The Seward gateway., 1921-01-21
scO1IY AlLAM,k|NG .OF b0e eMUsHtRs , ,.,Qf..ALL ALASKA
: (Sunset Magazine)

(Sunset Magazine)
 He was christened Allan Alexan- Ger Allan. Poetic "chechakos" (new- comers) to the Land of the Great White silence that borders on the frozen Circle call him King of the Arc. tic Trails, but to 'tsourdoughs" he is ai:ectionately "Scotty" Allan the grea, s. dog musher that ever made track n Alaska. In land where people de ,cnd on the huslie and his driver fol heir very existence during the long winter this means that a man must be possessed of indomitable courage, phy- sical endurance, fleetness of foot anL m intentive love for dogs that wil. bring them safely through the hazard. the wastes of houseless snows, tn, frozen rivers and treacherous ice-fii- ed canyons of the North.
 Twenty-four years ago Scotty, the, ] lad not long from his native Scot md, "broke dogs" for the Royal Nor. west Mounted Police at Dawson. Ther> was something in his voice that woi the wild heart of the wolf-dog after Canadian half-breed ttmushers" i'm ,orted, for the purpose had failed.
 In the golden days of Nome, a cit! cebound from November until Jun, here were no cross country trails ol ,oadhouses. Even among the mos, fearless adventurers it was difficult o find one brave enough to carry tho mail across fifteen hundred miles O. .rackless empire to Valdez, where tn, .teamers from the states called. With lothing but map, often inaccurate, and a compass to guide him, Scotty Allan was the first to set out on the long dangerous journey. Man and dogs battled every mile of the way that slipped behind the shining runners. Three dollars and more for each letter carried was paid in those days but the a,oney had no purchasing power on g irip where for hundreds of miles there vas not 8 stick of wood to make a fire and not habitation in which to make a shelter. But the return to Nome! There must have been some compensation in the welcome. To those awaiting news of their loved ones in the States there was no sight in al. that land of beauty and majesty that could thrill them as did the first sight of Scotty, frost covered but undaunt- d and debonair, at the handle bars of his sled, flashing down that last stretch of silver trail, every decorat- i've tail on his parka dancing, every sleighbell ringing, every pointed nosed pink-tounged husky in his team laugh Ing and waving a proud plume of a :ail! To the cheering Northerners mail day was an epoch and Scotty a hero.
 .Allans local reputation became in- sernational after his wonderful work in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes the an nuai dog races that turned the eyes of the world toward Nome. A writer on Alaska has sad:
 "For the unexpected and exciting and as a test of speed and endurance i. is doubtful if the sport has it's equal anywhere. Over hundreds of miles of snsw swept wastes, the route lies be- tween towering ice hummucks op the 5ering Seas over wide plains of un- broken snow; up and down steep hill sides: through desolate valleys where the fierce north wind, laden with fine particles of snow sweeps; over the ice of lakes and rivers. Nowhere else does the world know such course"
 It was over this four hundred and twelve mile course that Allan drove