March 8, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #10 – Alaska’s Star Block
Alaska’s Famous Iditarod Race is under way. For the next 10 – 17 days, 71 teams of dog sledders will race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska a distance of more than 1000 miles. This is one of the world’s last great road races. The Iditarod trail was originally used as a mail and supply route to the most rural mining towns in Alaska. In the late 1800’s, over 300,000 people risked life and limb traveling to the rugged Yukon Territory, many in search of gold! The only way to get there was by dog sled. Today the race is run to commemorate the tough, rugged settlers in this the coldest State of the Union. If you want to track the race you can go to the official Iditarod Race Site.
Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million , that is about 2 cents/acre. The land was originally a government owned territory and officially became the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.
Alaska's Star Block
Today’s block is a variation of the Alaska block published in the magazine Hearth and Home (1885-1930) . As Sited by Block Base (TM)
Click here for complete directions or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week “Freedom Stars”.
Happy Quilting,
Betty