Research Tools: Serum Run Test Page

1.3 cu ft. This collection was created by the Archives to house unpublished manuscripts, letters, and other documents that contain reminiscences of time spent in Alaska, written later in the author's life rather than at the time of the events described. Folder 38 contains certificates and a medal honoring Evans' part in the diphtheria run to Nome in January -February, 1925. There is an amateur radio station license, a card for an Alaska aircraft warning observation post, a certificate of participation in the planning and recordation of the history of the Iditarod National Historic Trail.

5.5 linear ft. Leonard Seppala (1878-1967) was born in Norway and came to Alaska as a young man. He became famous as a sled dog racer and freighter, and he is best remembered for his participation in the race to deliver diphtheria serum to residents of Nome in 1925. This collection contains nine scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, photographs, and correspondence.

32 cu ft. The collection contains extensive material relating to the reindeer industry, correspondence with public figures, Gudbrand Lomen's court and legal records, Alfred and Ralph Lomen's political papers, the personal papers of individual members of the Lomen family, a large collection of still photographs. Box 43 contains curated clippings related to the Serum Run. They also have photographs of Leonhard Seppala, and possibly others. Ralph Lomen produced some of the first photographs of the Serum Run for publication.

8 cu. Ft. The Drane collection consists of photographs (five albums, nine photocopies of albums, and loose photographs) which give a detailed description of his travels to mission stations in Interior Alaska. Also included are a chronicle by the Reverend Albert Tritt of Arctic Village and Drane's autobiography, entitled "A Circuit Rider on the Yukon" and a diary with photographs by Drane's daughter, Rebecca. Photo Album #6 contains mention of Reverend Frederick Blount Drane coming across Johnny Folger during the Serum Run, as does some correspondence.

6.35 cu ft. The Daniel A. Sutherland Papers consist primarily of correspondence and newspaper clippings dealing with political problems and popular issues in Alaska in the 1910s through 1931 and documenting Sutherland's political career. The serum run is mentioned in correspondences, where there is a folder dedicated to responses to his radio address of the event.

0.35 cu ft. Papers of C. J. Woofter, including copies of Territory of Alaska legislation, copies of U.S. Land Office patent records, miscellaneous legal records, materials relating to the Nome serum run and Leonhard Seppala, and other materials related to the work of C. J. Woofter. The folder "Seppala Materials" includes his correspondence with News outlets regarding the events of the Serum Run, during which he was a Telegraph operator in Nome.

1 folder. The Candace Waugaman Collection consists of historical manuscripts, photographs, memorabilia, and ephemera donated by private collector and local historian Candace Waugaman. The collection focuses upon the history of Alaska and the Yukon Territory, with particular emphasis upon the Fairbanks, Alaska, region. This addition to the collection is a 1974 copy of the magazine True West containing an article about Public Health Nurse Emily Morgan titled "Angel of the Yukon". She tells the story of her experiences as a nurse in Nome, Alaska, during the diphtheria epidemic of 1925. Her account vividly portrays her visits to the homes of patients and the mounting fear as the illness spread while the community awaited the arrival of antitoxin that was on its way via dogsled from Nenana.

1.15 cu ft. The June Metcalfe Northwest Alaska Collection consists of photographs, clippings, typed transcriptions of diaries and interviews, a small number of local publications, a few original manuscript items, and Metcalfe's research notes, all dealing primarily with Nome, Unalakleet, and other locations in northwestern Alaska. Included are several folders of biographical material on Curtis and Lula Welsh, as well as clippings and articles regarding the Diphtheria epidemic.

3.2 cu ft. The William Henry Wilson Collection contains materials relating to Wilson's book, Railroad in the Clouds (1977), about the Alaska Railroad in the age of steam (1914-1945): galley proofs, research notes, photocopied research material, and copies of photographs from various sources. Included are some of his research files relating to the 1925 Diphtheria epidemic.

