The mushers and dog teams that transported diphtheria vaccine 700 miles from Anchorage to Nome are given the hero treatment here, and they certainly deserve praise-but this movie is so superficially constructed that it’s impossible to feel any empathy for any character onscreen. Also, statues of Balto and Togo can be found at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.The Great Alaskan Race is a commendable passion project from filmmaker Brian Presley, a film dedicated to the “unsung heroes” who helped save the Alaskan city of Nome from a diphtheria outbreak in the early 20th century. In fact, he fell upon hard times … but that’s another story.įortunately, Togo now does have his own NYC statue in Seward Park on the Lower East Side. Balto had been neutered as a puppy, so a stud career was not possible for him. He spent his last days as a pampered house dog. He stayed in New England, where Seppala’s dogs set racing records, and Togo became a prominent sire, founding a line of dogs known as Seppala’s Siberian Sled Dogs. In the end, Togo was somewhat vindicated. “It was almost more than I could bear when the ‘newspaper’ dog Balto received a statue for his ‘glorious achievements,'” he wrote in his memoirs. Seppala also toured the lower 48 with Togo, but the ultimate slight came with the statue in Central Park. It had the opposite effect, and Kassan and Balto toured the United States with crowds greeting them everywhere they went. When a movie offer came for Balto, Seppala gave permission for Kassan and Balto, along with some of his other dogs, to travel to Los Angeles, thinking it would take the limelight off Balto. He considered the slight to Togo unconscionable, and he tried to no avail to have Togo recognized as the rightful hero of the serum run. Seppala was secretly furious, even though he owned both dogs. The press acted as though Balto had led for the entire 1,348-mile round trip with help from no other teams. Togo was forgotten, despite doing most of the work. It was Balto the waiting townspeople saw emerging from the blinding snow, Balto who they cheered for, and Balto who they hailed as a hero. Kassan missed the handoff to the next (and last) relay because of the white-out conditions so decided to keep going to the end. He chose a dog named Balto to lead his team, despite the fact that Balto was more of a heavyweight hauler than a speedster. The next to last team was one made up at the last minute, led by Gunnar Kaasen, a fellow worker of Seppala’s. Togo led his team for 260 miles, across the most dangerous part of the journey over the breaking ice of Norton Sound, in blizzard conditions, spanning four and half days with only brief rests, before handing off the serum to the next relay team. Seppala’s team would travel the farthest, meeting the serum part way and then racing back with it to reach the next relay. Most teams were scheduled to travel less than 30 miles. The plan was for teams to form a relay to pick up the serum and bring it back. Through a blizzard of 80 mph wind, in temperatures of minus-50 degrees, Seppala trusted Togo to lead the way when just one misstep would mean death for all.
So when Nome was gripped by diphtheria and relays of sled dogs were the only connection to the railhead, Seppala chose Togo as his lead dog - even though Togo was then 12 years old. Togo went on to become Seppala’s most accomplished and renowned lead dog, winning countless races as well as working on everyday tasks. Togo was the born leader Seppala had been trying to breed for years. By the end of the day he had logged 75 miles and had been placed in position as co-leader. Seppala put him in harness just to keep an eye on him, and Togo did so well, Seppala kept moving him up in position as the day progressed. He followed Seppala’s trail until he met up with them the next day. Despite being tied and fenced, Togo once again escaped. One day Seppala had to make a 160-mile trip. Once back home, he regularly escaped so he could harass Seppala’s other dogs when they were in harness. Small, feisty, and a natural troublemaker, he was sold two times only to escape and return. Togo didn’t seem like hero material when he was young. Not only did he own Balto, but many other sled dogs, including his favorite lead dog, Togo. Leonhard Seppala was an experienced musher by the time he was chosen to lead the desperate serum run. According to Balto’s original owner, yes.
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