monday's mulling: togo and balto (in new york city)

Everybody loves a story that is filled with adventure, danger, conquering the elements, overcoming the the odds to save civilization, complete with a happy ending, and the heroes are ordinary humans...and their dogs.

In January of 1925 an outbreak of diptheria threatened to wipeout the town of Nome, Alaska and sparked fears that an epidemic would spread, killing thousands if an antitoxin medicine wasn't supplied. It was winter in this Alaskan town that was located just south of the Arctic Circle. The antitoxin could only be delivered by dogsled and the only accessible route during the harsh winter was on a portion of the Iditerod Trail. 

The plan consisted of multiple handoffs between dogsled teams traveling all the way from Nenana to Nome. Twenty mushers and 160 dogs would take on this 674 mile course, traveling in gale-force winds, -85° temperatures, and whiteout conditions in the remote Alaskan Interior and if all went well, the serum would be delivered to Nome in time to halt the epidemic. The life-saving serum was delivered to Nome in record time, 127.5 hours, without a single broken vial. This heroic delivery is known as The 1925 Serum Run.

The mushers traveled between 18-40 miles, with the most being completed by Leonhard Seppala, a renowned dogsled driver who was known across Alaska, and his dog Togo. Seppala and Togo handed off the cargo to another musher and his sled dog, Balto, for the last part of the trip. Though Balto often gets the credit for saving the town of Nome, it was Togo who led his team across the most dangerous leg of the journey. 

So how does this story connect to New York City?

The story was a harrowing adventure tale that combined modern medicine and traditional mushing and the public loved it. Within a year, on December 17, 1925, an impressive bronze statue of one of the heroes who brought the serum to Nome was unveiled in New York's Central Park. That hero was a dog, Balto.

Down in the Lower East Side in a neighborhood known as Two Bridges is Seward Park, named after William Seward who was Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State. He purchased Alaska from Russia in1867 for 7 million dollars. At that time the purchase became known as Seward's Folly but eventually it proved to be a wise investment.

Seward Park was dedicated in 1902  and contained the first permanent, municipally built playground in the country. Togo's story took a while to be recognized and in 2001 a statue of Togo in full gallop was placed in Seward Park. His bravery and tenacity made him a champion sled dog.

And now you know...the rest of the story. Good day!