The children were especially at risk, but the closest antitoxin was nearly a thousand miles away in Anchorage.
The severe weather conditions grounded the only available plane and the only way to get the serum to Nome was by way of sled dog teams. More than 20 mushers and 150 dogs participated in that race against time!
The conditions were hazardous and the temperatures plummeted to below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Musher Gunner Kaasen and dog team led by Balto did their run almost entirely in the dark, and Balto managed to stay the course during a complete white-out.
The final team and its sledder was asleep at the final stop where Kaasen was supposed to hand over the serum, so he made the decision to continue with Balto in the lead. When Kaasen arrived in Nome with the serum, he gave all the praise to his dog, Balto.
After Balto died 1933 his remains were mounted by a taxidermist and donated to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. There is also a statue of the canine hero in Central Park.
