Dogsled
Object
2003.3.1
This sled is made of wood with metal guards on the tips of the upcurved runners at the front, and metal along the bottom of the curved runners. The handles are curved down for grip, and are painted blue, as is the rear sled frame. A blue painted metal brake is attached in the centre of the rear frame; this brake is flipped down with the musher's foot to dig in the snow and slow the sled. The top of the sled is made of two slats of wood that run between the outer frames and are supported along the sides by 6 uprights that attach vertically to the runners. The rear runners are reinforced with two shaped pieces of wood on each side and are curved upwards.
Ed Whitehouse's mail delivery sled, used for mushing from Dawson City to Stewart River, and Stewart River to Scroggie Creek, during the years 1928-1929. His load sometimes weighed as much as 500 lbs. Whitehouse sometimes brought furs to town from trappers who lived in the remote areas along his delivery route.
Whitehouse's dog team once saved his life when his sled went through the Yukon River ice. They pulled both their musher and his sled out of the water, then hauled them to the nearest cabin. Yukon sled dogs are known to be very trail savvy. They can detect barely perceptible weak areas of ice and open water, and find their way home even in the worst weather and visibility.