Traveling 6,000 miles by any means is a monumental feat in 1951, whether by car, airplane or even boat. What made Cecil Moore’s journey in 1951 record setting and unbelievable was his mode of transport. Dogsled.
So named Cecil “Mush” Moore completed his record-setting 6,000-mile dogsled run on April 4, 1951 in his home town of Lewiston Maine. He was not alone. Ten Siberian husky dogs pulled “Mush-Moore” through all imaginable types of weather, fighting off the elements and even an attack by wolves.
Cecil “Mush” Moore shared his piece of history with the Town of Gray, stopping on April 3, 1951 in the tiny hamlet of Gray Village. It was said that the stop was somewhat strategic. With only one day of travel left on his trek, Cecil wanted to make the last leg into Lewiston in the afternoon where crowds had gathered to welcome home a triumphant hero.
A few folks who lived in Gray at the time recalled the overnight stop by Mush-Moore. Cecil Moore and his dogs made a visit to Russell school and shared his story with the cub scouts on that day. “I remember the visit he made to Russell school that day,” said Karen Taylor, “and I think I have a picture.” Later that day the dog-sled team traveled the short distance by special made Flexible-Flyer sled – complete with wheels for street travel – and bunked down in the Morrill barn in Gray village.
“The dogsled team from Alaska spent the night in Morrill’s barn. They wanted to have a complete day to finish the journey to Lewiston” remembers Robert Sawyer, a resident of Gray Village. “It was quite the news in Gray at the time.”
What makes the feat even more remarkable and special was the reason for the trip. Cecil Moore had done it for the good of others. The Cecil Moore Fund for Underprivileged Children benefitted from the historic feat accomplished by Cecil “Mush” Moore.
71 years ago in Gray Maine, a memory shared by a man and his dogs. History at its best!
by Galen Morrison
