Jirdes Winther Baxter, last survivor of 1925 Nome serum run, dies in Juneau at 101
- Mark Sabbatini
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
She moved to Juneau with her family in 1929; was honored by the city as ‘shadow member’ of the municipal council for supporting her husband during his 15 years in office
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Jirdes Winther Baxter, the last living survivor of the 1925 serum run credited with inspiring the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, died Monday at Bartlett Regional Hospital at the age of 101.
"This is kind of an end of an era for that period of time," Fred Baxter, one of her sons, said in an interview Tuesday.
His mother, born Jirdes Winther on Feb. 25, 1924, to parents who had moved from Norway to Nome, was hospitalized with diphtheria on Jan. 31, 1925, in the midst of an epidemic of the disease that winter. Only a few days earlier, Nome’s only doctor, Curtis Welch, sent an emergency telegraph to the U.S. Public Health Service requesting 1 million units of diphtheria antitoxin.
That resulted in the famous serum run by 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs over 674 miles in five and a half days from Nenana to Nome. Jirdes Winther and her two brothers received the last of the existing serum, and their mother the first of the new serum when it arrived at the beginning of February, according to Fred Baxter.
Jirdes Winther spent another 22 days, including her first birthday, in quarantine.
At least three documentaries, plus other historical projects, have included Jirdes Winther Baxter’s story. On Feb. 24, 2024, a one-day-early 100th birthday celebration featuring tributes from numerous officials took place at the Juneau Yacht Club.
“I’m hoping that everyone that has gathered around you to celebrate your 100th is spending it with you in true Alaskan style,” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in the call played to those gathered over a speakerphone. She said it was an occasion to celebrate “those who have helped make our state the most incredible place, and you and your family have done just that.”
Jirdes Winther moved with her family to Seattle in 1927 because her mother was still suffering from effects of diphtheria before the family returned to Alaska and settled in Juneau in 1929, according to citations and other official biographies documenting her life. She met and married Fred Baxter (subsequently naming one of their sons after him) in 1943.
Her husband was elected to the Juneau City Council (later the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly) in 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1962. Meanwhile, she worked for Lt. Gov. Hugh Wade and then the Retirement Division of the state Department of Revenue.
A citation from the Juneau Assembly recognizing her 100th birthday honors her as a “shadow member” of the municipal council during the 15 years her husband would eventually serve. A citation by the Alaska Legislature states she “took a great interest in local politics, providing support and guidance during her husband’s fifteen years in elected office.”
Jirdes Winther Baxter’s husband died at home on Oct. 14, 2009, at the age of 89. The couple raised six children.
Their son Fred Baxter said his mother was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital with medical complications early Saturday morning, and she was among family members until her death on Monday.
"We probably had 20, 25 family members here in town that were spending hours up there in a room with her, and talking and reminiscing about a good time," he said. "And she would be lucid sometimes, and sometimes she was just in discomfort. And then when she'd wake up and open her eyes she'd want to talk a little bit."
No memorials or other services have been scheduled yet, her son said.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
