Podcast Summary: HISTORY This Week

Episode: The Dogs Who Saved Nome, Alaska

Host: Sally Helm
Guests: Pam Flowers (musher and author), Bob Thomas (historian and husky expert)
Date: January 26, 2026

Overview

This episode of HISTORY This Week revisits the harrowing 1925 serum run undertaken to deliver life-saving diphtheria antitoxin to the isolated town of Nome, Alaska—an event that has become legend thanks to its cast of human and canine heroes. Host Sally Helm explores how mushers and their sled dogs braved subarctic extremes to save a community of children from a deadly epidemic, unraveling the drama, key figures, and the controversies that became part of this storied rescue.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Isolation and Vulnerability of Nome (01:59–06:18)

• The episode opens with a chilling depiction of -50°F temperatures in Alaskan winter, emphasizing the life-threatening stakes and relentless environment.
• Nome in the 1920s: Once a booming gold rush town, now reduced to about 1,500 people, cut off from the world except by ship (frozen in winter) and by dog team.
• Pam Flowers: “In 1925, there's no way to get there except by dog team or ship. In the winter, of course, the ocean is frozen and so really the only way to get to Nome is by dog team.” (06:18)

2. Diphtheria Outbreak & Urgency (08:39–10:19)

• Dr. Curtis Welch in Nome identifies a deadly outbreak after misdiagnosing early symptoms and witnessing the first child’s death.
• The disease spreads quickly, especially among children, and is confirmed as diphtheria—a suffocating illness.
• Nome’s serum supplies are low and expired; Welch petitions for urgent help.
• “It's very contagious. It's transmitted by particles in the air, and it gets into your respiratory system and it forms in the back of your throat like a film, sort of, and it slowly suffocates the person to death.” – Pam Flowers (09:33)

3. The Search for Serum & Debate on Delivery (13:14–15:42)

• Emergency council forms; Nome locked down under quarantine as panic spreads.
• A partial supply of lifesaving antitoxin is located in Anchorage, still hundreds of miles—and impassable wilderness—away.
• Fierce debate on how to deliver the serum: Continue by train or attempt to fly by airplane? Ultimately, territorial governor Scott C. Bone decides to use a relay of dog teams due to reliability in brutal winter conditions.
• “They could depend on the dogs not to freeze up and fall out of the sky.” – Pam Flowers (15:26)

4. The Mushers and Dogs: Wild Bill Shannon, Leonard Seppala, and Togo (16:03–22:08)

• The serum is sent by train to Nenana; from there, Wild Bill Shannon begins the relay with his dogs, braving dangerous terrain and frigid temperatures.
• Leonard Seppala, regarded as the greatest dog musher of his era, is chosen for the most perilous segment. His lead dog, Togo, stands out for intelligence and endurance, though at first he was overlooked and considered a “juvenile delinquent.”
• Anecdote on Togo: “Togo was in the habit of running out ahead of Leonard Seppala's dog team and hiding out... he'd jump out and bite the lead dogs on the ear. He was a juvenile delinquent. He wanted to cause trouble, and he did.” – Pam Flowers (19:44)
• On his very first run with the team, Togo displays natural leadership, quickly advancing to lead dog on his first day out.

5. The Changing Plans & Emergence of the Relay (23:53–25:09)

• As the world follows the unfolding drama, Nome realizes the initial plan (two main mushers, long runs) would be too slow—it could take three weeks, risking many more lives.
• The 20-musher, 20-dog-team relay is instituted, with mail carriers recruited to shave days off the journey.

6. The Treacherous Crossing of Norton Sound (25:59–32:18)

• Historian Bob Thomas recounts Seppala and Togo’s pivotal choice: cross the notoriously unstable and perilous Norton Sound or take a longer route. Seppala chooses the dangerous shortcut, trusting Togo to lead through the dark, wind-whipped expanse of shifting ice.
• “You need a very, very good lead dog that will go across a trackless lake or in this case the end of a 20 mile wide bay crossing... when you get to the other side you're going to be where you're supposed to be and you're not looking at a hundred foot tall cliff or something, which could very easily happen.” – Bob Thomas (31:21)
• Amidst a blizzard and with the ice breaking up, Togo avoids disaster, guiding the team across just before the ice blows out to sea.

