Sled Dogs. 

'Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed anti-toxin 600 miles over treacherous waters, through arctic blizzards, from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925 .
Endurance, Fidelity, Intelligence.

This is the inscription on a statue of a sled dog in Central Park, New York City. The dog is Saito, the lead dog of a team of sled dogs in Alaska who helped to save the town of Nome from an outbreak of the fatal disease diphtheria that was threatening to sweep through the population.

Dogs became an invaluable commodity during the Alaskan Goldrush of the late 1800ls hauling the gold and supplies on sledges. Jack London's novels White Fang and Call of the Wild paint a harsh but realistic picture of the lives of the sled dogs. Only the fittest and toughest endured the hardship of life in harness under extreme conditions. They were a necessity for the survival of the isolated rural population. Small teams of dogs hauled wood and water. Massive freight teams of twenty or more dogs pulled sleds weighing over half a ton carrying mail, supplies and even passengers across the snow bound country.

Dogs were faster than horses in the long haul averaging 8 12 miles an hour. Heavy draught horses found the snow packed winter trails impossible to use. Dogs were also more adept at finding the snow covered trails from one isolated outpost to the next. Sled dog racing rapidly became the most popular sport in the country. In the arctic winters there was not much else in the way of entertainment. The early hauling dogs were a mixed bunch, not all who conformed to the recognised husky breeds we know today.

Dogs were bred more for performance than looks. Although some of them resembled the husky type, others bore a setter type look about them. All sorts of dogs had come into the country with the gold rush pioneers and as long as they were capable they were put into harness. Husky breeders looked for a heavyweight dog with an instinctive desire to pull long and hard through the toughest conditions.

Many of the mushers who bred and trained dogs to win races became famous throughout Alaska. One of these was Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian, who like many others had come to Alaska during the gold rush that began at the end of the 19th century. He quickly discovered that one particular type of dog was stronger and faster than any others. The first Siberian Huskies to be imported into Alaska were dismissed as being too lightweight, but Seppala thought that they were ideal as racing teams. With his Siberian Husky dogs he dominated the sport of sled dog racing winning the All Alaskan Sweepstake three years running

Seppala was also famous for the way he treated his dogs. He never used a whip and always finished with all his dogs in harness. He wrote in a Polar Book article 'My experiences have showed me that one doesn't achieve the best results with force and rough handling. Good dogs who know their master understand what he demands and are always willing to do their best.' He and his dogs were to playa big part in what became known as The 1925 Serum Run.

On 25 January 1925 in Nome, Alaska, the town's only doctor, Curtis Welch, diagnosed diphtheria in a six year old boy. A rare disease nowadays due to vaccination, the disease was highly contagious especially to children and usually resulted in death. Dr. Curtis only had enough of the anti toxin serum to vaccinate five people and realised that he would soon have an epidemic on his hands. The population of the town at the time was just over 1400. Dr. Curtis put out an urgent call for supplies of serum over the radio telegraph system. News agencies across America picked up the story and made it front page news. Anchorage, on the opposite side of Alaska, responded. The hospital there had 300,000 units of the anti toxin serum. The only problem was that Anchorage was over a 1,000 miles from Nome.

Although Nome was a coastal town, sea travel was impossible at that time of year due to the sea freezing over. The nearest railway station was over 650 miles away at Nenana. Airplanes had just started to come into use for delivering supplies but they had been dismantled for the winter. Flying in blizzard conditions in temperatures that could fall to 40 degrees below zero in a plane with an open cockpit was too dangerous. It was decided to send the serum by rail to Nenana and then use teams of dogs and mushers to relay it to Nome.

The serum arrived at Nenana at 11 pm on 26 January. 'Wild Bill' Shannon was the first musher to set out from Nenana and handed over the serum to the next driver and team of dogs 52 miles later at Tolovana. The trail continued westwards with each driver covering between 28 and 53 miles from one changeover to the next.

Through the frozen wilderness, in appalling conditions, the 20 Ib package of serum was raced from isolated outpost to isolated outpost to be passed on to the next waiting driver and his team. Dogs and mushers were often blinded by ferocious snowstorms. Sleds and dogs were blown over by storm force winds and harnesses had to be untangled before they could go on. Temperatures were 40 degrees and frostbite was a constant threat. Leonhard Seppala set out from Nome to meet the relay and bring the serum back. Due to a breakdown in communications he traveled 150 miles before he met the oncoming musher and his team. He turned straight around as soon as he had the serum to return to Nome.

