Who Let the Dogs Out?
by James Rada, Jr.
Mint juleps bring to mind southern plantations with well-dressed men and women sitting on wide porches, sipping a drink to bring a bit of relief to the heat and humidity.
You don’t think of dog sledding. That’s for the wilderness of Alaska and Canada… and Frederick County?
In the early 1970s, dog-sled racing in Maryland could be found on Catoctin Mountain during the running of the Mint Julep Classic in February.
It began as a demonstration that was part of the Catoctin Winter Festival in 1972. It was sponsored by the Catoctin Mountains Tourist Council and the National Park Service (NPS). The council and NPS had planned on 1,000 people showing up. Instead, an estimated 5,000 people did.
“All parking facilities were filled to capacity and automobiles were parked for at least a mile on several roads leading to the camp area. Some local residents gave up and returned home rather than fight the traffic jam,” the Emmitsburg Chronicle reported.
The hit of the festival was the team of Siberian husky sled dogs, owned by the Warren Keefer of Emmitsburg and his family. “Keefer ran the dogs periodically all day and all four Keefers were kept busy answering hundreds of questions,” the newspaper reported.
Part of the reason for the unexpected attendance was the few inches of snow on the ground. Rather than discouraging people, more wanted to come to see real dog sleds that didn’t have to run on wheels.
Because of the popularity of the sled dogs, a true sled-dog race was added to the events the following year. According to the Chronicle, it was the first time that sled-dog racing had been brought to Maryland for an official race because the Mint Julep Classic was sponsored by the Mason-Dixon Sled Dog Racing Association.
Again, thousands of spectators came from Frederick, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Pennsylvania to watch the races. Drivers were as young as five years old. These children ranthe half-mile-long Pee Wee Course with one dog pulling the sled. Women competed in the “Women’s Liberation” class. As the drivers aged up, the courses lengthened and the size of the sled-dog teams grew. The main attraction was the professional race over a nine-mile-long course, with sleds pulled by nine dogs. Eight races a day were run over the weekend, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The main course began at Foxville Tower Road, just off the south side of MD 77. From there, it went toQuaker Camp to Old Mink Farm Road, Catoctin Hollow Road, Wigville Road, Phillips Delight Road, and finally, back to Foxville Tower Road. The roads were all closed to traffic during the races.
In total, 88 dog-sled teams from 10 different states competed in 1973. Herb Meyle of Aldie, Virginia, won the Nine-Dog Class race in 1973.
As the 1974 race approached, people worried that it wouldn’t happen because there was no snow on the ground. The Winter Festival was canceled because of this, but the Mint Julep Classic still planned to run.
“If it doesn’t snow for skiers, they make snow. If it doesn’t snow for snowmobilers, they find wet grass or mud. And if it doesn’t snow for sled-dog racers, they have a solution, too. They put wheels on their sleds, and can still run a competitive and thrilling race,” the Chronicle reported.
Even without snow, more than 3,000 people from six states attended the races. The dry course consisted of loops and straight runs through the fields of Eyler Stables and surrounding farms. Rather than nine miles, this course ran 7.4 miles.
“Despite the track conditions, some respectable times were turned in by the 76 teams fielded in the standard racing classes and 20-plus teams in the special women’s events,” the Chronicle reported.
Jack Thayer of Freehold, New Jersey, was the grand champion. His nine-dog team ran the course in 17:44 minutes.
The competitors, their families, and guests also enjoyed a Musher’s Ball Saturday night at the Blue Ridge Summit Fire Hall. Despite its success in Frederick County, the race moved out of the area in 1975 and never returned, but Northern Frederick County was still the place that first brought
Jeremy Murphy (pictured right) was born and raised in Emmitsburg, graduating from Catoctin High in 1998. He visited both Catoctin Mountain Park and Gettysburg National Military Park on field trips and summer trips, never realizing that he would grow up to become the chief law enforcement officer for the Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.
