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Author Nickerson, Sheila B., author

Title Harnessed to the Pole : sledge dogs in service to American explorers of the Arctic, 1853-1909 / Sheila Nickerson
Published Fairbanks : University of Alaska Press, 2014
©2014

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Description 1 online resource
Contents 1. Jules Verne -- 2. Sir John Franklin -- 3. What Was the Greenland Dog? -- 4. Sledge or Sled? -- 5. Toodla and Whitey -- 6. Henry Bergh -- 7. Oosisoak and Arkadik -- 8. Disease and Diet -- 9. Dogs and Driver: The Essential Team -- 10. Seeking Companionship: When Dogs Were Not Available -- 11. Barbekark -- 12. Dogs as Showmen -- 13. Wolf, Smarty, Bear, Shoemaker, Tiger -- 14. Tommy the Cat and the Lemmings -- 15. Bear, Spike, and the Nameless Prisoners -- 16. Toekelegeto, Ublubliaq, Miqijuk -- 17. The Importance of Naming -- 18. Kasmatka, Snoozer, Bingo, Snuffy, Tom, Jack, Wolf -- 19. The Polar Bear -- 20. Gypsy, Old Sneak, Ritenbenk, Disco King -- 21. The Nameless -- 22. Heart-hungers -- 23. Nalegaksoah -- 24. Commemoration -- Chapter Notes -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary In the second half of the nineteenth century, an epic race was underway in some of the most brutal stretches on the planet. Explorers from around the world hoped to stake their claim on the Arctic, with the North Pole being the ultimate prize. Those with the greatest success found that the fastest way to travel was on four legs-using a team of hardworking sledge dogs. Harnessed to the Pole follows the adventures of eight American explorers and their dog teams, starting with Elisha Kent Kane and ending with Robert Peary, controversial claimant of the title of first to reach the North Pole. While history has long forgotten these "little camels of the north," Sheila Nickerson reveals how critical dogs were to the Arctic conquest. Besides providing transportation in extreme conditions, sledge dogs protected against wolves and polar bears, helped in hunting, found their way through storms, and provided warmth in extreme cold. They also faced rough handling, starvation, and the possibility of being left behind as expeditions plunged ahead. Harnessed to the Pole is an extraordinary-and unflinching-look at the dogs that raced to the top of the world
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes English
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Subject Sled dogs -- Arctic regions -- History
Sled dogs -- Arctic regions
Sled dogs -- United States
Dogsledding -- Arctic regions -- History
Explorers -- Arctic regions -- History
Explorers -- United States -- History
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Agriculture -- Animal Husbandry.
Discoveries in geography -- American
Dogsledding
Explorers
Sled dogs
SUBJECT Arctic regions -- Discovery and exploration -- American. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85006959
Subject Arctic Regions
United States
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781602232242
1602232245