The Story Of Nome
As Kaasen set off into a blizzard, the pelting snow grew so fierce that his squinting eyes could not see any of his team, let alone his trusted lead dog, Balto. Suddenly, a massive gust upwards of 80 miles per hour flipped the sled and launched the antidote into a snow bank. Kaasen arrived in Port Safety in the early morning hours of February 2, but when the next team was not ready to leave, the driver decided to forge on to Nome himself.
The relay had taken five-and-a-half days, cutting the previous speed record nearly in half. Four dogs died from exposure, giving their lives so that others could live. Three weeks after injecting the residents of Nome, Dr. Crosby lifted the quarantine. Although more than dogs and 20 drivers participated in the relay, it was the canine that led the final miles that became a media superstar.
1925 serum run to Nome
After the limelight faded, Balto lived out his final days at the Cleveland Zoo, and his body is on display at the Cleveland Natural History Museum. Since , the memory of the serum run has lived on in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which is held each March and is run on some of the same trails beaten by Balto, Togo and dozens of other sled dogs in a furious race against time nearly 90 years ago. We strive for accuracy and fairness.
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The Strike That Shook America. During the winter, they drove their powerful dog teams from Nenana to Nome on a regular basis. With deliveries and rest stops, the route took three to four weeks. The serum had to get there faster! The next thought was an express delivery. A strong fast dog team with an experienced driver would leave Nenana with the serum. Halfway to Nome, he would hand the serum off to another experienced driver with a fresh team who would carry the precious cargo the rest of the distance.
Surely this would be faster than the traditional mail route. The mayor of Nome had another idea. In February of , an airplane made the first winter flight in Alaska carrying mail from Fairbanks to McGrath, a distance of miles. Would it be at all possible to fly the serum to Nome? Travel at 60 miles per hour through the air would be faster than dog team. For the children in Nome, speed was very important!
There were pilots willing to fly the dangerous rescue mission. There were three planes in Fairbanks all stored for the winter and badly in need of repair. The once tight fabric covering the wings and fuselage was weak from all the rough landings as well as the wind and rain.
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Dirt and oil caked the engine and prop. Wires for the rudders and elevators hung from the sides of the fuselage. At the same time, another plan was taking shape. Twenty drivers and their teams would be ready and waiting at roadhouses along the trail. When the serum reached the roadhouse, it would be warmed inside then the new dog team and driver would head to the next exchange. Of course the aviation fans were certain their plan was the answer to saving the children of Nome.
But not everyone was convinced that it was possible to fly that distance in bitterly cold weather and blizzard conditions. If the plane went down, the precious serum would be lost and the pilot would likely die. Get the serum to Nome fast or get the serum to Nome for sure — that was the decision left for the Governor of Alaska, Scott Bone.
The plane chosen for the flight to Nome had an open cockpit. The pilot would be exposed to frigid temperatures of minus 50 degrees and surely not survive. Snow and ice could clog the engine and ice could form on the exterior of the plane.