This Heroic Dog Helped Save A Remote Alaskan Town From A Deadly Outbreak
During the winter of 1925, a remote small town in Alaska by the name of Nome suffered a deadly outbreak of diphtheria. The lives of more than 10,000 people were at risk, especially the children.
This bacterial disease causes the inflammation of mucous membranes that makes breathing and swallowing difficult. It can lead to heart/nerve damage and even death.
The only medical personnel in all of Nome was Dr. Curtis Welch and his team of four nurses. After four children died from what they initially thought was tonsillitis, they concluded that it was actually diphtheria.
Vaccines for the disease were ordered, but the nearest point the antitoxin could reach by train was Nenana, which was located 674 miles from Nome.
Air delivery was also not an option, as a blizzard was fast approaching. This meant the vaccines had to wait to be delivered until springtime.
And by then, it would be too late for many people. Fortunately, officials hashed out another idea. They determined that the only way to deliver the serum was through teams of sled dogs.
A total of 20 teams were assembled, and the serum would be handed off between different teams all the way from Nenana to Nome. In just five and a half days, the sled dog teams were able to deliver the lifesaving treatment to Nome.
The lead dog, Balto, would become famous for the heroic role he played as he completed the last 53 miles of the journey.
However, many argue that the real hero was the Siberian husky Togo. At the time, Togo was 12-years-old and traveled 264 miles. The other teams only ran an average of 31 miles each.
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Leonhard Seppala, the most revered musher in Alaska, led the sled dog teams. Seppala first arrived in Alaska from Norway in 1900.
He became interested in sled dogs, and he owned only the finest. Then came Togo, who suffered from many health issues.
Seppala gave him away to a neighbor, but Togo escaped, crashing through a glass window to return home. To Seppala’s surprise, Togo turned out to be a perfect sled dog.
Togo led Seppala’s teams in various races and won him the All-Alaska Sweepstakes three years in a row in 1915, 1916, and 1917.
When the diphtheria outbreak struck Nome, Seppala set out to retrieve the serum with 20 of his best Siberians and Togo at the lead. They faced many challenges, the biggest of which was probably the weather.
Temperatures hovered around -30 degrees, but they still made great time. In just three days, they covered 170 miles.
As they reached the final leg of their trip, they got stranded on an ice floe. Seppala threw Togo to land, and he was able to pull the team to safety. Finally, they made the handoff in Golovin, just 78 miles from Nome.
On February 3, 1925, musher Gunnar Kaasen and Balto, the lead dog of his team, rode into Nome with the serum to save the town.
Balto may have received all the glory, but his accomplishment would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for Togo.
Togo passed away in 1929 at the age of 16. As the years went on, more and more people began to recognize Togo as a hero.
In 1983, he was given a place of honor at the Iditarod Race Headquarters in Wasilla, Alaska. Seppala himself died in 1967 at the age of 89.
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