Biederman Camp and Mail Carriers on the Yukon River
Allan C. 2014. Biederman Camp and Mail Carriers on the Yukon River
After hearing of the 1900 Nome gold strike, Ed Beiderman arrived in the Yukon River area to look for a claim. Instead, the Northern Commercial Company offered him a mail carrying job along a 160-mile stretch of the Yukon River. The route from Eagle to Circle took around 12 days (round-trip), with a good dog-team and favorable conditions. In 1918, Beiderman built a cabin along his route and later married the Athabascan granddaughter of Yukon Flats chief Shahnyaati, Bella Roderick. In 1925, Biederman was forced to adopt an unfamiliar dog-team due to an accident with his seasoned dogs. On a mail run, the new team drove him through a creek and portions of his frostbitten feat were later amputated. By 1938, airplane pilots took over mail delivery and dog-team carriers were phased out of service.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Allan, Chris
- Date of Issue
- 2014
- Units
- YUCH
- Keywords
- Adolph Ed Bierderman, Bella Roderick, dog sled mail carriers, Yukon River, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve