Susan Butcher, at the age of 19, moves to Alaska to pursue a life of adventure in The Last Frontier.
1974
January 2, 2018
Susan starts working for a muskox farm in Unalakleet, a small village on the western coast of Alaska. In the summer, she builds a small cabin in the Goldstream Valley of Fairbanks.
1975
January 3, 2018
Susan winters with her dogs in a remote cabin in the Wrangell Mountains. She is 50 miles from her nearest neighbor and 100 miles from the nearest road.
She moves back to Unalakleet in the summer, working both at the muskox farm and as a commercial fisher.
1976
January 4, 2018
Susan establishes Trail Breaker Kennel in Eureka, Alaska with the purpose of running the 1,000-mile Iditarod.
Susan starts training for the Iditarod with her mentor Joe Redington Sr., father of the Iditarod.
1977
January 5, 2018
David Monson, at the age of 25, moves to Alaska after graduating from law school in South Dakota. He moves to Anchorage and works as a lawyer for the Alaska Railroad.
1978
January 6, 2018
Susan an her sister Kate at her first Iditarod finish
Susan races in her first Iditarod, placing 19th. She becomes the first woman to finish the race in the top 20.
David moves to Dutch Harbor and starts working as a king crab fisherman in the Bering Sea.
1979
January 7, 2018
Susan, her dog team, and Ray Genet at the summit of Denali
Susan, along with Joe Redington Sr., Ray Genet, Brian Okonek and Robert Stapleton, make the first ascent of Denali by dog team.
Susan races in the Iditarod, placing 9th.
David returns from Dutch Harbor to watch the finish of the Iditarod in Nome, where he becomes fascinated with the sport.
1980
January 8, 2018
David turns his focus to running the Iditarod by establishing his own team in Knik, AK. While there, David and Susan meet at Joe Reddington Sr.’s kennel in Knik.
Both David and Susan race in the Iditarod. They realize their similar philosophies on racing and training and decide to join forces to race out of Trail Breaker Kennel in Eureka. Susan places 5th and David places 21st in his rookie year.
1982
January 10, 2018
David at the Iditarod Banquet in 1982 receiving a trophy from Alaska’s First Lady Bella Hammond. After his performance in this race, David was appointed to the Iditarod Board of Directors.
Susan races in the Iditarod, placing 2nd
David races in the Iditarod, placing 5th
David spends the summer working with the Native Corporation in the Pribilof Islands before returning to Eureka to train dogs.
Susan wins her fourth Iditarod with yet another record time of 11 days 1 hour 53 minutes and 23 seconds. She becomes the only woman, and one of six mushers, to win four or more Iditarod’s. Her lead dog Granite was with her for all of those wins.
Susan wins her second 400-mile John Beargrease race in Minnesota.
David and Susan purchase land in Fairbanks, Alaska, establishing the Fairbanks branch of Trail Breaker Kennel.
1991
January 19, 2018
Susan and her team traverse the Iditarod trail over a creek near Kaltag. Photo by Jeff Schultz | SchultzPhoto.com.
Susan races in the Iditarod. After leading the race for 900 miles she becomes lost in an Arctic blizzard outside of the White Mountain checkpoint, only 77 miles from the finish. She places 3rd that year.
1992
January 20, 2018
Susan and some of her huskies in a cabin in Eureka.
Susan places 2nd in the Iditarod.
1993
January 21, 2018
Susan places 4th in the Iditarod.
Trail Breaker Kennel becomes a beloved stop on the Riverboat Discovery tour on the banks of the Chena River in Fairbanks. David and Susan are able to share their passion for mushing with visitors from around the world.
1994
January 22, 2018
Susan and her team coming through the finish chute in Nome. Photo by Jeff Schultz | SchultzPhoto.com.
Susan places 10th in the Iditarod. She retires from competition to start a family.
1995
January 23, 2018
Susan holding newborn Tekla for her former lead dog Granite to see.
David and Susan’s eldest daughter Tekla is born on May 3rd.
2000
January 24, 2018
Susan and Chisana picking berries on Blueberry Mountain in Eureka
David travels to Washington, D.C. for the new millennium. During his time there he is hosted by President Clinton at the Rose Garden and gives a speech about Alaska and the lifestyle of mushers at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
David and Susan’s youngest daughter Chisana is born on July 3rd.
2001
January 25, 2018
David races in the 300-mile Copper Basin race out of Glennallen, placing 2nd.
David, Susan, Tekla and Chisana travel to Washington, D.C. to represent Alaska in the Inaugural Parade for President George W. Bush. They travel down Pennsylvania Avenue by dog team.
2002
January 26, 2018
David and his team out on the Quest trail
David runs the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest, placing 4th.
David races in the 300-mile Copper Basin race, placing 4th.
2005
January 27, 2018
David and Susan open Trail Breaker Kennel to summer visitors on property, allowing people from around the world to gain a backstage pass into the historic kennel.
Susan dies after a long battle with acute myelogenous leukemia at the age of 51.
2007
January 29, 2018
Tekla and David at the finish line in Nome, Alaska. Photo by Jeff Schultz | SchultzPhoto.com
David publishes the children’s book Granite he and Susan wrote. The book tells the story of Susan and her lead dog Granite’s experience racing in the Iditarod. Granite has become one of the most popular books in Alaska history.
For more information on Granite and how to order your personalized copy today, visit our Granite Book page.
At age 11, Tekla mushes her own team of dogs on 700 miles of the Iditarod trail with David to celebrate Susan’s legacy.
2008
January 30, 2018
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin proclaims Susan Butcher Day, an annual state holiday on the first Saturday of March, commemorating the life and achievements of Susan.
The Susan Butcher Family Center at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska is established. The center aids families who have loved ones battling cancer.
2010
January 31, 2018
David runs his fifth marathon to raise money for cancer research. Over the course of those five races, he raised $150,000.
2012
February 1, 2018
David, Chisana and Tekla on the Iditarod Trail
At age 11, Chisana mushes her own team of dogs on 700 miles of the Iditarod trail with David and Tekla, to celebrate Susan’s legacy.
12 Trail Breaker dogs race in the1,000-mile Iditarod with musher Laura Allaway from Runner Dance Kennel.
2019
May 20, 2020
Photo by Julian Schroeder
9 Trail Breaker dogs race in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest with musher Laura Allaway from Runner Dance Kennel.
2021
December 8, 2021
Trail Breaker Kennel mushers Tekla Butcher-Monson and Kiana Korta begin training for their second mid-distance races. Learn more about their 2022 race plants and how you can sponsor their teams here.
2023
March 26, 2023
February – 20 TBK dogs ran the Yukon Quest 80mi with guide Katrina Handler and friend of TBK, Abby Klager (pictured above).
March – T-Dog Training run – Multisport event put on by Tekla and the TBK team. Training run for the Inaugural Susan Butcher Memorial race T-Dog in March of 2024.
2024
March 24, 2024
March – The Susan Butcher Memorial T-Dog Fun Run is here!
