railroads, dog sleds, snowmobiles, 4-wheelers, and he even showed us a picture of a hand tram along a trail.
He shared stories about seeing the iconic Iditarod dog sled race. The Iditarod Trail is a historic 2,300-mile network of winter routes in Alaska that stretches from Seward to Nome. The Race is over 1,000 miles (approx. 1,600 km) from Anchorage to Nome. Traditionally starting on the first Saturday of March (the next race begins March 6, 2027). The route alternates yearly between a northern and a southern route to help protect the trail. John had an opportunity to drive a sled…with the help of a professional sledder.
Rick Swenson, sometimes known as the "King of the Iditarod", is an American dog musher who was first to win the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race five times, a record he held for 30 years, until Dallas Seavey matched it by winning the 2021 Iditarod
John briefly told us about the 1925 serum run to Nome. It was a historic relay of 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs that transported lifesaving diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles across Alaska in 5.5 days to stop an epidemic
We learned about the economy that includes seafood, oil and tourism. John had the opportunity to travel to the North Slope/ Prudhoe Bay, and the start of the Alaska pipeline. The pipeline ends in Valdez.
Alaska native culture is an important part of Alaska culture. He shared pictures from the University of Alaska that has welcome signs for each language spoken by indigenous people. Native dance and native arts and crafts are ways that native people can share their culture and preserve their history.
John had an array of animal photos that included eagles, great horned owls, snow geese, whales of many varieties, sea otters, harbor seals, pacific salmon, moose, bears, snowshoe hares, to name a few.
He took us through the seasons, but spring is so short, he didn’t have any pictures of spring. Autumn is golden, Winter is snowy and summer is full of daylight.
He shared pictures of various mountain ranges, and a picture of Denali. Glaciers still exit but are receding rapidly. Earthquakes are abundant, and he was there for a 7.2 earthquake. There are 130 volcanos.
He shared photos of Northern Lights and how that moon is so bright it can cast shawdows in the winter.
He ended his talk with several quirky signs from Alaska.
