Tag Archives: mushing

Spirit of the Wind

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Helen Hegener

The award-winning 1979 movie Spirit of the Wind is based upon the early life and rise to prominence of the legendary Athabaskan trapper and dog musher George Attla, Jr., Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, Iditarod, Movies, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Transportation, Uncategorized, Videos | Tagged George Attla, Iditarod, mushing, Northern Light Media, Spirit of the Wind | 2 Comments

History of Sled Dogs

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Helen Hegener

Scheduled for publication in the fall of 2022 by Northern Light Media, The History of Sled Dogs in North America, by Helen Hegener and several contributing writers, will tell the many and varied stories of the teams of working sled dogs which helped shape the future of the continent, whether hauling the mail, gold, freight, passengers, or racing each other for winning purses for their owners. Continue reading →

Posted in Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Transportation | Tagged mushing, mushing history, sled dogs | Leave a comment

The Yukon Quest Trail

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Helen Hegener

The 2020 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race begins in Fairbanks at 11:00 am on February 1, and runs to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; the Yukon Quest 300 starts at 3:00 pm the same day and runs to Circle, on the Yukon River. There are many exciting books about the race, and many written by the mushers who have run the race, but one book focuses on the trail between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, highlighting the incredible route followed by those mushers who accept the very real challenge of the Yukon Quest. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog Races, Yukon Quest | Tagged Alaska, Dawson City, Eric Vercammen, Fairbanks, Helen Hegener, Lance Mackey, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, Robert Service, Scott Chesney, sled dog race, sled dog racing, sled dogs, The Spell of the Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon Quest | Leave a comment

Mush with PRIDE

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Helen Hegener

The organization Mush with P.R.I.D.E., established in 1991 as an organization of mushers who were concerned about the care of sled dogs and public perceptions of mushing, supports the responsible care and humane treatment of all dogs, and is dedicated to enhancing the care and treatment of sled dogs in their traditional and modern uses. Continue reading →

Posted in Iditarod, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Yukon Quest | Tagged Iditarod, kennels, Mush with P.R.I.D.E., Mush with PRIDE, mushing, organizations, sled dogs, Yukon Quest | 1 Comment

Project Jukebox: Mushing

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Helen Hegener

“Dog Mushing in Alaska” highlights stories related to the history of dog mushing in Alaska, showcasing historic oral history interviews and incorporating new recordings into the collection. The recordings included in this project represent various aspects of dog mushing, including traditional use, freighting, mail carrying, recreational use, tourism, sled building, trail systems, dog care, and racing. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Iditarod, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Dr. Roland Lombard, Effie Kokrine, gee-pole, George Attla, Grant Pearson, Herbie Nayokpuk, interviews, Joe Redington, Mary Shields, Moses Cruikshank, mushing, oral history, Project Jukebox, UAF | Leave a comment

The Origins of Mushing

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Helen Hegener

“I find in the book, ‘The World of Sled Dogs,’ by Lorna Coppinger, that the earliest historical records of the use of sled dogs in the Siberian subarctic appear in Arabian literature of the tenth century; in writings of Marco Polo in the thirteenth century; and of Francesco de Kollo in the sixteenth.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged Bering Strait, dog teams, Eskimos, Fridjof Nansen, Frobisher, Historic Navigations, Ibn Batuta, Iditarod, In Northern Mists, Lorna Coppinger, mushing, mushing history, Sled Dog Tales, sledges, Wrangell, Yukon Quest | Leave a comment

The Call of the Wild

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, was published in 1903, and the story is set in the Yukon during the 1890’s Klondike Gold Rush—a period when strong sled dogs were in high demand. Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Gold Rush History, Sled Dog History | Tagged Alaska, Classic Books, Jack London, Klondike gold rush, mushing, The Call of the Wild | Comments Off

Kindle Edition: The First Iditarod

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Helen Hegener

“Musher after musher agrees that no one – racers or officials – knew what to expect.” ~Bill Sherwonit in Iditarod: The Great Race to Nome (Alaska Northwest Books, 1991) The First Iditarod Mushers’ Tales From the 1973 Race On a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Alaska, Book Reviews, eBook, Iditarod, Joe Redington, Kindle, mushing, sled dog race, sled dogs | Leave a comment

Great Trail Dogs

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Helen Hegener

“For years, with great dogs, I toiled and often with them was in great perils. Much of my work was accomplished by their aid. So I believe in dogs, and here in this book I have written of some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged Alaska, “Iron Man” Johnson, Baldy, Balto, BLM Alaska, Fritz, Helen Hegener, Iditarod Trail, Kolyma, Leonhard Seppala, Mary Joyce, mushing, Northern Light Media, Rembrandt, Scotty Allan, Serum Run, sled dogs, Slim Williams, Togo, Wolf | Leave a comment

The First Iditarod

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Helen Hegener

The First Iditarod: Mushers’ Tales from the 1973 Race, by Helen Hegener “We got a storm back about Rainy Pass and the trail was covered over; we had no trail, so Victor Kotongan, Bud Smyth and I spent about three … Continue reading →