Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-04-09

NJ OF tho most picturesque
races bon the world is THE ALI
! Alaska SVoorstIkcs. The
course H n2 miles in length.
and dogs. NOT horses. ate used Co cover
tine distance. Indeed. the dog is the
only creature that could negotiate such
3D. course. Tor 10 is nothing but 90 droary
vast. of .ee and SNOW The race starts
100 Nomp. ou the Seward peninsula, n
jap northern Alaska From here the
.r..s runs t0 candle, another mining
.tuG6eut aud from there back 90 the
HeHul s.a and thence home 60 Nome
Tbe race takes place on the first day
of April ana is now an established in-
.uuton being run under the manage
meut ot the Nome Kennel club. How
tn Derby OF the Fan North came
into existence BE- au interesting story
$50 sooner bad man penetrated into this
unacceptable region. seeking the
precious metal than he recognized the
value off dogs for rapid transport from
one place Co another Dawson city was
mot Eve years old before there were mo-
fewer than 5000 dogs regularly em-
pIuyod hy carriers, miners and others
u and around this single city
CARRY THE MAILS
Both the United States and Canadian
roternmcnts took dogs into their serv-
Icc for carrying the malls. and 60 this
day they are still employed at this
work From Dawson city "a weekly
service is maintained throughout the
q ~
Yukon river and also with Nome. over
l. iO0 miles away. across frozen. barren
and dosolatc country. IL is the longest
coolest aud most dangerous post route
in the world. Ira the depth Of winter.
when the thermometer registers go
degrees below zero the post-dogs make
their Journeys without so much as a
groVl OF complaint. and with but few
exceptions these dogs have delivered
their letters on time. these Instances
being when they have been literally
buried for days under a raging bliz-
zlrd
with 70 many dogs in the country II
was not long before the miners intro
duced the sport Of dog-team racing.
Clubs were formed. and the crack
teams OF these institutions pitted
against one another. These early races
were never long affairs usually from
one settlement TO another and back, a
Journey occupying perhaps five or six
hours Then came longer distances, In
which the races took the greater part
Of day During the long winter
months am the talk I'm the mining camps
was concerning the dogs and what they
could accomplish. Thousand Of dollars
were wagered on this or that team. IL
was the one sport In which the miner
could indulge IN this cold and desolate
land
Finally the leading sporting spirits
Of the Nome Kennel club decided Ca
organize a long distance race TO show
the world what the dogs could actually
accomplish At first II was suggested
that they should race all the way "a
Dawson city. that being the longest
trial in the remarkable country. Many
objections. however. were raised TO this
proposition. and az last the Nome
candle nome trail was decided upon.
The first race took place In April
iqOS so that at the time OF writing only
ITO OF these strange derbys have beer
run The first event, however. was the
result OF months Of effort The winter
had not hong set In before everyon'
was talking OF the coming race, an,
clubs for the breeding and improvement
Of dogs were organized The men VII,
Intended 10 enter a team began 10 loOi
round for suitable animals. and on al
hands the respective merits Of tn,
Eskimo huskie. malamute and half
breed were hotly discussed Dogs were
purchased and tested along the trail
Fabulous prices were often paid fol