#packvs.individual

[caninesofthewest-blog]

“Fire engine drawn by dogs to fire in Dawson,” 1899.

In 1896, one of the largest Klondike gold rushes occurred in Dawson City, Yukon prompting many miners from western states to embark on the long trek to Dawson City to try to make their fortune. Reaching Dawson City required a steamship trip from Seattle to Alaska’s inside passage, hiking the Chilkoot or White Pass Trail by foot and then floating down the Yukon River. Given such difficult conditions, horses were likely not available to draw the fire engines in the newly settled town resulting in the reliance on teams of dogs and men to pull the local fire engine, how innovative!

This item resides at the Mountain West Digital Library.

[caninesofthewest-blog]

“Men with dog,” undated.

Shown in this photograph are two Basque men that look to be joking with each other while sitting on a stone ledge in the company of border collies dogs around the area of Reno, Nevada, likely taken between the 1910s and 1930s. The Basque Country is located along the western Pyrenees Mountain range in between the border of France and Spain. Basque immigration to Nevada began in the 1870s as the best settlement properties were taken up in California, many were employed as shepherds providing wool and mutton to local mining communities. The photographed men seem to fit that description, but where are the sheep?

This item resides at the Mountain West Digital Library.