July 17,1897 – “Dogs have suddenly become more valuable than horses in this section of the northwest. This unique condition of affairs results from the great and growing demand for dogs to be used in hauling sledges in the Yukon country, Alaska.

“While thousands of horses, for which their owners cannot get three dollars per head, are roaming over the plains of eastern Washington and Oregon, good-sized canines are bringing from $15 to $30 each in the local market. At Juneau their value is double that sum, and on the Yukon River a good dog brings $100.

“The native Yukon dog is much more valuable than the importations from Puget Sound. To the Yukon miner the dog has become what the reindeer is to the Laplander and the pony to the cowboy of Texas and Mexico – a beast of service and a most valuable one.

“Every steamer sailing for Alaska for three months past has borne northward several dozen canines destined for service in front of heavily laden sledges. They are taken by boats to Dyea, at the head of salt-water navigation, and there put into harness to assist in hauling the precious outfits and supplies over the Chilkot pass and down the farther slopes to the series of freshwater lakes forming the headwaters of the Yukon tributaries.

“Up to May, when the ice breaks up, dog teams glide over the smooth surfaces of the lakes with a surprising rapidity, considering the loads they are hauling.”

(Lawrence Daily World – Lawrence, Kansas)