B alto's story is one of America's most captivating true events and proves how dogs are capable of incredible feats. Such was the media repercussion of the adventure that B alto starred in, that in 1995 a film was released that told the story of him, called "B alto: the legend of the Eskimo dog".
Next, on our site, we will explain to you the real story of B alto, the wolfdog who became a hero. You can't miss the full story!
The Nome Husky
B alto was a Siberian Husky mix who was born in Nome, a small town in Alaska in 1923. This breed, although originally from from Russia, was brought to the United States in 1905 to work mainly in mushing (dogs that pull sleds), since they were more resistant and lighter than the Alaskan malamute, the original dogs of the area.
At the time, the All-Alaska Sweepstakes was very popular, taking place from Nome to Candle and covering 657 kilometers, not including the lap. At that time, the future owner of B alto, Leonhard Seppala, was an experienced mushing trainer and participated in various competitions and races.
In 1925, when temperatures hovered around -30°C, the town of Nome was struck by diphtheria, a serious bacterial disease and that can become fatal that usually occurs mainly in young children. In village diphtheria vaccine was not available, so the telegram was used to find out where they could find more injections. The closest were in the city of Anchorage, at 865, 17 kilometers away and unfortunately it was not possible to use air and sea passes, as a winter storm prevented the use of routes.
B alto's story
Unable to receive the necessary vaccinations, around 20 residents of the town of Nome committed themselves to a dangerous journey, in which more than 100 sled dogs would be used to fetch the injections. It was possible to move the material from Anchorage to Nenana, a city a little closer to Nome, to 778.74 kilometers away
The 20 guides designed a relay system that made it possible to transport the vaccines. One of the most outstanding was Gunner Kaassen, guide of squad B, in which B alto, the wolfdog, was. During the impromptu race, all those involved endured temperatures of around -40ºC, strong winds, icy passes and really complicated mountainous areas. In fact, many humans and dogs perished in their attempt to save Nome's child population.
There are several theories about what happened to the last group of dogs, led by Gunner: some suggest that it was B alto who led the dogs all the way (although he was not a lead dog), others that the guide dog was unable to orient itself and in the last ones it is suggested that the guide broke a leg. What is certain is that B alto was the one who took command of the race, despite the fact that many had little faith in him.
In just five and a half days, Squad B finally arrived in Nome with the diphtheria vaccine in their possession. Perhaps it was because of its hybridization, or because it was not expected that a dog that had never been a guide before could lead the rest of the dogs, but the truth is that B alto was able to find the way and in much less time than expected.
B alto's Last Days
It is necessary to point out, as a curiosity, that B alto was not really the original name of this dog, but Togo. He was given this name in memory of the Norwegian explorer Samuel B alto, popular in Nome during the gold rush.
Sadly, B alto was sold along with other dogs to the Cleveland Zoo (Ohio), where he lived until he was 14 years old, he died on March 14, 1933. It was later embalmed and can now be found in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Since then, every March is the Iditarod Polar Dog Race, which runs from Anchorage to Nome, in memory of the story of B alto, the wolfdog who became a hero, as well as all those who participated in that dangerous race.
B alto's statue in Central Park
The media coverage of B alto's story was such that a statue was erected in Central Park, New York, by FG Roth, dedicated exclusively to this four-legged hero, who is considered to have saved the lives of many Nome children. It can be read:
Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of these polar dogs who relayed the antitoxin across nearly a thousand miles of harsh ice, treacherous waters and arctic blizzards in Nenana to bring relief to the desolate town of Nome during the winter of 1925.
Resistance – Loy alty -Intelligence"
