Ben Downing: Yukon Mail Carrier
Allan C. 2014. Ben Downing: Yukon Mail Carrier
Ben Downing arrived in Dawson during the Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush looking for a paying claim. Unable to do so, he took a job as a mail carrier, with a 600-mile route from Dawson down the Yukon to the mouth of the Tanana River. A team of eight to ten sled dogs helped Downing carry mail, passengers, and cargo along the dangerous route during the winter months. After an accident during a mail run, Downing insisted upon completing the delivery and lost four toes to frostbite.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Allan, Chris
- Date of Issue
- 2014
- Units
- YUCH
- Keywords
- Ben Downing, Dawson, dog-sled mail carriers, Yukon River, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve