Sled Dog, Wonder Dog. Balto was the new rookie lead dog for a sled team operated by Alaskan dog sled master, Gunnar Kaasen. Gunnar Kaasen was in the second to last leg of a dog team relay that had to deliver some diphtheria epidemic lifesaving antitoxin serum from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome. Gunnar reached the next point in the relay only to find that the next musher was sleeping. Since it would have taken time to wake him & get the team ready, Gunnar decided to continue on the next 25 miles to Nome. With Balto leading, Gunnar carried on and managed to survive to deliver the antitoxin. Balto and his heroic team then became famous and toured the U.S.A. In 1925, a statue of Balto was built and sculpted by Frederick Roth and is located in New York City's Central Park. In 1927, a Cleveland, Ohio businessman discovered the dogs on display in Los Angeles, ill kept and in poor health. He organized Cleveland residents who donated money to buy the dog team. The money was raised and the team was brought to Cleveland. After Balto died in 1933, Balto was taxidermied, mounted and put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The museum runs a film shot in 1925 of Balto and the original team. An animated film about Balto and the 1925 Nome serum run was released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment titled "Balto" (1995).
Sled Dog, Wonder Dog. Balto was the new rookie lead dog for a sled team operated by Alaskan dog sled master, Gunnar Kaasen. Gunnar Kaasen was in the second to last leg of a dog team relay that had to deliver some diphtheria epidemic lifesaving antitoxin serum from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome. Gunnar reached the next point in the relay only to find that the next musher was sleeping. Since it would have taken time to wake him & get the team ready, Gunnar decided to continue on the next 25 miles to Nome. With Balto leading, Gunnar carried on and managed to survive to deliver the antitoxin. Balto and his heroic team then became famous and toured the U.S.A. In 1925, a statue of Balto was built and sculpted by Frederick Roth and is located in New York City's Central Park. In 1927, a Cleveland, Ohio businessman discovered the dogs on display in Los Angeles, ill kept and in poor health. He organized Cleveland residents who donated money to buy the dog team. The money was raised and the team was brought to Cleveland. After Balto died in 1933, Balto was taxidermied, mounted and put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The museum runs a film shot in 1925 of Balto and the original team. An animated film about Balto and the 1925 Nome serum run was released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment titled "Balto" (1995).
Advertisement
See more Balto the Wonder Dog memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
