Balto
March 14, 1933
For those fans of poorly made animated movies of the 1990s, the name Balto will be familiar. For those who aren’t, Balto was an Alaskan sled dog who was famous for running the last two legs of a miles-long journey in a blizzard to bring diptheria serum to Nome to end a fast-moving epidemic. Balto was the lead dog for Gunnar Kaasen who risked his own life and suffered frostbite running his dogs for over 24 straight hours (missing a pass off point) and collapsing upon arriving in Nome. His words as he fell were “damn fine dog.” Balto became a national hero, although he and Kaasen were only one of twenty teams to complete the journey. Balto’s fame led to the commission of a bronze likeness by the city of New York in Central Park (near the Children’s Zoo) even though the city had no direct connection to the dog or Kaasen. When Balto died on March 14, 1933 his body was donated to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History where it was preserved (ok, stuffed) and put on display, and remains so to this day. (See above)
Balto’s heroics are not without some controversy. Although Balto led the last team, many historians believe that the true heroes of the run were Leonhard Seppala and his pack leader, Togo who covered 84 miles in a single day and a total of 250 miles, including the “commute” from their home to their pick-up point. Unfortunately for Togo, it was the dog that finished the journey who received all the accolades…and a 1995 animated film with voice by Kevin Bacon. (Comment by DogDaz – I love that movie!)
(Image of Balto in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is courtesy of fortunecity.com)
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