# George Attla has died at 81 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-attla-has-died-at-81/712840 "2015-02-16T18:21:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-attla-has-died-at-81/712840/1 "2015-02-16T18:21:48Z")
I know: George who? [George Attla](http://www.adn.com/article/20150215/famed-alaska-musher-george-attla-dead-81) (the Huslia Hustler) was an Athabascan dog musher and trapper who was as famous as any rock star in Alaska and a legend in dog racing circles. He overcame huge odds to achieve lasting local fame, was an inspiration to his people and to those who admire perseverance, determination, and strong work ethic. I grew up in Anchorage watching him race in the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous dog races in the 50s and 60s. These were a huge event in the long Alaska winters. People came from all over the country to race, and we always rooted for the local boys. More importantly for me: I was a typically ignorant young person in those years, completely uneducated as to Native culture. For me, the typical Alaska Native was an indigent drunk in downtown Anchorage, and not worthy of a second thought. George Attla showed me that I was wrong in startling fashion. Here was a man who had recovered from a crippling disease and who had a knee fused, racing dogs at breakneck speed over a 25 mile sprint course, three days in a row, and winning on a regular basis. It made me realize that painting an entire culture with a broad brush was not only wrong, but stupid. He continued to inspire young Natives and everyone else throughout his life, and I’m sorry to see that he’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-attla-has-died-at-81/712840/2 "2015-02-16T19:16:23Z")
This might be the break that Todd Palin has been waiting for! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-attla-has-died-at-81/712840/3 "2015-02-17T02:00:31Z")
Cool guy. Having actually read the article, there is a mention of the Frank Attla Youth and Sled Dog Care Mushing Program. Do you know who is it named for, **Chefguy**? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-attla-has-died-at-81/712840/4 "2015-02-17T02:28:45Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Cool guy. > > Having actually read the article, there is a mention of the Frank Attla Youth and Sled Dog Care Mushing Program. Do you know who is it named for, **Chefguy**? George Attla’s son, who died before George did. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-attla-has-died-at-81/712840/5 "2015-02-17T02:45:01Z")
According to the story linked in the OP, he " lived in the Interior village of Huslia until his hospitalization with bone cancer last month". I wasn’t exactly what “Interior village” meant in terms of location…though I figured I had a pretty good idea…so I looked it up on the map. Apparently, if you get yourself to the middle of nowhere, and then go a couple hundred miles farther out from that, you’d only be about three days’ ride from where this guy lived (or possibly only 2 days by dogsled). I think he may have been made from slightly sterner stuff than me…