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John Beargrease
Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
September 20, 2009, 19:17 UTC (1:17 pm local time)
© 2009 Edward S. Fink, All Rights Reserved.
John Beargrease was a legendary Ojibwe mail carrier and fur trader most famous for battling Minnesota’s extreme winters to deliver mail along the North Shore of Lake Superior via dog sled. Using four dogs he would travel an average of 30-40 miles a day.
Today his life is commemorated with the annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which is the longest and most challenging sled dog event in the lower 48 states.
John Beargrease is one of the many characters from Minnesota’s past that are performed regularly by the Minnesota History Players at the History Center.