One hundred years ago this week, the town of Nome, Alaska had a diptheria outbreak. Children in the small town were desperately ill, some even dying, and the one doctor in town, remembering the 1918 flu epidemic, was afraid the disease would spread like wildfire. Diptheria serum, an antitoxin, could nip it in the bud, but the source was hundreds of miles away.

There was serum in Anchorage, and soon mushers lined up to relay the vital medicine to Nome via sled dog teams. Wild Bill Shannon, the first musher, met the Alaska Railroad at Nenana on January 27, 1925, and took the serum to Tolovanna. Others took it to Manley Hot Springs, Tanana, Kaltag, Unalakleet, and up the coast to Nome.

Many brave, strong mushers and their dogs should get credit and thanks for their part in the relay. Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto brought the serum into Nome in whiteout conditions. Leonhard Seppala with his lead dog Togo, made it through a terrible winter storm over the longest and most dangerous stretch on Norton Sound.

Kassen took Balto to Hollywood and New York to great acclaim. Togo was given a gold medal, spent the rest of his life in Maine, and his body was preserved by taxidermy. While Kassen and Balto deserve credit, many Alaskans consider Seppala’s to be the most heroic team, and the Susitna Girl Scout Council named one of their overnight camps “Togowoods” in the dog’s honor. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race also gives recognition to the diptheria run as one reason for its traditional route.

There are many great articles and other sources if you’d like to learn more details about the serum relay. Here are a few:

1925 Nome Serum Relay Aided by Federal Support: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-4-AHS-Newsletter-web.pdf

Serum Run of 1925: https://archives.alaska.gov/education/serum.html

The 1925 Serum Run: https://www.alaskamushingschool.com/learn/1925-serum-run-to-nome/