Eli Smith and his team of sled dogs traveled from Nome to Washington DC (almost 8,000 miles round trip) so he could make Congress aware of Alaska's needs for roads and railways.
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| Wolf is the second on the right |
Eli Smith was a musher and prospector of gold. He had a good team of dogs and not a whole lot of luck with the gold. He was in Klondike before moving on to Nome for search of more gold. Before he left, Smith bought an injured wolf pup from a man who was not treating the animal good. Wolf healed nicely and was trained to pull the sled. Over time, his abilities made him team leader.
In late 1898 Smith, Wolf and the dogs (some huskies and some regular dogs) headed to Nome. Smith took very good care of his team, and the team took good care of him. Smith would take the time to make leather booties for the regular dogs to protect their paws from the ice, and during one exceptionally bad storm Wolf and the dogs pulled Eli safely through a fierce storm.
Smith's luck with finding gold in Nome was not good so he took a job delivering mail via mushing. The 350 mile route was rough and prone to storms, but Smith and his team managed. When Smith learned of an offer, with a large amount of money, he went for it. He knew they could do it - travel from Nome to Washington DC.
Alaska was in need of roads and railways, and though Alaska was not a territory at that time, the District of Alaska had a representative in Congress. Therefore, someone offered a $10,000 reward for any musher to make the trip to DC. In order to collect the money, he had to make it there by February 22, 1907 (before Congress adjourned), he had to meet with the president to discuss Alaska's needs, and he had to bring back a signed note from the president.
Smith, Wolf and his dogs left Nome on November 14, 1905. Except for the boat ride from Valdez to Seattle, the entire trip was done by dog sled. On the long trip, the dog sled team attracted much attention from the people and press. One farmer even offered to add wheels to the sled to make travel easier during the warm months. Smith accepted the offer.
On February 2, 1907 - almost 15 months later - the dog sled team arrived at the White House. Smith met President Teddy Roosevelt and the President met Wolf and the dogs. He could be heard by the press saying "Bully, Bully! Fine."
Roosevelt wrote the note so Smith could claim the reward, but it is unsure whether he collected it. After the journey, not much else is known about him. However, his obituary in a Fresno, California newspaper states that he died poor.