Ashton, Idaho will host the American Dog Derby on Feb. 14-15. The event will share its history with all those who come.
According to John Scafe, the organizer of the event, it started in 1917 “by some poor guys in a barber shop.”
“They delivered mail and everything up to West Yellowstone since the train couldn't make it down,” Scafe said.
He said the event grew each year and soon upwards of 10,000 people were watching the race. In 1961, the event took a break.
“Then that's when snow machines took over kind of more or less,” Scafe said.
The event was reorganized in 1993, according to Scafe. He and Ray Gordon helped it get going again. Gordon passed in 2023, and the derby is a memorial to him. Not only that, it’s also a safe activity for both the public and participants.
“We look at the snow track and everything, make sure the track is solid. Looks, it sounds like the weather is going to be colder, so it's going to be solid. There's been a few years that I've had to cancel it because the track got really soft. And because you can push the dog and go down and break a leg or a musher can step off there and break his leg. So, in the 30 years, knock on wood, we haven't had a major incident,” Scafe said.
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