History of Huslia

Yukon here,

I am old but I don't remember the good old days. I was on Facebook and Danny Seavey, son of Mitch, brother of, Dallas, grandson of Dan, had this great article so I thought I would share it.  

This is copied from Facebook. 

Seavey's IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours

Huslia Hustlers - a history of mushing according to Danny Seavey, who does not have a history degree.

If you've ever visited Alaska, you know that many towns claim to be the 'home of' or 'start of' the ‪#‎Iditarod‬. Seward, Anchorage, Wasilla, Knik, Willow, Nenana, and Fairbanks all have varying claims on the title. But to really find the birthplace of modern mushing, you have to mush 493 miles down the Yukon River from any of them, to the Athabaskan village of Huslia, population 275 and dwindling.

Mushing (with more than one dog) was actually brought to Alaska by Scandinavian trappers and miners. As much as it pains me to admit it, these "new" Norwegian mushers actually have a much longer mushing heritage than Alaskans.

The Norwegians had found the Siberian husky while crossing Siberia in search of Sable. The Chukchi Indians had used them since at least 2000 BC, and the trappers or "promyshlenniki" were quick to recognize that mushing beat the heck out of walking. Sled dogs were also used in Iroquois Canada, where the French coined the term 'marche,' or 'mush' in English. (Even the French have more of a history than us - thus Nick Petit and Isabelle Travadon)

Once sled dogs were introduced to Alaska, the Native peoples perfected the art. Sled dogs driven by Norwegians and Natives were a huge part of the Gold Rush, were made famous by the All Alaska Sweepstakes from 1908-1917, and captivated the nation during the Serum Run to Nome in 1925.

However, once the gold dried up, the Europeans left, but the Native peoples kept the sled dog as a means of transportation, and none were better than the Huslians (yes, I just made that word up). Their I-don't-care-what-it-looks-like-as-long-as-it-wants-to-mush approach to breeding separated the modern Alaskan husky from the purebred Siberian. They had regular village races, and Huslia was the center of the mushing world for the next 50 years.

Sled dog racing came back to the cities in 1946 in the form of the Fur Rondezvous World Championship 'Rondy' in Anchorage. If you've followed the news lately, I'm sure you're aware of the passing of mushing legend George Attla, the Huslia Hustler, who won the Rondy 10 times. Less known is the fact that George Attla was just one in a long line of Huslia Hustlers. Jimmy Huntington, Warner and Bobby Vent, and many others made the name famous before Attla. They would mush in from the village, kick butt, and mush off into the sunset. It was years before the rest of the world caught up with the Huslians - literally and figuratively - in terms of dog mushing.

When my grandpa Dan Seavey first came to Alaska - a story excellently told in his book the 'First Great Race,' any dog from Huslia was a prize, you really had something if you could get a Huslia Sled Dog. My favorite book growing up was Jimmy Huntington's 'On The Edge Of Nowhere.' It's an awesome story of life in the village, and well worth the read.

Huslia has never been on the Iditarod route before, but based on the welcome they have given the mushers, and the mushers' obvious awe of the place, I would be surprised if it's the last.

Danny Seavey