In 1928 Commander Richard E Byrd was organising his first Antarctic expedition. Byrd hired Walton as chief dog driver for the expedition, and put him in charge of what he called “assembling the dogs”. Walden, who had been in Alaska at the turn of the 19th century, contracted with his old friend Scotty Allen in Alaska, to bring down the best sled dogs he could find. Among the dogs that Allen arrived with were several Alaskan Malamutes, a bigger, heavier, freighting type dog. These dogs impressed Short Seeley.

 

When Walden returned from Antarctica in 1930 he sold his kennel to the Seeleys who moved it to its present location just to the east. The kennel was contracted to supply dogs to Byrd for the second expedition, and became a popular tourist attraction, where visitors could view memorabilia in a museum (the museum is currently in the process of being renovated). After the return of the second Byrd expedition in 1938, Admiral Byrd came to Chinook to dedicate a bronze plaque “To all the noble dogs….”.

 

  

Short Seeley was instrumental in obtaining, in 1935, American Kennel Club recognition for the Alaskan Malamute...