Cook Inlet Historical Society

Leonhard Seppala's lead dog Togo, one of the Serum Run's greatest heroes.

There's the sting and the rage of the blizzard,
As the Arctic unleashes its gale;
There's the night falling gray at the end of the day,
And there's Death riding hard on their Trail.
Man’s pluck, and the strength of a dog-team–
“On Togo! We trust your pace.”
There's the flash of a light—then there's Candle in sight —
And Seppala beats Death in the Race!
––Esther Birdsall Darling.

January 30, 1925: Edgar Nollner hands the serum off to his recently married brother George who sang Athabascan love songs to his team en route to Bishop Mountain where Charlie Evans took over. In a later interview, Evans said he couldn’t see the trail markings, but his “dogs were seeing them…the fog was about this high on me; I was holding the sled and couldn't see the dogs or anything, just see just like -- like above the clouds …And it's really cold. That fog go right through. [The dogs] follow the trail.”
Later that day, drivers Tommy Patsy, Jack Nicolai (aka “Jackscrew”), and Victor Anagick had the package of anti-toxin under their care. The life-saving medicine was on its way to Unalakleet.