A medical crisis. A perilous winter journey. The record-breaking dogsled relay that saved lives.
Whether you know it as the Great Serum Run or the Great Race of Mercy, the legendary mission to deliver medicine to Nome, Alaska, in 1925 has now inspired us for a century. At the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the story lives on in Balto—the sled dog whose mount is on display in the Museum’s Visitor Hall.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Serum Run, read on to remember the legacy of Balto, his teammates, and the bravery and endurance that saved lives—and learn how the heroic sled dog came to find a home in Cleveland.
A view of Nome, Alaska, covered in snow in 1916. Library of Congress.
A RACE TO SAVE LIVES
It was late January, 1925. In the depths of winter, the town of Nome, Alaska, was icebound, inaccessible by sea, and more than 650 miles away from the nearest railroad in Nenana. Even the mail, which was transported by relays of dogsled teams along the Iditarod Trail, took about a month to arrive.
And yet on January 20, Nome found itself facing a crisis that could not wait. Nome’s only doctor had diagnosed cases of diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial disease that can lead to death if not treated. The children and Alaska Natives of the community and neighboring areas were particularly vulnerable. Though scientists had developed an effective treatment a few decades earlier, the town had run out of its supply before winter. Nome desperately needed a delivery of the diphtheria antitoxin to treat the ill and prevent a deadly outbreak.
An epidemic of diphtheria is almost inevitable here, Nome’s doctor wrote, sending his message via radio telegram. I am in urgent need of one million units of diphtheria antitoxin.
A supply of 300,000 units of the serum was available in Anchorage, and could be shipped by train to Nenana. But getting the medicine across hundreds of miles from Nenana to Nome was a problem. The open-cockpit airplanes of the time were no match for Alaska’s heavy snow and subzero temperatures, and travel by sea was not an option in the hazardous winter conditions. To transport the medicine to the people that needed it, they would have to rely on a dogsled relay. And with the number of diphtheria cases quickly rising, they would have to do it in far less time than the usual month.
Dogsled teams, like the one pictured above c. 1920, were one of the few ways to transport mail and supplies to Nome during the winter. Library of Congress.
THE GREAT RACE OF MERCY BEGINS
By the time the antitoxin, or serum, reached Nenana on January 27, the relay team had been assembled. The conditions on the trail were harsh. Temperatures were already at 30°F below zero, and steadily dropping—reaching as low as minus 60°F in the arctic darkness. By the time the first musher, “Wild Bill” Shannon, reached the handoff point 52 miles into the relay, he had developed hypothermia and frostbite. But still the relay continued, with each subsequent musher and their teams of sled dogs determinedly carrying the serum closer to Nome.
Acts of courage, strength, and endurance were necessary throughout the journey. The teams of dogs and drivers traveled day and night, braving dangerous weather and life-threatening temperatures. Each team carried the serum for about 30 miles, reaching speeds of 6–9 miles per hour.
The longest stretch of the relay was 91 miles, completed by the famous Leonhard Seppala—then considered one of the best mushers in Alaska—and led by sled dog Togo. Seppala had already traveled 150 miles from Nome to meet the relay midway, intercepting a team led by Henry Ivanoff. It was fortunate that he did, as when Seppala’s team arrived to take over for Ivanoff’s team, the latter had just been driven off course due to a reindeer sighting.
Facing gale-force winds and blizzard conditions, Seppala made the daring decision to take a shortcut across Norton Sound. The large, frozen inlet could break up without warning and plunge the team into freezing water, but the weather was only worsening, and this path promised to get the team through faster.
Togo was essential in this effort. The lead dog was charged with using its senses to guide the rest of the team—including the musher—to the safest route. Thanks to Togo’s exceptional abilities, the team successfully made it across the ice of Norton Sound just three hours before it broke.
After one more shorter relay, the serum reached the final team on February 1, driven by musher Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog, Balto.
Balto pictured with his musher, Gunnar Kaasen.
BALTO’S JOURNEY TO NOME
Balto was actually one of Leonhard Seppala’s backup dogs, and as it happens, he was not the first choice to lead a team. Balto was inexperienced, and due to his smaller, stockier build, Seppala believed the dog was better suited to hauling freight than to racing. When given an opportunity to prove himself, however, Balto rose to the occasion.
Throughout the race to Nome, Kaasen and his team of canines faced the blinding glare of ice. The visibility was so low, Kaasen sometimes couldn’t even see the dogs pulling the sled in front of him, much less the trail. They traveled day and night, with Balto leading the team through chest-deep snowdrifts, over a mountain, and through severe winds.
