Togo vs. Balto: The Sled Dog Who Did the Work and Didn't Get the Statue

August 8, 2026

One dog ran 261 miles. The other ran 55. History remembered the wrong one.

Nome, January 1925

A diphtheria outbreak hit Nome, Alaska in January 1925. The town doctor, Curtis Welch, had diagnosed the first cases and ran the numbers: without antitoxin, mortality in children could approach 100 percent. The nearest supply of serum was in Anchorage, over 1,000 miles away. The harbor was frozen solid. Small aircraft of that era couldn't handle the conditions. The only option was dog sled.

A relay was organized: 20 mushers, 150 dogs, 674 miles from the Nenana railhead to Nome. Temperatures along the route dropped to 62 below zero Fahrenheit. One stretch, crossing Norton Sound on sea ice that could shift and break without warning, was considered the most dangerous of the run.

Leonhard Seppala and Togo

Leonhard Seppala was the best musher in Alaska. He volunteered for the longest, most dangerous leg: 91 miles across Norton Sound and into the interior. His lead dog was Togo, a Siberian Husky he had raised and trained himself since Togo was a puppy. Togo was 12 years old and had run with Seppala for a decade.

The crossing of Norton Sound happened in near-whiteout conditions, at 85 below wind chill, on ice that was actively shifting beneath them. At one point, the ice broke apart. Seppala tied a line to Togo and threw him across the gap. Togo swam through the freezing water to the far side and pulled the team across to solid ice.

Seppala's team covered 261 miles in total — more than any other team in the relay.

February 2, 1925

The serum arrived in Nome. No one died from the outbreak. The relay had taken five and a half days under conditions that killed sled dogs who couldn't keep up. It is still considered one of the most remarkable dog sled runs in history.

Gunnar Kaasen drove the final 55-mile leg into Nome with his lead dog, Balto. He crossed the finish line. The press was there. The cameras were there. Balto was photographed shaking in the cold outside the hospital while Kaasen handed over the serum.

The Statue Balto Got

A bronze statue of Balto was unveiled in Central Park in December 1925. He was taken on a national tour. Seppala, who had done more than any other musher on the run, went back to Alaska. Togo, who had led the longest stretch through the worst conditions, received almost no public recognition.

Years later, Seppala said: "I never had a better dog than Togo. His stamina, loyalty, and intelligence could not be improved upon." He said it more than once, to anyone who would listen. Togo's stuffed and mounted body is now at the Iditarod Trail museum in Wasilla, Alaska. Balto's is at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.