7. The Final Leg: Balto, Gunnar Kaasen, and the Arrival (32:18–36:23)

• Seppala passes the serum to Charlie Olsen, who endures frozen hands, then to Gunnar Kaasen, who brings it into Nome at dawn, February 2.
• All 674 miles, completed in five and a half days—vials intact. Immediate vaccinations save the community; Pam Flowers estimates that “every child in the town would have died” had the serum not arrived (33:56).

8. The Legacy and the Balto vs. Togo Controversy (34:02–37:00)

• Balto, lead dog of the final relay leg, becomes a media sensation—statues, films, cartoons—while Seppala and Togo’s longer, riskier, and more critical section is less recognized.
• “It annoyed him really, because he knew that they had done so many more miles with his team and Togo than any other musher.” – Pam Flowers on Seppala's reaction (36:02)
• Flowers and Seppala, in the end, emphasize collective heroism: “...every dog was a hero. Every dog did their part...” – Pam Flowers (36:31)

9. Closing Reflection & Notable Quote (37:00–37:44)

• Pam Flowers recites from Seppala’s autobiography:
  • “Afterwards, I thought of the ice and the darkness and the terrible wind and the irony of that men could build planes and ships, but when Nome needed life and little packages of serum, it took the dogs to bring it through. He's honoring all the dogs, not just one or two dogs. He's honoring them all.” (37:00)

Memorable Quotes

• On the power of the Arctic:
  “I would stand there and just look around and I would think about all the power it took to freeze the Arctic Ocean, that it froze the land, that there's snow everywhere. And... it would fill me with power. And after I'm out there a few days, I think I can do anything.” – Pam Flowers (08:08)

• On canine teamwork:
  “You have to be willing to stay out in front of all the other dogs and you have to listen to what the musher says. It has nothing to do with dominance or strength. It has everything to do with having the self confidence to follow what your musher is telling you to do.” – Pam Flowers (21:26)

• On historical recognition:
  “Every dog was a hero. Every dog did their part, and so I really don't worry about whether people want to give the credit to Togo or to Balto.” – Pam Flowers (36:31)

• Seppala’s own words:
  “...the irony of that men could build planes and ships, but when Nome needed life and little packages of serum, it took the dogs to bring it through.” – Leonard Seppala, read by Pam Flowers (37:00)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Setting the Scene; Outbreak and Response – 01:59 to 10:19
• Decision on Delivery: Planes vs. Dogs – 13:14 to 15:46
• Pam Flowers on Becoming a Musher & Togo’s Backstory – 06:36 to 22:08
• Relay System and Logistical Change – 23:53 to 25:09
• Norton Sound Crossing / Togo’s Heroics – 25:59 to 32:18
• Final Leg, Arrival in Nome, and Aftermath – 32:18 to 36:23
• Legacy, Balto vs. Togo, and Final Reflections – 34:02 to 37:44

Tone and Style

The episode balances tense, cinematic storytelling with candid interviews from expert guests. Sally Helm narrates with evocative descriptions, while Pam Flowers and Bob Thomas add rich anecdotes, humor, and emotion, particularly when reflecting on the enduring bond between mushers and their dogs.

In Summary

“The Dogs Who Saved Nome, Alaska” vividly brings to life the 1925 serum run, a feat of endurance, intelligence, and courage by mushers and their dogs. Central figures—Shannon, Seppala, Togo, and Balto—embody the resilience and heroism needed to overcome both nature and circumstance. While history immortalized Balto, this episode re-centers the collective effort, the unsung heroes, and the spirit of teamwork that, against all odds, saved a generation.