The Washington herald., 1917-01-21
F Five-Hundred-Mile Dog Race
From Winnipeg to St. Paul

81 Louis. MINI. Jan. 2o.-Louis W. HILL
runway maxnate, has opened another
ehapter IN his diversified activities. As
president Of the st. Paul Outdoor Sports
ARRIVAL this most versatile son of the
ate James J. Hill will stage the greatest
enanrsnce dog run ever undertaken by
man and beast
He has sent into the Hudson Bay and
Lake Winnipeg districts and secured dog
teams Of the Husky. and St Bernard and
Hound Husky cross breeds to take part
IN the First Annual Red River Inter
national Derby, which promises to be-
come classic Mr.. Hills chief object
Is TO show to the world the great utility
OF these dog trains which furnish such
necessary means OF transportation 70
the trappers and 6sherrnen in the frozen
North Besides there Is q touch of senti-
nent IN his undertaking nee the course
over which these dogs I'll travel from
Winnipeg to st. Paul. a distance OF 800
miles, is the old Pembind trail over which
his father, the late james j. Hill,
travelled on dog sledges many times In
the early days before he built his Great
Northern Railway.
January "A. shortly after noon. ten Of
these Canadian dog tra.ns hltched to
"csrry-alls" (toboggan-l1.e sleds) will
start from the winnip, Free Press
the St. Paul Outdoor Sports Carnival.
which will be In full swing that week.
Icelaaders and Cree Indians will pit
their own endurance and that of their
dogs against each other IN this event
The dogs entered in the competition VIII
be those regularly used IN the mtdwinter
fishing and trapping industries OF Lake
Winnipeg and the Hudson Bay districts.
The Pembina Tran Winnipeg to 81.
Paul. over which the Red River Dog
Derby is to be run, is a straightaway
course close to 500 miles. Dog train
runners figure this race will be run In
about eighty-siX hours.
Each of the dog trains entered in the
endurance run will consist Of at least six
animals. one man going with each team
They will go-as-they-please, stopping to
Rrest and feed their dogs and themselves
wherever they chose. Starting out with
at least two days food for themselves and
kogs, their supplies OF provender will be
shipped on to them TO be picked up at
various points along the route. These pic
turesque Icelander and Indian dog run
ners each carry a kettle. They stop by
the tgailside at Intervals Of about three
hours to make tea for themselves and
rest their dogs during these twenty min
ute stops.
The dogs are fed frozen fish. The white
fish being oiliest, is their best morseL
Bread. tea and fried hsh furnish an
energiZing diet fo- the sturdy dog run
ner He Is a durable running machine
the best American college athlete can
readily admire, for II is not unusual for
these Icelander and Indian dog train
men to run thirty or forty miles Of their
days journey behind their sledges.
For example, Capt. Baldwin Anderson.
who has one Of his dog teams entered in
the Red River Derby, although 80 years
, old. find II no hard task to step" forty
miles in a day behind his team when
bringing a load oS fish from the middle
of frozen Lake Winnipeg to the hshing
station. whence the product Is carried
the rest OF the journey TO the railway by
horse freighters.
The dogs select d for the Red River
Derby are the hardest OF the entire
''popU alton Of 1,OOO'' now registered In
the Canadian Northwest. They are all
broth rs, sisters and cousins to the 100
dogs AIKEN from the Lake Winnipeg and
>IIudsJn Bay districts by Sir Ernest
NshakeIton, noted English explorer. on his