Photos: Takotna, the friendliest Iditarod checkpoint

Some mushers from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race call Takotna the friendliest checkpoint along the 1,000-mile trail. Many mushers will take their mandatory 24-hour layover in this Athabascan village located in a scenic river valley.

In the early 1900s, Takotna was the last stop on a river route for sternwheelers carrying supplies bound for Bethel. Now with only about 50 residents, the village struggles to avoid becoming a ghost town.

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