James Dallas "Jim" Reiter

1945 - 2011

James "Jim" Dallas Reiter, 65, of Two Rivers, died Friday morning, Jan. 28, 2011, in St. Catherine, Iowa after a short battle with lung cancer. Jim returned to Iowa to spend his final days surrounded by family.
The son of Andrew and Ruby Reiter, Jim was born in Texarkana, Ark., on April 14, 1945. A master welder, he moved to Alaska in 1974 to work on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Jim settled permanently in Alaska and founded his own company, WTC Welding & Fabrication, through which he worked around the world, including extensively in Russia.
In 1985, Jim became interested in sled dog racing, working as a checkpoint manager and dog handler for the I,000-mile Yukon Quest race. He eventually established Raven Kennels in Two Rivers, owning at one point more than 50 sled dogs, and competed in four Yukon Quests from 1987-1994, finishing as high as 22nd. The highlight of Jim's racing career came in 1992 when he competed in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Jim finished the race in 59th place in just under 19 days, gaining fame for being a member of the "Koyuk Five," a group of racers who still completed the race despite being stranded in Koyuk in a blizzard for three consecutive days.
During his racing career, Jim established another business, Wilderness Transportation Co., which specialized in boat and dog sled tours of the Yukon River area, and led to him becoming an officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine.
Throughout his life, Jim was a freelance artist, specializing in wood and ivory carving and jewelry making, and for a time, he established and operated Raven's Cache gift shop to support the work of local Alaskan artists.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by brothers Nick Reiter, of St. Catharine, and Gary Reiter of Dubuque, Iowa, and a sister, Karen Reiter of St. Paul, Minn. He leaves behind many nieces and nephews, who will always remember him as a great adventurer. May Jim rest in peace.
At his request, there was no service. His cremains were placed in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Dubuque and some were scattered in his beloved Alaska.
A memorial will be held for him from 3-6 p.m., Sunday, May 1, at Two Rivers Lodge.