The Nansen Sledge to RCGS – John Wright
As most FIDS will know the dogs completed their final season down South with John Killingbeck and John Sweeny in 1993-94. The story of their removal from Rothera and final journey to Inukjuak on the East side of Hudson Bay is told in BAS Club Newsletter No. 32 Winter 1994.
The dogs’ Nansen sledge returned to Kevin Slater and Polly Mahoney at Mahoosuc Guides in Newry, Maine. (Kevin and Polly having played a major role in taking the dogs North). Kevin has always been very keen that the sledge should find a good home in a museum or similar location where it could help to tell the story of the dogs. Unfortunately no suitable location was found and the sledge remained in Kevin’s barn.
Continuing from Home Page…
A new impetus was provided in 2015 when Mark and Sue Hamilton, owners of the Fan Hitch, Website, and Publication of the Inuit Sled Dog, visited Kevin and Polly and saw the sledge. Given their involvement with the history of BAS doggy men via The Fan Hitch website, Mark and Sue had become friends with Bob Burton. They told Kevin that Bob might be able to help to find a suitable home for the sledge and upon his involvement there was talk of the sled returning South to one of the historic BAS bases, Stonington being an obvious possibility. However things became bogged down and the sledge continued to gather dust in Kevin’s barn.
It was during an Expedition cruise ship staff change that Bob Burton and I got talking about the sledge. Having recently become involved with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) it occurred to me that the Societies’ new HQ in Ottawa could be a suitable location especially as the OP Tabarin dogs came from Canada and it was to their ancestral homeland that the last team returned after a sad period of unexplained culling of Inuit dogs by the RCMP. Subsequent discussions with BAS and in particular John Killingbeck indicated that the idea would be supported and that it would be a very appropriate location to help tell they story of the dogs in both the Antarctic and Arctic.
The RCGS and Kevin were very keen on the idea so all we had to do was make it happen. There were some delays while BAS formally handed ownership of the sledge to Kevin but that had the advantage that BAS Director Jane Francis was able to express her support for the project. Once Kevin had clear title to the sledge he formally gifted it to the RCGS and we had it shipped to my home in Ontario……………
The (Nansen) sledge arrived from Kevin at the end of November. I gave it a light restoration which consisted of removing all the lash lines and tow line then giving it a good clean and a light coating of linseed oil. I made some “field” repairs to the handlebars and reinstated all the lines as they were when I received the sledge. No lashings have been replaced so it looks well used.
On Thursday we wrapped the sledge in plastic to prevent a layer of Ontario winter road dirt adhering to the linseed oil, loaded it onto a flatbed trailer and took it to the RCGS HQ in Ottawa where I handed it over to the very grateful and enthusiastic CEO John Geiger.
Plans for the future include a permanent display featuring the sledge and telling the story of the dogs in the Antarctic, the sad episode of the culling of Inuit dogs to the East of Hudson Bay, the journey of the BAS dogs to Inukjuak and the reestablishment of dog teams as in that area.
Once Covid is behind us there will be a lecture evening centred around the story of the sled and the dogs and this may be preceded by a day of activities for school children.
We hope that as many of you as possible will be able to come to Ottawa and I already have some of you pencilled in to speak! Of course any other FIDS will be welcome, we could have quite a party. Perhaps a BAS Club Canada reunion centred around the events – but I get ahead of myself.
Once he saw the sledge complete with one sledge box John Geiger was very keen that we should try to display it with a load so let me know if you have any boxes, P bags – or even a tent! etc. that you’d like to donate. Clothing would also add to the display.
John “Youth” Wright, GA – Halley 1977, Belgrano 1978