At one point, the wind was so strong that it lifted the sled into the air and flipped it over. The serum was tossed out of the sled, forcing Kaasen to frantically dig through snow with his bare hands. Luckily, he found it again, and the mission was able to continue.
According to Kaasen’s report of the trip, there was a moment when Balto suddenly halted the team in its tracks, refusing to move forward. When Kaasen looked to see what the problem was, he realized that Balto had stopped because his paws had broken through a patch of ice over the Topkok River. Had he continued to lead the rest of the dogs forward, Kaasen and the entire team could have plunged through into the icy waters below. Balto had saved their lives.
Despite -50°F temperatures and a raging blizzard, Balto and his team completed the 53 mile trip to arrive in Nome the early morning of February 2, 1925—delivering the serum and saving countless lives in the town and surrounding communities. The combined efforts of 20 mushers and more than 150 dogs had completed the harrowing trip from Nenana to Nome in a record 127 hours, or about five and a half days—exceedingly faster than the month the journey usually took.
After delivering the serum to Nome’s hospital, Kaasen went straight back to Balto, hugging him and repeating the praise, “Damn fine dog.”
A literal penny drive championed by the community helped to give Balto and his teammates a new home in Cleveland.
BALTO COMES TO CLEVELAND
As the lead dog for the final stretch of the 674-mile journey, Balto captured the world’s attention, becoming famous as a symbol of the courage, endurance, and the many paws and hands that contributed to this amazing feat.
Once the initial stardom faded, however, Balto faced trouble of a different kind. After touring the United States vaudeville circuit with Kaasen for two years, Balto and his team were sold and put on display in a dime museum in Los Angeles. Ill and mistreated, Balto and six of his surviving teammates caught the attention of George Kimble, a businessman visiting from Cleveland.
Familiar with the story of the Serum Run and outraged by the poor conditions the dogs now lived in, Kimble arranged to purchase the canines for $1,500. But in order to fulfill his offer, Kimble had to face one more obstacle: he had just two weeks to raise the money.
Kimble returned to Cleveland and established a Balto Fund, appealing for donations through national radio and local newspaper The Plain Dealer. The response of the Cleveland community was unprecedented. The money was raised in just 10 days, with donations pouring in by the penny from individuals and businesses across the city—including schoolchildren, factory workers, out-of-town visitors, hotels, local stores, and the Western Reserve Kennel Club.
On March 19, 1927, Balto and his remaining teammates, Fox, Billy, Tillie, Sye, Old Moctoc, and Alaska Slim, received a hero’s welcome in Cleveland, complete with a parade through Public Square. The sled dogs spent the rest of their days under the care of the former Brookside Zoo. In addition to being a world-renowned hero, Balto had now become a beloved Cleveland celebrity.
Balto pictured in his new exhibit in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Visitor Hall.
THE SLED DOG’S LEGACY LIVES ON
Following Balto’s natural death in 1933, his mount was put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Today, his exhibit remains a shining example of triumph in the face of incredible odds, and a representation of one of humanity’s greatest partnerships with another species. Balto also serves as a symbol of Cleveland’s philanthropic tradition—a spirit of generosity that endures in the community today. As one of the Museum’s most treasured icons, now in a new Visitor Hall exhibit sponsored by The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, Balto continues to inspire visitors and captivate the popular imagination through his story.
In 2023, Balto’s DNA contributed to studies published in the journal Science. Researchers compared the genomes of 240 diverse mammals, revealing valuable information about the unique traits of different species. Through comparative genomics (the study of an organism’s genes), the studies also provide new insights on the functional parts of the human genome that help scientists to understand their impact on human health. Read more about the research in our press room.
And recently, the Museum installed a new bronze statue of Balto near its Wade Oval entrance, helping to preserve the sled dog’s legacy even further. Sponsored by philanthropist and dog lover Ms. Cynthia Young, the statue can be found next to “Steggie” the Stegosaurus, where it will continue to serve as a reminder of Balto’s courage and the community action that gave him a new home.
This new bronze statue of Balto, sponsored by Ms. Cynthia Young, can now be visited outside the Museum's Wade Oval entrance.
On February 1 and 2, 2025, the Museum will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Serum Run with Balto Family Weekend. Join us for special programming that honors the legacy of this legendary canine!
