Balto, Fritz & Togo
America Now & Then
Balto, Fritz & Togo
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Everybody knows Balto from the movie with the same name, but Togo and Fritz are rarely spoken of. All of them were a part of the 1925 serum run to Nome.
In 1925, diphtheria swept through the Alaskan town of Nome, two degrees south of the Arctic Circle. Diphtheria antitoxin had to be transported there quickly, but that would not be an easy task.
Since no plane or ship could reach Nome at this point, a decision was made to use dog sled teams to transport the serum.
Together, the teams covered a total of 674 miles (1,085 km) in five and a half days, a world record, done in extreme subzero temperatures in blizzard conditions and hurricane-forced winds.
However, a number of dogs died during the trip.
Though Balto often gets the credit for saving the town of Nome, it was Leonhard Seppala and his dog team, led by Togo and Fritz, that ran the longest and most dangerous leg of the journey.
Their total stretch covered 261miles (420km) in which the windchill reached down to -85° F (-65°C). Gunnar Kaasen and his sled team with Balto as the lead dog(Balto was also owned by Seppala) took the serum the final stretch (55miles/88km) to Nome. Balto's team also faced the heavy blizzard which was pounding the region during the last few days of the run. In Nome, Balto and Kassen received a heroes’ welcome.
Balto was the instant celebrity due to the fact that he crossed the finish line.
He wasn't even supposed to be in involved; in fact, he'd never led a team before, and Seppala had selected against including him in the team.
Balto would live the rest of his life at the Cleveland Zoo, and was put to sleep due to failing health in 1933.
Seppala left Togo and Fritz to retire at the home of Elizabeth Ricker, a friend of Seppala and fellow dog breeder.
Seppala remembered it as one of the saddest moments in his life: "It was sad parting, Togo raised his small paw to my knee as if questioning why he was not going along with me. I never had a better dog than Togo. His stamina, loyalty and intelligence could not be improved upon. Togo was the best dog that ever traveled the Alaska trail." Togo was put to sleep in 1929.
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