The Iron Dog

The Iron Dog. Named by villagers when the first snowmobiles came to Alaska. , The "Iron Dog" or Snowmobile transformed village life in the 1960's when it began to replace dog teams as the main mode of winter travel., In the late 50's, the Polaris Company of Minnesota released the original Sno-Traveler. Although the builders were confident in the design, the public was not. To convince them that the Sno-Traveler was a worthy machine, in March 1960 Polaris sponsored a 1200-mile expedition across Alaska. It recieved [sic] international media attention and the succes[s]ful completion of the expedition showcased the snowmobile to the world, and proved that the "Iron Dog" was here to stay., Over the coming decades, Snowmobiles, or "Snowmachines" as Alaskans call them, began to replace dog teams. Just as the dogs had done, now snowmachines pull sleds hauling cargo and people across Alaska all winter long. As you see here [see photo], it was quite common to see bright colored metal machines like this Sno-Traveler amongst a traditional village setting. Today, very few dog teams remain in the villages of Alaska, and those that do are mostly used for racing and recreation., On display is a 1963 Model OE16C restored to the original condition. It has a 16hp Onan engine with electric start, F-N-R. This is a utility machine weighing 720 lbs and can haul 2,000 lbs. Polaris also made smaller models about half this size., [Photo caption reads] Villagers look on in amazement as Edgar Hetteen, President of Polaris, drives a Sno-Traveler across Alaska on his successful journey from Bethel to Fairbanks. This changed winter travel in Alaska and the world.