Dog sleds were about the only speedy means of transportation around the turn of the century when snow blanketed the Island Park area in the winter. Humans, being human, turned transportation into a contest. Dogs, being dogs, went along with it, probably with a lot of eager huffing and some brag-barking of their own.
One of the oldest dog sled races in the country takes place each February in Ashton. The American Dog Derby is billed as “The oldest all-American dog sled race.” It celebrated its centennial in January 2017. You already know, if you’ve done your math, that the first race took place in 1917. Wikipedia throws a little water on the “oldest” claim by pointing out that there was a dog sled race in Truckee, California during the winter of 1914-15. The Ashton race seems to have the longest history in any case, though there were a few years it wasn’t run.
The race merited full-page coverage on February 14, 1926, in a story that was capped off with this observation: “Ashton is on the way to the dogs again, as it goes annually, when for a day the little town on the fringe of the Targhee forest is the sport capital of the nation while its famous dog derby is run.”
Tud Kent, who won the first American Dog Derby in 1917, was favored to win the 1926 race, according to the Statesman (below).
This year's Derby will be held on February 18. For details, check out their Facebook Page.
One of the oldest dog sled races in the country takes place each February in Ashton. The American Dog Derby is billed as “The oldest all-American dog sled race.” It celebrated its centennial in January 2017. You already know, if you’ve done your math, that the first race took place in 1917. Wikipedia throws a little water on the “oldest” claim by pointing out that there was a dog sled race in Truckee, California during the winter of 1914-15. The Ashton race seems to have the longest history in any case, though there were a few years it wasn’t run.
The race merited full-page coverage on February 14, 1926, in a story that was capped off with this observation: “Ashton is on the way to the dogs again, as it goes annually, when for a day the little town on the fringe of the Targhee forest is the sport capital of the nation while its famous dog derby is run.”
Tud Kent, who won the first American Dog Derby in 1917, was favored to win the 1926 race, according to the Statesman (below).
This year's Derby will be held on February 18. For details, check out their Facebook Page.
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