1 Box, 0.25 cu ft. The W. F. Thompson Family Collection consists of a small number of family photographs and photocopies of newspaper articles. W.F. Thompson was the editor of the “Fairbanks Daily News-Miner,” and was an outspoken advocate of using planes to accomplish the 1925 serum run.

109 minutes. Part 1 (AAF-2239) Summary: Images include Leonhard with dog team, Olympic activities at Lake Placid during 1932, Leonhard with dogs at Maine, Nome street scenes and lighter, small rail cars on Seward Peninsula Kougarok Railroad,gold drdge and mining operations near Nome, passengers on the tug Dayton, aerial view of Nome, Sigrid and Mrs. Seppala at Skagway and on ship, ship travel in Southeast, tour bus at Skagway, Gorst Air Transport Loening Air Yacht seaplane on beach,scenery from train, mining camp scenes, Davidson Ditch siphon, gold dredge operation, Caterpillar tractor, Davidson Ditch crew building dam at washout, Scenery along Richardson Highway, lone gold miner (Harry Lind?) with rocker box near Nome, Davidson Ditch Dam on Chatanika River, Davidson Ditch crew repairing washout, Davidson Ditch dam and siphon in valley, hydraulic giants, men driving thaw points, gold dredge, man samples dredge diggings, internal dredge operations, King Islanders arriving at Nome in umiaks, 4th of July Native games in Nome, kayak races, man demonstrates Eskimo roll in Kayak, Leonhard mushing and making ice cream with Eskimo girls, pupmobile on Kougarok railroad, sled dogs pulling wagon and small rail cars at Nome. Additional scenes includes Paramount News Reel of Leonhard Seppala mushing dogs in New York during diphtheria serum drive and contestants in the Ottawa International Dog Derby during 1930. Part 2 (AAF-2240) Summary: Images include Leonhard Seppala mushing dogs outside of Alaska, log dam repairing washout on Davidson Ditch, slow-motion of Leonhard mushing in Ottawa Dog Derby during 1930, and Fairbanks Winter Carnival dog races on Chena River. Additional images include Seppala cabin and Leonhard mushing dogs at Chatanika, small car ferry, sternwheeler Casca travelling on Yukon, Seppala cabin with flowers during summer and Leonhard and Constance with puppies and dogs, Seppala cabin at Chatanika during fall, Leonhard working on Davidson Ditch, sternwheeler travel, road travel, small car ferry, Leonhard in Dawson City, Fairbanks Winter Carnival, Leonhard mushing dogs and with dogs in dogyard, flowers, Nome streets, lightering people to ship at Nome, Wien Detroiter airplane at Nome, reindeer herd, hides hanging by cabin, and people along streets in Fairbanks during winter carnival.

View Part 1

View Part 2

Larry Beck tells the story of the 1925 diphtheria run to Nome.

Notes on original MiniDV videotape are, "Longest Walk Barrow - George Meegan - 1/23/2001 - (inside tent) - Evening at school." Scenes from the celebration on the day that author and British adventurer George Meegan completed his walk from the Arctic Circle to Barrow, Alaska. Col. Norman D. Vaughan speaks before an audience in Barrow about the 1925 Nome serum run, and is presented with a certificate from the City of Barrow. He then briefly talks about his involvement with Admiral Byrd's first expedition to the South Pole and the years afterward. George Meegan talks about living one's dreams and thanks Col. Vaughan. Meegan talks about the arrival of the new century, and actions that have taken place against Indigenous peoples throughout the course of U.S. history. A man speaks about communication and sings a Japanese song that is translated to English by another man. A woman speaks about pride and respect of cultures and then sings.

70 minutes. Jack Coghill welcomes guests, he talks about the history of the serum run from Nenana to Nome, the dog teams carrying the serum, Mary Demientieff, and Paul George. Mary Demientieff introduces the Native dancers who sing and perfom several selections. Jack Coghill talks about Nenana's history, Jim Duke and his roadhouse, the railroad survey in 1914, President Warren Harding's visit, the dog mushers involved in the serum run, Bill Shannon, dog leaders, Togo and Balto, Leonhard Seppala, Joyce Kanabe, Joe Reddington, Edgar Kalland, Harry Pitka, Bill McCartney, Edgar Nollner, and Charlie Evans.

