| Summary: | The world's record for a midwinter "mush" from Nome to Seattle via Valdez was set by Charles Edward "Ned" Darling (1871-1923) at 42 days, beating the previous record by four days. Born in Ireland, at the time of this image Ned was a hardware merchant in Nome, Alaska. He moved to Berkeley, California before 1920 with his wife, novelist Esther Birdsall Darling (1868-1965). This image was taken as Ned prepares to leave Nome with his dog sled team. Between 1898 and 1910 the population of Nome spiked from an average 2,500 to 12,488 in 1900 due to the Yukon gold rush. At this time, Nome was the largest city in the Alaska Territory, although Nome was only accessible by dog sled or by steamship. Signs in image: U. S. Mercantile Co., Furnishings, Groceries; Lipton's Coffee; G. M. Thuland, Lawyer, Notary; The Surprise Store; The Hudson, Furnished Rooms; Delbar & McGrath, New & Second-Hand Furniture; Carllis Bros, Groceries, Fruits, & Confectionery; Nome Gold; Stationery; Darling & Dean Written on negative: C.E. Darling leaving Nome, Alaska for Seattle and the Outside, Feb. 2nd, 1906 Typed on verso: C. E. Darling leaving Nome for Seattle and the Outside. Feb. 2, 1906, photo by Nowell Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, March 19, 1906, page 8 Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, April 6, 1912, page 12 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w; 7.5 x 9.5 in.
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