At the southern edge of New Hampshire's White Mountains lie a trio of tiny villages--Wonalancet, Sandwich and Tamworth--which from the mid-1920s through the end of World War II were the crown jewels in a dog sled empire . . ." [Source: "On the Trail of Legends," by Nancy Cowan, October 1993 issue of Dog World.]
Arthur Walden's Chinook Kennels were located in Wonalancet on Route 113A, and it was there that the sled dogs--Alaskan Malamute and Siberian huskies--for all three Byrd expeditions were raised and trained. An official state historical marker (Antarctic was misspelled on the first version!) commemorates the site. One will also find there a memorial stone dedicated in 1938 by Byrd "To all Noble Dogs" who gave their lives in U.S. service. And a third stone, with a dog sled engraved on it, memorializes the Seeleys who owned and ran the kennels for many years after Walden retired. (Arthur Walden was chief dog driver on Byrd's first expedition; refer to Norman Vaughan's book, With Byrd at the Bottom of the World; The South Pole Expedition of 1928-30, for some interesting views on Walden.)