Allan Alexander "Scotty" Allan, born in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

in 1867, who died in 1941, was a Scottish-born American dog

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 ...

, businessman and politician. In 1907, several mushers based in

Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...

, calling themselves the Nome Kennel Club, which promoted the breeding of dog teams and sponsored the

All Alaska Sweepstakes The was an annual dog-sled race held in Alaska during April. Mushers traveled from Nome to Candle, traveling along the Bering Strait, and then return to Nome. Between 1908 and 1917 the race was held ten times. Due to the United States' invol ...

race. The Sweepstakes, whose route goes from Nome to

Candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...

, was organized for the first time in 1908. With Baldy as his lead dog, Allan reached the podium eight times in the Sweepstakes, including three victories in 1911, 1912 and 1914. His exploits during these races inspired

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

for the main character of '' Call of the Wild''. He formed a duo with

Esther Birdsall Darling Esther Birdsall Darling was an American author and poet; she also opened and ran a sled dog kennel in Alaska. She studied at Mills College and traveled in Europe in her youth. After her marriage in 1907 she moved to Nome, Alaska, where her hus ...

mushers a duo and together they ride their own breeding, "Allan Darling and Kennel". During the course of World War 1, Scotty was contacted by an officer in the French Army who had previously lived in Nome to help him secure 100 lead sled dogs to serve on the front lines in snow-bound regions of France. Scotty procured and escorted the dogs across Canada and the Atlantic Ocean during war time, under threat of sabotage and U-boats. The dogs eventually served in the Vosges area, and earned the Croix De Guerre.

Racing history

References

External links

A. A. Allen
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' 1867 births 1941 deaths Dog mushers from Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature 20th-century American politicians People from Nome, Alaska Scottish emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from Dundee People from Dundee Politicians from Dundee {{Alaska-politician-stub

Racing history

See also

References

External links