Denali’s sled dogs at 100: from a $45 purchase in 1922 to snow science

In 1922 the superintendent of what was then Mount McKinley National Park, Harry Karstens, bought the park’s first seven sled dogs for 45 dollars each, which the article puts at more than 790 dollars in present-day money. Within eight years the kennel held over 40 dogs. In 2022 the kennels at Denali National Park and Preserve marked 100 years of operation, and the dogs are still working. This piece comes from the “Picture This” section of Park Science magazine (Volume 36, Number 2, Winter 2022), written by the kennels’ manager, David Tomeo.

The 2022 centennial puppies at Denali’s sled dog kennels, named after some of the kennels’ first dogs: Mike, Bos’n and Skipper. NPS photo.

What the dogs do

The Park Service has many charismatic staff members, the author writes, but perhaps none so appealing as Denali’s sled dogs. They are working dogs that help park staff and scientists carry out the agency’s mission, assisting with patrols and conservation work in the park’s two million acres of federally designated wilderness. The park’s historic patrol cabins shelter staff on long patrols into the backcountry, and the dog teams that carry them wait outside.

A team of sled dogs waits outside Thorofare Cabin in Denali National Park and Preserve. NPS photo.

Two sleds parked in front of Sanctuary Cabin. NPS photo.

Sledding for science

During winter 2022-2023 the dogs were to carry the park’s scientific staff to remote vegetation plots in the Wonder Lake area to gather snow-depth data. The scientists use these field data to “ground-truth,” or verify, maps made from satellite imagery that show when parts of the landscape become free of snow. The study is meant to show how vegetation and topography influence how much snow gathers on the land and for how long. Its study sites were established in the 1950s, so the long-term dataset adds to what is known about the park’s changing landscapes.

Denali sled dogs Royal and Smore. NPS photo.

Staff scientists today help uphold the century-old tradition while working to preserve the park’s wilderness and the region’s unique cultural heritage.

Sources

• National Park Service, Park Science magazine (Volume 36, Number 2, Winter 2022), “Sledding for Science: Denali’s Sled Dog Kennels Celebrate 100 Years of Operation” by David Tomeo, manager of the sled dog kennels at Denali National Park and Preserve; rewritten in hubnx’s own words.