This is a time for heroics,
This is a time to be brave.
If we all work together
And do our part,
These people's lives we'll save!
Mush! Everybody Mush!
By Rudyard Kipling
In January l925, the city of Nome, Alaska was stricken with an epidemic of diphtheria. The supply of antitoxin was used up and the nearest source was in Anchorage, Alaska, 955 miles away. The only two planes in Alaska were dismantled for the winter. The nearest plane was in Seattle, but it was too dangerous to fly because of blizzard conditions and the great distance.
The town of Nenana was the farthest the train could carry the serum from Anchorage, almost 300 miles. 658 miles of bad terrain lay between Nenana and Nome. The only way to get the medicine to Nome was by relay teams of sled dogs. On January 25th, teams and drivers were put together and the race against time began at the Nenana railroad station.
The route was grueling. As teams of dogs headed northward from Nenana, Leonhard Seppala drove his team southward from Nome to meet the serum. Seppala had left 12 dogs at different villages along the way so he would have fresh dogs for the return trip.
Near the end of the 4th day, after traveling 400 miles, Sepala met up with the medicine which was on its 15th sled team. Togo, his lead dog, was leading the team that traveled 42 miles that day through blizzard conditions and below 30 degree weather. Nevertheless, Seppala got the medicine on his sled, turned around and headed toward Nome. Seppala and Togo drove 340 miles total. No other team traveled more than 53 miles. Togo was left permanently lame by the run. The old doggie never ran another long trip.
On February 2nd, 1925, at 5:30 A.M. Gunnar Kasson and his lead dog, Balto arrived in Nome on the final leg of the journey. The run was made by sled dog teams in 5 and 1/2 days!