Albert Campbell (17 April 1894 – 30 November 1961) was French-

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

(

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

) Canadian

musher Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly ...

and

trapper Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

. He gained popularity as a Canadian "national hero" after winning the 1917 Red River Derby sled dog race.

Life

Campbell was born in

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

to the family of a Cree father John Campbell (1875 – 1917) and a French mother Adeline Beauchamp (1877 – ?). He won ''The Pas Dog Derby'' in 1916, the first annual of long dog sled race held in his hometown as a part of ''Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival''. However, he became best known in 1917 for winning the ''Red River Derby'', the

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

–

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

dog sled race, which was part of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival organized by the ''Saint Paul Outdoor Sports Carnival Association'' from 27 January to 3 February 1917. His younger brother Gabriel, who also competed in the race, finished in fourth place. According to Campbell, his father had died two weeks before the race started, and his last words were "win that race, my boy." The race gained such widespread popularity that the Canadian government was reporting the news of the Campbell brothers' progress to the Canadian troops fighting overseas in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Albert Campbell died on 30 November 1961. He is buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In popular culture

The 1994 Disney film '' Iron Will'', is based on Campbell's American competitor in the 1917 race, Fred Hartman, although the fictionalized protagonist features some elements of Campbell's story (for example, the death of his father shortly before winning the race). The film features two Native American racers, but depicts them coming in second and third places.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Albert Canadian dog mushers 1894 births 1961 deaths Sportspeople from Manitoba People from The Pas Métis sportspeople Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)