Takotna, Alaska, has a population of 52 people. You can only get to the town by plane, snowmobile, dogsled, or ATV, since there are no roads there. But the people of Takotna have their own claim to fame, and once a year they proudly show off their pies to the participants of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Despite its remote location and diminutive size, Takotna is known by mushers for its outsized generosity. Since the race started in 1973, locals have dished out turkey dinners, made-to-order breakfasts, and other free meals to the mushers. But Takotna is best known for the staggering number of pies available. This year, the village plans to make more than 100 pies (roughly two for each of the 57 racers). For the mushers, who mainly consume bland, lightweight trail meals, while traversing a landscape of muted white and brown, stepping into the community center in Takotna is akin to Dorothy appearing in Oz: The colors come on. But instead of plucky munchkins with oversize lollipops, it’s gregarious locals with tables of riotously colorful pies spanning the fruit and cream spectrum.
By the time race participants get to Takotna, they are really ready for some moose stew and pie. Read how Takotna's pie tradition began, and how the entire village pulls together for the tired mushers of the Iditarod, at Atlas Obscura.