Commercial Row; sled dog race on almost bare ground; away we go
Description: Masonic Hall, looking west; crowd watching sled dog race
Photographer/artist:
Date taken: Mid 1920s
Photo location: Downtown Truckee, Front Street, Commercial Row
Type: photo
Subject: Commercial Row Sled Dog Race
County:
Source: TDHS Collection
References:
Contributor:
Notes: Original photo is 3 MB. Reviewing the 1931 Truckee Republican, February 19, page 1, mentions a woman musher, Thula Geelan [or Gulan], McCall, Idaho who wins the dog race derby. The title of that article "Thula Geelan Wins Derby In Close Race with McCoy". Additionally, an article retrieved from Newspapers.com, in the Reno Gazette-Journal from Feb. 1, 1930, p. 14 - the year before - also mentions a woman musher - an unusual site. See this link. The title of a segment of that article is "Striking Figure". The article continues: "Thula, twenty-four-year-old girl, lean and wiry as any man, clad in a flashing red tunic and leather helmet was the popular favorite. Pitting her skill against veteran men drivers of the West, she was first away from the starting line, and was first to reach the half-way mark at Truckee, with men at two minute intervals behind her, never catching up." Thula could definitely be the name of this woman musher.
