 |
"1925" SERUM DRIVE"
Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice across trecherous waters
through arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of striken Nome in the Winter of 1925.
ENDURANCE FIDELITY INTELLIGENCE
In 1925,Diptheria threatened to decimate the population of Nome and Seppala and
his Siberians gained international acclaim.There was only a small amount of
antitoxin in Nome and with the disease spreading more was needed.The nearest
avilable antitoxin was in Anchorage,955 miles away.It could be transported to
Nenana,297 miles north of Anchorage, but no further.this meant the only way of
transporting the serum the remaining 658 miles from Nenana to Nome was by dog team.
Seppala set out and traveled 170 miles when he passed another driver that said
"turn back serum".Both teams traveled back until they reached the village of
Cheenik,where they rested and thenext relay team took over.The last relay team,
driven by gunnar Kasson with lead dog Balto,reached Nome at 5:30 in the morning,
February 2,1925.The entire trip of 658 miles was made in five and a half days And
out of the 658 miles Seppala and his team had gone 340 miles,while no other had gone
no more than 53.Seppala later settled in Seattle,Washington and died in 1967. Togo
was born in Leornard Seppala's kennel in Little Creek,Alaska in 1915 or 1916.He
was sired by Suggen and his mother was Dolly. Togo was the only pup in the litter.
Togo became the best lead dog Seppala ever had,weighing only 48s pound.On December 5,1929
Togo died and his body was taken to the Peabody Museum at Yale University,but was
later moved to the Shelbourne Museum in Burlington,Vermont.As a reminder of the
men and their teams in the serum drive a statue of Gunnar Kassons lead dog
"Balto" stands in Central Park,New York. The Statue reads the following:
Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six
hundred miles over rough ice across trecherous waters through arctic blizzards
from Nenana to the relief of striken Nome in the Winter of 1925.
Endurance Fidelity Intelligence
The information on this page was taken from The Complete Siberian Husky
by:Lorna B. Demidoff and Micheal Jennings
|
