An Irish mining pioneer who crossed rural Alaska with a team of husky dogs at the age of 79 has served as an inspiration for an American adventurer who plans to carry out a 565km (350-mile) dog-sledding expedition in an effort to retrace part of her route.
Nellie Cashman was born in Midleton, Co Cork, in 1845. As a child she emigrated to the US with her mother and her sister, Frances, and they initially settled in Boston, Massachusetts, before moving to Washington DC. As an adult Cashman moved to Tombstone, Arizona, where she became one of its leading citizens helping to build one of the first schools in the area. She took up gold prospecting and it was for her mining exploits that she became most famous.
At the age of 79 Nellie ran a team of dogs from Koyukuk in the Arctic Circle to Seward in Alaska to pick up supplies. The 1,200km (750 mile) journey was her most famous trek, but it proved too much for her. She came down with a serious case of pneumonia and died on January 4th, 1925.
Now an Alaskan kennel owner who first became interested in Nellie's story as a child plans to recreate the arduous journey.
Peg Harpham of Fairbanks, Alaska, has built a traditional sled for the marathon trek which she hopes to undertake later this year. Her trek will retrace part of Nellie's journey from Nenana to Nolan in Alaska.
She aims to keep as true to Nellie's travelling experience as possible - wearing the same sorts of clothes Nellie would have worn and using the same primitive survival equipment.
"It will be as authentic as possible. I'll be keeping a journal and video diary of the adventure, beginning with the research right through to the trip itself. What I am seeking at this stage is information about Nellie. There might be some history buffs out there who know her story and may have information I can't get here in Alaska."
Anyone who can be of assistance to Mrs Harpham should contact her at 3325 Chena Hot Springs Road, Fairbanks, Alaska 99712, US.