60 minutes. Billy McCarty, Sr. talks about his family background, the two roadhouses that his father ran in the Kaltag area (Slough Roadhouse and Six Mile Roadhouse), carrying mail by dogsled, reindeer herding, and running the Ruby to Whiskey Creek segment of the 1925 Nome Serum Run.

60 minutes. Edgar Paul "Paddy" Nollner talks about his family background, his participation in the 1925 Nome Serum Run in which he ran two legs (Whiskey Creek to Galena and Galena to Bishop Mountain), weather for serum runs, serum package, John Evans, Charlie Evans, Leonard Seppala, Antosky's Roadhouse, Dalquist Roadhouse, Evan's Roadhouse, mail cabin at Bishop's Mountain, and mail service by dog team

120 minutes. On H83-16-20, Edgar Kalland talks about working for the NC company, taking the auditor around to various stores, working as a deckhand on steamboats, raising sled dogs, choosing leaders, and his family background. On H83-16-21, Edgar talks about places along the Iditarod National Historical trail, smoking, his father's death, chores when he was a kid, and kids today. Edgar participated in the 1925 Nome Serum Run. He ran the segment between Talavana and Manley Hot Springs.

80 minutes. Edgar Nollner speaks in an edited radio broadcast on KIYU-AM, from an interview conducted by Orville Hungtington and recorded by Jessie Dementiev in Galena, Alaska in June 1996. Nollner describes mushing dogs, the obedience of his dogs, and using dogsled to go moose hunting.

60 minutes. John Aulaye recounts his part in the 1925 Nome Serum Run. He ran the segment from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik. John Aulaye contested in the 1980s that he was the actual runner of the portion of the Serum Run typically credited to Henry Ivanoff.

60 minutes. Bill McCarty talks about his parents, Eva and Bill McCarty, Sr., witnessing the Iditarod stampede as a child, their roadhouses near Kaltag, carrying mail by dogsled from Kaltag to Iditarod, living in Nulato, the steamboats on the Yukon River, traveling from Unalakleet to Nome on a sailboat, working as a reindeer herder apprentice, living in Kokrines, people leaving to live in Galena, potlatches, stick dances, his family, herding reindeer for Cap William, working at Fort Gibbon, the telegraph stations along the Yukon River, using sled dogs for transportation, carrying the mail by dogsled from Ruby to above the Kokrines, trapping for 22 years, selling his furs outside of Alaska, fluctuation in fur prices, stopping trapping when he went blind, prices for fish, what Ruby was like in earlier days, Fourth of July in Ruby, and his children's education.

90 minutes. Effie Kokrine talks about her first experiences with dogs, Tonnish the dog, using a loose leader, the job of the wheel dog, selecting pups, feeding sled dogs, going to Flat for spring camp, Katherine Mayo, participating in the North American Races, Libby Wescott, training sled dogs, Whitey the sled dog, making sleds and towlines, using dog booties, her family's involvement with junior dog mushing, Jeff Studdert, her father running part of the serum run to Nome, her father, Johnny Folger, dogs towing boats in the summer, being raised in the Tanana area, Yukon River, dogsled mail trips from Tanana to Wiseman made by her husband, Andrew Kokrine, Tony Kokrine, using gee poles and Ouija boards, controlling a heavy sled going downhill, where they kept their dogs when they first came to Fairbanks, George Jimmie, naming dogs, and training lead dogs.

33 minutes. This tape is mostly in Koyukon Athapascan with a brief introduction in English by interviewer Poldine Carlo. Serum to Nome and Sled Dogs are discussed.

Iditarod runner 1986, v. 9, no. 6 (Mar. 1986) p. 4. ALASKA PER SF440.15 I34.

Alaska journal 1986, v. 16 (1986) pp. 250-259. ALASKA PER F901 A342