Photograph of postcard of transporting US mail in Alaska

Unidentified mail contractors pose with sled and dog team for the sepia photograph postcard. Dog sleds transported mail in some areas of the northern United States and the Alaskan Territory during winter months. Contract carriers used these sleds across Alaska from the late nineteenth century into the early 1920s. Isolated for much of the year, remote populations sometimes relied on dog sleds for contact with the outside world. Because weight was a critical factor for the dogs, mail traveling on sleds was usually restricted to first-class pieces unless room was available for newspapers, magazines, and packages. These items were otherwise left behind until spring, when they might be transported by steamboat or wagon.

National Postal Museum, Curatorial Photographic Collection

Photographer: Unknown

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