Earl Norris Open

Earl Norris Open is  run in memory of Earl and Natalie Norris.

Earl and Natalie Norris were founding members of the Alaskan Sled Dog & Racing Association in 1949.  Earl is considered the “Father of the Fur Rondy race” for talking the 1946 Fur Rendezvous organizers into including a sled dog race.  This evolved over the years to become the prestigious Fur Rendezvous Open World Championship Race.  Natalie was the first women to run the Fur Rondy race in 1947. Earl was know for his purebred Siberian bloodlines “the Anadyr Siberians”.  Natalie arrived in Anchorage already an accomplished musher in the summer of 1946.  As a team they homesteaded in the area that is now University Center. Their world famous Alaskan of Anadyr Siberian Husky Kennel relocated to Willow, Alaska, and focused on sled dog performance as well as AKC shows resulting in many accomplishments in both venues.  Earl contributed to the sport as president of ASDRA. The early history of sled dog racing in Anchorage was documented by Natalie Norris and Doris Lake in the ASDRA “Dog Mushers Annual” magazine produced each winter.