Iditarod’s iconic Burled Arch collapses in Nome

KNOM-Nome | By Ben Townsend, KNOM,

Sarah Swarz, KNOM

Published May 1, 2024 at 9:48 AM AKDT

The right pillar of the Burled Arch remains mostly intact, while one of the pillars of the arch lies on the ground in Nome on April 27, 2024. — The right pillar of the Burled Arch remains mostly intact, while the left pillars of the arch lies on the ground in Nome on April 27, 2024.

The iconic Burled Arch that marks the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race collapsed on April 27 near Old St. Joe’s Church in Nome. Residents looked on in awe as they took part in a Ties and Tiaras event taking place just 100 feet away at the church.

The beginning of the inscription “End of Iditarod Sled Dog Race” can be observed on a beam from the collapsed Burled Arch in Nome on April 27, 2024.

The wooden arch fell as the City of Nome experienced its first 40-degree temperatures since Oct. 31. The high temperature observed at Nome Airport on Saturday was a balmy 44 degrees.

The Burled Arch most recently underwent renovations in July 2013.

KNOM has reached out to the Iditarod Trail Committee for more details on what happens next.

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Ben Townsend, KNOM

Ben Townsend is news director at KNOM Radio Mission in Nome, Alaska.

See stories by Ben Townsend, KNOM

Sarah Swarz, KNOM

Sarah Swarz is a reporter at KNOM Radio Mission in Nome.

See stories by Sarah Swarz, KNOM