Balto
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Balto was an Alaskan husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. He achieved fame when he led a team of sled dogs driven by Gunnar Kaasen on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nenana, Alaska, by train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease.
Balto with Gunnar Kaasen, his musher in the 1925 Serum Run.
Statue of Balto in Central Park, New York City
Balto's remains at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1925 serum run to Nome
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The 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the Great Race of Mercy and The Serum Run, was a transport of diphtheria antitoxin by dog sled relay across the US territory of Alaska by 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs across 674 miles (1,085 km) in 5+1⁄2 days, saving the small town of Nome and the surrounding communities from a developing epidemic of diphtheria.
A view of Nome in 1916
Leonhard Seppala with his dogs after the serum run in 1925. His lead dog, Togo, on the far left.
Gunnar Kaasen with Balto, the lead dog for the team he drove in the serum run
Statue of Balto, lead dog on the last relay team. The statue is located in Central Park (NYC) and is dedicated to all the dogs involved in the serum run.