The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic

Gay Salisbury · Laney Salisbury

Feb 2005 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

"A stirring tale of survival, thanks to man's best friend." —Seattle Times

When a deadly diphtheria epidemic swept through Nome, Alaska, in 1925, the local doctor knew that without a fresh batch of antitoxin, his patients would die. The lifesaving serum was a thousand miles away, the port was icebound, and planes couldn't fly in blizzard conditions—only the dogs could make it. The heroic dash of dog teams across the Alaskan wilderness to Nome inspired the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and immortalized Balto, the lead dog of the last team whose bronze statue still stands in New York City's Central Park. This is the greatest dog story, never fully told until now.

Ratings and reviews

The true story of The Serum Run, the many mushers and dogs who saved Nome and its surrounding villages from the ravages of diptheria in 1925. Great for older kids to adults. And why Leonhard Seppala and Togo are the most awesome unsung heroes of the North. The Alaskan landscape in the dead of winter is a hard place, but these are humans and dogs who know this land, and how to navigate it. An inspiring true tale of hardiness and courage. Those of us who have lived with Siberian huskies love this bit of our breed's history. Seppala is instrumental in introducing the Siberian to north America. Togo is in the pedigree of nearly every Siberian here. Enjoy the films, follow the Iditarod Dogsled Race but read this first. PS: the Iditarod was created to honor the sled dog, and return them to villages and backyards and hearts. Seppala and Togo are honored too, but the Iditarod is not simply a nod to the serum run.

How the Iditarod Dog Sled Race Came To Be & The Frantic Struggle To Save The Small Town Of "NOME ALASKA" In The Winter Of 1925

Wonderful story of the history of the Greatest Race on Earth. To us with huskies it proves what we've ment when we say they have been honoring the wrong dog and musher

About the author

Gay Salisbury is the former associate publisher of Basic Books. She splits her time between Fairbanks, Alaska, and New York City.

Laney Salisbury, a Columbia Journalism School graduate, has reported from Africa, the Middle East, and New York. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.