On This Date in Minnesota History: April 26

April 26, 1899 - John Beargrease and his brothers delivered the mail between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minn., for almost twenty years using a variety of methods, including canoes, horses and large boats. Beargrease was best known for his winter travels by dogsled. His sled looked more like a toboggan than today’s sleds and he ran with teams of only four dogs. His fastest trip on dogsled was 28 hours from Two Harbors to Grand Marais.

The mail trip was made once a week…an incredible feat for one man to accomplish especially when you consider the constant range of altitude along the shore. Eventually, the Lake Shore Trail that Beargrease traveled for twenty years became an actual road, one that could be traveled with horse and buggy. His last mail trip to Grand Marais was on this date.

http://www.beargrease.com/follow-the-race/history-of-john-beargrease/

John Beargrease

http://www.mnhs.org/school/historyplayers/bios/beargrease_bio.htm

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