BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 2, 2021
The Can-Am 250 international sled dog race began in February 1993. Game Warden Jimmy Dumond of Portage Lake was instrumental in laying out and maintaining nearly 100 miles of the 250-mile trail from Fort Kent to Portage Lake, Machias Lake, Rocky Brook Camps, Round Pond and Maibec logging camps. Dumond’s knowledge of the waterways, woods roads and old trails proved invaluable in what has come to be known as the “Iditarod of the East.” Active and retired Maine game wardens played vital roles in making and grooming that section of trail for the first 25 years of the race.