BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The following information is derived from the biographical information provided by Anita Derby McCreery, which is included in Folder 1. John “Jack” Holmes was born in May 1880, probably in either Seattle or Tacoma, Washington. He graduated from Stanford University in 1901, with an A. B. in metallurgy. Letters written the year he graduated from Stanford suggest that he had a job waiting for him in Alaska. There were no letters for five years, until he moved to Candle; however, references in the letters from Candle suggest that he had been working as an assayer, possibly at the Miners and Merchants Bank in Nome. In 1906, John Holmes went to Candle and, by 1911, he was in Iditarod. He worked as a cashier, assayer, and then Vice-President of the bank in Iditarod.

In 1912, John Holmes writes that he bought “three Irish setters to go along with the six half-setter pups that we had.” He developed his dogs into a team, and he won the 62-mile St. Patrick’s Day Iditarod race in 1912 with five of his Irish setters. These dogs were known and referred to as “The Red Devils with the Big Hearts.” In his letters, Holmes often refers to his dogs, including his lead dog, Bob; he also mentions Nora, a house dog he took hunting. He also recorded several harrowing trips by dog sled, which was the only way to get from one place to another in the winter. Although he does not write in his letters of other specific sled dog races, a search through the Iditarod Pioneer for the time period reveals that he entered other races and remained active in the sport.

Iditarod Pioneer, January 13, 1912: Crack Dog Team Changes Hands A dog deal was consummated during the week whereby John Holmes became the possessor of four first-class dogs, originally the property of Henry Weir. Forming part of the ‘telephone’ team, these dogs have become famous in the Iditarod for their speed and spirit, and it is said that Holmes intends to work them in conjunction with the pick of Charley Worden’s pups: a combination which should develop into a crack racing team. The dogs ran in the New Year Day race and came in for a great deal of favorable comment. Rumor has it that Holmes is after the big prize in the All Alaska Sweepstakes. Iditarod Pioneer, January 11, 1913: Dog Race Was Huge Success Favored with good weather, the handicap dog race run yesterday under the auspices of the Kennel Club was a great success. In spite of the heavy trail, good time was made –Johnny Holmes, with only three dogs, covering the distance (about 22 miles) in 90 seconds over two hours.

Iditarod Pioneer, March 13, 1915: Plenty Interest Shown in Ruby’s Dog Race According to reports brought to this city by Jack Holmes, the towns of Ruby and Long City are very much interested in the big dog race of St. Patrick’s Day, which will be run over the fifty-eight mile course between those places for a purse of $550. At the time Mr. Holmes left Ruby there were at least ten possible entries for the event, several of them being teams that participated in last year’s race. Holmes says there are some splendid racing teams in that part of the country, and the sports were very anxious for him to remain until the 17th and get into the game.

Around November 1916, Holmes went to Seattle, perhaps planning only to visit, but there are two letters written from Seattle in April and May of 1917, which indicate that Holmes had been, and still was, very ill. A letter from Louis Holmes (John Holmes’ brother) says John died on July 18, 1917 of arterial sclerosis at age 37.

HISTORICAL NOTE

John Holmes followed gold rushes from Nome to Candle in 1906, and then to Iditarod in 1911. With a degree in metallurgy and experience in banking, his skills were in great demand. While in the north, Holmes got into dogs. Dogs performed essential support roles for residents of the far north: hauling people, gear, and the mail across long distances. Dogs were also sources of companionship and entertainment. In the long winter months, sled dog racing became a popular sport; first, in Nome, and then in the surrounding communities of Iditarod, Candle, and Ruby. The popularity of sled dog racing in Iditarod is evident by the coverage provided in the Iditarod Pioneer, which started up in July of 1910, one month after the town of Iditarod was founded.

During the years John Holmes was in Iditarod, he was an active member and treasurer of the Iditarod Kennel Club, which organized a series of races with cash prizes. The first official sled dog race, the All-Alaska Sweepstakes, had been held in Nome in 1908. Describing the All-Alaska Sweepstakes race from Nome to Candle (a round-trip distance of 408 miles over all kinds of terrain), A. A. “Scotty” Allan wrote in Gold, Men and Dogs, “Financially, the race was as big an event in Alaska as the Kentucky Derby is to the racing world. The betting was always very heavy. Sometimes there was as much as $130,000 on the books, with hundreds of side bets for lesser amounts.”

Although the Nome race, covering hundreds of miles, became the premier event, the popularity of shorter, sprint and middle-distance races, spread across the region. In Iditarod, John Holmes put together a racing team dominated by Irish setters. The Iditarod Pioneer described Holmes; team as “bird dogs.” Bird dogs were not uncommon in Alaska. When prospectors followed the gold rushes north, there were not enough native dogs to fill the demand. Consequently, dogs of all kinds –Irish setters, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, Airedales, German shepards, pointers, retrievers, collies, and mutts– were brought north; some of them were, like Buck in Call of the Wild, stolen, because the demand –and the price– was high. When communities formed kennel clubs and began racing, it was not known which breeds would be fastest or hardiest, but Holmes’ team of Irish Setters surprised everyone when they won the 62-mile St. Patrick ’s Day race.