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Serum Run of 1925

White man with 3 huskies/malamutes.
Leonhard Seppala.
Harry T. Becker. Photographs, ca. 1932-1945. ASL-PCA67-122.

In January 1925 an outbreak of diphtheria threatened to wipeout the town of Nome, Alaska, sparking fears that an epidemic would spread and kill thousands if antitoxin medicine was not supplied. The antitoxin could only be delivered by dogsled across a portion of the Iditarod Trail, the only route accessible for transporting goods during the harsh winters. A heroic relay of dog teams transported the antitoxin across the 674 mile trail from Nenana to Nome braving gale force winds, -85 degree temperatures, and whiteout conditions across the remote Alaskan Interior. The life-saving serum was delivered to Nome in a record-breaking 127.5 hours, without a single broken vial. This came to be known as the 1925 Serum Run. Many aspects of this journey are commemorated annually in the Iditarod dog sled race.

Primary Sources

Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run, Jan-Feb 1925

Description Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run to Nome and health issues in Alaska, January to February 1925.
Date created 1925
Repository Alaska State Archives
Citation Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run to Nome and health issues in Alaska, January to February 1925, in Box VS243, Office of the District and Territorial Governor, Alaska State Archives.
Online access Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run, Jan-Feb 1925 [Alaska's Digital Archives]

Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run, Mar-Dec 1925

Description Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run to Nome and health issues in Alaska, March to December 1925.
Date created 1925
Repository Alaska State Archives
Citation Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run to Nome and health issues in Alaska, March to December 1925, in Box VS243, Office of the District and Territorial Governor, Alaska State Archives.
Online access Governor Scott C. Bone's correspondence files on the 1925 Serum Run, Mar-Dec 1925 [Alaska's Digital Archives]

Page last updated 09/26/2019