Photos provide glimpse into local teen’s short time as a musher

BELMONT — The World Championship Sled Dog Derby, which had its origins 93 years ago, has attracted racers from near and far, both seasoned veterans and rookies.

Among those who got to try their hand at the sport in their youth was John G. Drouin Sr. who participated in races in the late 1930s.

This weekend’s derby prompted one of Drouin’s children, Diane Dyke, who still lives in Belmont, to get together with her brothers, John G. Drouin Jr. and David Drouin, to look at some vintage photographs showing their dad when he was competing.

Dyke said her dad took part in races held in 1938 and 1939. A note on the back of one of the photographs says that he was the winner of the three-dog junior class competition in 1939.

Several of the photos show Drouin with one of his dogs, "Police," a German shepherd.

Drouin's participation in the sport was limited to his mid-teens. Once he finished high school in 1941 he began working full-time at the family’s dairy farm on Ladd Hill. Those responsibilities left no opportunity for pastimes, Dyke and her brothers observed.

After Drouin sold the farm many years later he announced out of the blue one night at dinner that he had decided to build a golf course, a decision that stunned the family gather around the table since he never played golf. He named the nine-hole course Scenic Country Club. Still later, after selling the golf course, he opened a hardware store. 

What the family knows about their dad’s time as a musher comes from the photographs. Drouin spoke very little about that chapter in his life in later years, Dyke said.

— Michael Mortensen