By now the blizzard conditions had worsened and Seppala had to make the decision whether to take the short cut across the frozen sea in the Norton Sound or go the longer way round it. He'd already crossed it a few hours earlier but the ice was already starting to break up and now the gale force winds were throwing unfrozen sea water from further out onto the ice floes. Whiteout conditions that would have made it difficult to see the dangers in daylight made the 42 mile sea crossing treacherous in the falling darkness. The breaking ice could cause the whole team to be carried out to sea.

Could Seppala take the chance of losing himself, his dogs and the vital serum by taking the shortest route? He decided to risk it. A huge risk. The lives of the people of Nome depended on the serum getting there. Seppala's lead dog Togo was an experienced sled dog and Seppala was confident that he could lead the team safely.

So they set off across the creaking, groaning ice. The lead dog of the team is the most important. He must have the courage and endurance to find the trail and avoid leading the team into danger. Several times Togo had to swerve to dodge the cracks where the ice floes were breaking up. He led the team safely to land and on to the next relay team. At that point Leonard Seppala and his team had run a total of 250 miles. Five times the distance of any of the other teams.

On 1st February the serum reached Nome just as dawn was breaking. Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto were feted as heroes. They had travelled the last 53 miles to Nome through some of the worst conditions - blinding snow and gale force winds. Nome was experiencing some of the worst weather it had known even by Alaskan standards.

The 674 mile trip took just under 127 and a half hour and made the dogs instantly famous. Twenty drivers and 160 dogs had saved the population of Nome.

Kaasen and his team of dogs toured America in the summer and autumn of 1925. Hollywood film producer Sol Lesser brought the dogs to Los Angeles and created 30 minute film 'Balto's race to Nome.'
Interest in the dogs soon died out and they were sold to an unknown vaudeville promoter. Two years later they were found in a poor and neglected state on display in a 'dime museum' in Los Angeles. Cleveland businessman George Kimble was outraged at the degradation of the famous Balto. He made a deal to buy the dogs for $2000. The problem was that he had to find the money in two weeks. The race to save Balto was on. Radio broadcasts appealed for donations. The response in Cleveland was magnificent. Children went around collecting coins in buckets. The Western Reserve Kennel Club made a donation. Factory workers, shop girls and visitors to Cleveland all made contributions. The money was raised in 10 days.

On 19th March 1927 Balto and six companions were given a heroes welcome as they were paraded through Public Square, Cleveland. They lived out the rest of their days in dignity in Cleveland Zoo. Balto died at the age in 1933 at the age of 11. He was stuffed and mounted and displayed at Cleveland Museum of Natural History where he stands today. Togo, who had run the greatest distance in the serum run, was considered by many to be the real hero of the race. Leonhard Seppala, who also owned Balto , was disappointed that Togo didn't get the recognition he deserved and he always maintained that Togo was a far better dog than Balto. Seppala also toured the States with a team of dogs winning more races as husky racing became increasingly popular. Togo died at the age of sixteen and his body was preserved and mounted and is on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Gift Shop! Museum at Wasilla, Alaska. He sired several litters and the Seppala breeding is behind many of the present day Siberian Huskies.

Dog teams delivering mail gradually died out as aircraft and snow machines took over. The petrol driven snow machines, known as snow dogs were everywhere Alaska is still the mecca for sled dog racing. Attempts were made in 1967 to revive the mail trail from Anchorage to Nome so that part of Alaska's heritage would not be lost and also to celebrate the Serum Run. By 1973 the overgrown trail that hadn't been used for 45 years had been cleared.

On 3 March 1973 the first Iditarod race was run. The present day race does not follow the original trail exactly. It's been slightly re- routed to take in more villages. It covers over a thousand miles from Anchorage to Nome and the winner averages a time of about ten days. Today the race attracts competitors from all over the world. Corporate sponsorship of the top teams and their mushers runs into thousands of dollars and breeding huskies for stamina and speed is big business. Leonhard Seppala is an honoured icon in the world of racing dogs and was the first musher to be inducted into the Alaska Mushers Hall of Fame. The Annual Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award pays tribute to the care and training he gave to his dogs.

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