Mail carrier Eli Smith and his sled dog team arrived in front of the White House on February 20, 1907. Smith alternated between skis and wheels during this landmark 15-month journey from Nome to Washington, D.C. to deliver a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt.
One intrepid postman set out from Nome in November 1905 with his team of dogs, led by a wolf, on a 15-month odyssey that would test his resolve and capture the public's imagination.
Eli Smith, a seasoned mail carrier from Nome, embarked on an epic 8,000-mile trek to Washington D.C., all to settle a high-stakes wager.
Born around 1855 in Wisconsin, Smith led a life of adventure long before his famous mushing expedition that would test the limits of human and canine endurance. He worked various jobs across the American West, including as a butcher in Montana, a cattleman in Idaho, and a steward on Hudson Bay Company ferries.
The allure of gold eventually drew him to the Klondike, where he tried his hand at prospecting. By the early 1900s, Smith had settled in Nome, where he found his calling as a mail carrier. The bet that would change Smith's life arose from a heated debate among Nome's miners and mail carriers: Could a sled dog team make it from Nome to Washington D.C.?
The miners said no, while the mail carriers insisted it was possible. As the argument intensified, Tex Rickard, a famous sports promoter and owner of the Northern Saloon, offered a substantial wager: deliver a letter from Judge Alfred Moore to the White House by May 1, 1907, for a prize of $10,000-almost $360,000 in today's currency-and the letter carrier had to fund the journey himself and not accept donations along the way.
Smith, known for his speed and endurance on the Seward Peninsula mail routes, accepted the challenge. On Nov. 14, 1905, he set out from Nome with his team of dogs. Some sources say he mushed his dog team to Valdez, boarded a steamer to Seattle, and then continued their trek overland through the continental United States. However, a diary found after his death in 1948 said he actually mushed from Nome to Fairbanks to Edmonton and on down into the Lower 48.
"It was an up and downhill pull so to speak," Smith later said. "Sometimes, the trail was bad. I did not ride in the sled but took my place in the team, playing the part of the eighth dog."
On a good day, Smith and his team could cover 25 miles, with his best day reportedly spanning an impressive 116 miles in the Northwest. The unusual sight of a man and his sled dogs traveling through American towns and cities created a sensation. Each new location brought crowds of curious onlookers and press coverage.
After 15 grueling months on the trail, Smith and his team arrived in Washington D.C. on February 20, 1907, ahead of the May 1 deadline. He delivered his letter to President Theodore Roosevelt and collected the $10,000 bet.
But Smith's adventure didn't end there. In addition to the main wager, he had a side bet to mush to each state capital. After a brief rest back in Alaska, he then toured the eastern half of the country and had turned westward by 1911.
The admission of Arizona as the 48th state in January 1912 added an extra challenge to Smith's state capital tour. He reached Oklahoma by March, Texas in April, and Arizona in October of that year.
With just one state left, Smith took another break before finally arriving in Sacramento, California, in May 1913, completing his tour of all 48 state capitals. Smith's incredible journey made him a celebrity, but fame proved fleeting.
By the early 1940s, his wife had left him, and he had lost all his money in a failed mining venture. Smith found himself living as an unknown, penniless resident in a Chico, California, nursing home until his death at age 92 on January 13, 1948.
Having no known relatives, the nursing home staff went through his belongings and found a carefully preserved collection of newspaper clippings and a diary detailing Smith's adventures dating back to his time in Wisconsin. This discovery led to a final round of press coverage, bringing Smith's remarkable story back into the public eye one last time.
This column features tidbits found while researching Alaska's colorful past for Aunt Phil's Trunk, a five-book Alaska history series written by Laurel Downing Bill and her late aunt, Phyllis Downing Carlson. The books, including the newest titled Pioneers From Alaska's Past, are available at bookstores and gift shops throughout Alaska, as well as online at www.auntphilstrunk.com.
