Chinook's Autograph Holiday Card

The transformative sled dog Chinook was Admiral Byrd's lead dog in his 1929 Antarctic expedition. at 11 years old he was the old man of the expedition. According to Byrd “He [Chinook] was old when brought to the Antarctic, too old for hard, continuous labour, and Walden used him as a kind of “shock troop,” throwing him onto a team when the going turned very hard. Then the gallant heart of the old dog would rise above the years and pull with the glorious strength of a three-year-old.” This copy of his autograph was created by placing his paw in a can of cold ashes and then transferring his paw print to paper. The original has been lost to history but this copy remains. As for Chinook, his lineage carried on in the breed that now bears his name. In 1930 The NH Legislature paid tribute to one of the greatest lead dogs in history by naming New Hampshire Route 113A from Tamworth to Wonalancet  ‘The Chinook Trail’ in his memory.