Let's See Your Cinderellas!

Quote:
Cecil Aldano Moore

By use of a custom-built sled by Flexible Flyer, with wheels that could be installed when the sled had to traverse snowless trails or roads, Cecil "Mush" Moore completed a 6,000 miles trek from Fairbanks, Alaska that ended in in Lewiston, ME with nine of the original huskies he started with. The outstanding transcontinental trip started Nov 1949 and ended in Apr 1951. Cecil made the trip to make possible the creation of the Cecil A. Moore fund for Underprivileged Children at the Healy Asylum in Lewiston.

FROM HIS BOOK: Cecil "Mush' Moore has crowded more adventure and harrowing brushes with death and disaster in the last year than any man in America. His life ambition was to drive a dog sled team, alone, from Fairbanks, Alaska to Lewiston, Maine. The distance is about 6,000 miles. At one point in his trip, the U.S. Army came out to look the sensational dog team over. The day the picture was taken (Number Five), the temperature was 55 below zero. Officers and GI's marvelled that the hardy Moore could survive alone in that frozen waste--and they showed particular interest in his dogs and special equipment. The parka is worth thousands of dollars. It was made by an Eskimo woman, the finest fur maker in Alaska.

NOTATION BY NEPHEW RICHARD MOORE: When he approached the bridge from Auburn to Lewiston, Maine, he saw me on the Auburn side of the bridge. All schools were closed for his arrival home. He stopped his team, and had me sit in the sled as he crossed the bridge. At 15, that was a BIG DEAL to me. As we crossed the bridge, all the young students were lined up the entire length of the street. Every now and then, I heard these young girls hollering to me, and I really was living on cloud nine. After he settled down, he traveled weekends all over the state of Maine with his dogs and sled, talking about this trip. He asked me to join him on these trips, to help keep people away from the dogs. Again, I found myself on cloud nine as all the young girls would come over, and I could name all the dogs. I also could pat them, as they became accustomed to me. They just were "wowed" that I could walk among those dogs. Also, he had a book prepared about his trip, and they sold for 25 cents. I was to handle the selling of these books, and would be paid 5 cents a book. I use to make around $20.00 on every trip. (400 Books) On a trip to Brownville, ME, we had to bring the dogs up to the second floor for the discussion. When we were leaving, they had a young man that offered to take the leashed dogs down to the truck, and I was in the truck to hook them up. Unfortunately, he had brought down a dog that was always hooked up to the at the tailgate area of the truck. When he brought down another dog, he saw the dog in front, and yanked the chain leash so hard, the boy fell down. That dog jumped, and lunged for the dogs throat. I had a broom, and was trying to hit him. My Uncle had heard the noise, and ran down to the truck. He jumped in, and kicked the dog under the chin to make him let go. Then he grabbed him by the neck, and took him to the spot that he was to be hooked up. That dog never turned on my Uncle, as he knew who the Master was. That was the last time he accepted any place that could not be on the ground floor. We were working shirtless cleaning the truck, and I mentioned that his back muscles were huge. I actually put my arm in the spinal area, and you could not see my arm from the side. Of course, I was a thin boy in those days (117 pounds), but it still amazed me.

He worked as an iron worker in Morocco, Iceland, Africa, and in many States. He was the lead foreman on the Augusta Memorial Bridge, Augusta, ME,which was the largest bridge in span and height at the time of construction. The bridge was constructed in 1949. Cecil died of cancer of esophagus.