This week we have a team of heroes.
Allow me to introduce the dogsled teams of Nome, Alaska!
During the winter of 1925, the small city of Nome in the state of Alaska faced a terrible crises: a deadly outbreak of the highly contagious sickness called, diphtheria. Diphtheria is a respiratory tract illness caused by a bacterium called, Corynebacterium diphtheria. It causes blockage in the throat and if it is not treated, it will lead to a painful death by suffocation. It is especially lethal to children. By January 21 1925, two of Nome's children had died and a further twenty people were diagnosed with diphtheria.
When the doctor of Nome (Dr. Curtis Welch) diagnosed diphtheria the situation became clear. An antitoxin for diphtheria would be needed before other people became infected with the disease. Dr. Welch learned that the nearest supply of antitoxin was located in the city of Anchorage, Alaska. It was decided that the antitoxin would be shipped from Anchorage by train. However, the weather proved to be a major obstacle (literally). The train made it to the town of Nenana before being blocked by heavy snowfall caused by a major snowstorm blowing in from the Arctic. With the temperature dropping to -50° Fahrenheit and the snowstorm turning into a blizzard, it became clear that the serum would need to be transported to Nome another way. Flying the serum to Nome was not an option due to the limited daylight of the time of year for Alaska. Transportation by sea was not an option either, due to Nome's ice-choked harbor. With nearly all forms of transportation shut down due to the blizzard, Alaskan Governor Scott Bone gave authorization for a dogsled relay.
Although the idea seemed ludicrous to some people, dogsled teams had been regularly used for mail transportation in Alaska. The dogs and their mushers were known for their skillful navigation of the Alaskan territory and their speed in delivering. Governor Bone chose 20 teams of mushers with at least 150 sled dogs to make an over 600 mile run from Nenana to Nome while using their mail route. What followed would go down in history as, "The Great Race of Mercy".
The relay began on January 27. For the next five and a half days, the teams struggled to reach their checkpoints. By now the temperature had dropped to -60° Fahrenheit and the speed of the blizzard's winds were estimated at 80 mph. The dogs (the names, Balto and Togo would become very famous) and their mushers also battled frostbite and snow blindness that forced them to rely on the sense of smell to navigate their way to Nome. During the trip, some of the dogs froze to death and others suffered permanent injuries. Despite all this, the antitoxin arrived in Nome on February 1st. Altogether, the dogsled teams had covered 674 miles in just over 127 hours. Dr. Welch quickly administered the antitoxin to the sick people of Nome. Although at least five people had already died, the rest of the city largely made full recoveries.
Through a combination of courage and skill mushers and their dogs of Nome performed a legendary feat. They faced a long and dangerous journey to save a city from a deadly disease. They all should serve as an inspiration to people around the world.
Further information:
http://www.history.com/news/the-sled-dog-relay-that-inspired-the-iditarod
https://alaskaweb.org/disease/1925serumrun.htm
Salisbury, Gay; Salisbury, Laney (2003), The Cruelest Miles, W. W. Norton & Company
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