A Stalwart Dog Survives the Chilkoot Avalanche
The notation in an old album read: "Shorty Fisher's dog Jack who lived
8 days under a snowslide." The picture speaks volumes about the role of
the sled dog in the North. On April 3, 1898, tons of wet snow buried hundreds
of stampeders struggling up "The Scales" in the Chilkoot Pass. Volunteers
dug for days to rescue the living and retrieve the dead. Jack the dog
was among the living, and by the time the picture in the album was taken
on April 30, he was back in the harness, hauling supplies to the gold
fields. Mongrels of all sorts were pressed into service, but a good sled
dog was worth its weight in gold.
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Used with
permission.
Gold Rush Centennial Task Force, State of Alaska.
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