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  .: History

     While Balto is indeed a great movie, the history that inspired the movie is just, if not more, exciting and interesting. Read below for a short history of the real Balto. If you are interested in obtaining more information, click here to go to Balto's Boat to read more.

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On January 20, 1925 Nome sent out an urgent telegraph message out. It was calling for antitoxin. Nome's doctor had diagnosed cases of diptheria to many people in the town. If you don't know what diptheria is, it is a contagious disease that affects the thorat and lungs. Then, on January 25, 1925 Anchorage replied to Nome telling them that a team of sled dogs had to get the medicine in the town of Nenana. That's where the train line ended, and that's as far as the medicine could go. A sled team had to race 600 miles in order to get it to Nome.

The first sled team driver was a man by the name of Shannon. He raced his dogs 52 miles into the town of Tolovana, where sled driver Kalland took the medicine on another leg of the journey. Kalland then passed the medicine on to Green in Manley Hot Springs, which was a 31 mile journey. Then Green went 28 miles and took it to Fish Lake, where driver Folger took the medicine. Folger then handed off the medicine to Sam Joseph, and he then passed it to Nikoltai, then he gave it to Corning. The snow and the wind had started to pick up, making it harder to get anywhere. But the mushers went on, Corining passed it to Pitkia, who passed it to McCarty, and then he passed it to Edger Nollner. He then passed the medicine on in the town of Galena to George. The mushers went on, Evans, Patsy, Jackscrew, the Koyukuk Indian, Anagick, and Gonangnan. He then gave the medicine to Ivanoff.

Ivanoff's team had darted a reindeer. When he was untangling the dogs' harneess, Leonard Seppala and his dogs, including Togo apperead. They came to take the serum 91 miles to the next checkpoint. Then, the storm grew worse. Seppala had to make a decision. He could either go around the Norton or go across it. Going across it was quicker, but the ice could break at any minute. He decied to go across. Togo led them wonderfully across. That is, until the ice broke. Seppala then passed the serum to Olson, who then passed it to Kaasen. Balto was the leader of Kaasen's team. Balto was one of Sappela's dogs, but he was thought to not be a very good leader. Had Kaasen know the fericotity of the storm, he would not have chosen Balto to lead. But Balto proved himself a leader. The team raced on. In the next check point, very close to Nome, they found the driver asleep. So the team raced on...

On Febuary 2, 1925 Kaasen's team made it to Nome. The town was saved! The 647 mile trip was made in about 127 hours.

Hollywood then made a short 30 min. flim about Balto. But then, they were sold to an unknown dealer. One man from Clevland saw them in a show, and saw that they were being mistreated. He bought the dogs for $2000. There was one small problem. He had to raise the money in only 2 weeks! A Balto campaign was formed, and the dogs were bought. They lived out the rest of their lives in the Clevland zoo. Balto died at the age of 11. His body has been mounted and is on display.

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