Page 38 - Travel Guide Fly Alaska Winter Edition
P. 38
iditarod dog sled race
In January of 1925, a diphtheria inaccessible by ship, plane or 1,000 miles away in Anchorage.
outbreak threatened to wipe out train. The town was placed in The serum was shipped by
the town of Nome, population quarantine, but children were train to Nenana where it was
1,500. The life-saving serum on dying, and unless the serum decided a relay of dog sled
hand had expired the summer could reach Nome, this deadly teams would pick it up and
before and the local doctor had disease threatened to spread transport it 674 miles, using
ordered more, but the port of across Alaska. A supply of the historic Iditarod supply
Nome froze and the area was antitoxin serum was located and postal route trail. However,
Photo by Rebecca Coolidge
36 ® WINTER EDITION
