Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Ohio Cleveland Balto the Sled Dog
AO Edited

Balto the Sled Dog

The heroic sled dog of the 1925 serum run is preserved in taxidermy.

Cleveland, Ohio

Added By
Allison Meier
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Balto in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History   Luke Scarano/Wikimedia
Balto and his sled team in Nome, having arrived with the medicine   myhero.com
Gunnar Kaasen with Balto in 1925   Brown Brothers/Wikimedia
Balto and the Quackenbush Twins during his American tour   baltostruestory.net
The updated Balto Display in 2024   carina42 / Atlas Obscura User
  Ragnar of Ballard / Atlas Obscura User
Balto’s new spot in the main atrium   Ragnar of Ballard / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1925, snowbound Nome, Alaska, was hit with an outbreak of incredibly contagious diphtheria, with the antidote miles away in Anchorage. With plane delivery impossible due to the conditions, the only way to get the serum to Nome and combat the fatal outbreak was with a relay of sled dog teams on the Iditarod Trail. 

From Anchorage to Nome, a relay of dog sleds passed the serum off, until it reached the final leg with Gunner Kaassen and his team led by a black Siberian husky named Balto. This last stretch was still about 54 miles, the temperature remained below -40 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration and brutal winds threw a blizzard of snow in all directions. (Despite these dire conditions, the most hazardous leg of the race was actually covered earlier by Leonhard Seppala with his team led by Togo.)

While Kaassen couldn't see where they were going, Balto never faltered and pressed on through the whiteout conditions. They arrived in Nome on February 2, 1925.

Balto was heralded as a hero throughout the country, with a statue of him even being placed in Central Park in his honor (although the monument was meant to honor all the dogs that worked to bring the serum to Nome). A two-reel film called "Balto's Race to Nome" was also made by Sol Lesser with the dogs (although no print now remains).

However, his fame waned and he and the other sled dogs were taken by Kaassen on the vaudeville circuit to make a bit of money, with the dogs eventually winding up in bad shape in a Los Angeles dime museum. That's where George Kimble, a Cleveland businessman, found them, and, shocked at their poor state, campaigned to raise the "Balto Fund" to collect the $2,000 being asked for them. A success, the movement brought Balto and his six fellow sled dogs to Cleveland in 1927, where they lived in comfort at the zoo. Balto rested there into his old age until his death on March 14, 1933 at the age of 14. After he died, his body was taxidermied and kept in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where it remains today.

Although Balto himself may be something of a forgotten icon, each year the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is held in commemoration of that treacherous and courageous race to Nome. And the 1995 Universal Pictures animated film of the same name is a reminder that his legacy continues to carry on as the years go by.

Update as of January 2023: Balto is temporarily off exhibit until further notice.

Related Tags

Taxidermy Dogs Heroes Of Taxidermy Animals

Know Before You Go

Balto is very easy to find. He resides in a case at the Natural History Museum near the Arctic animals, toward the rear of the main atrium. To the right of his display are pamphlets and other material with details of his history.

 

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

ryanr28, Ragnar of Ballard, kwilson9327, chersthomasetmoby...

  • ryanr28
  • Ragnar of Ballard
  • kwilson9327
  • chersthomasetmoby
  • carina42

Published

May 12, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=Balto_fredacad_US_2012
  • http://recollections.nma.gov.au/issues/volume_8_number_1/papers/phar_lap
  • http://www.baltostruestory.net/
  • http://www.cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum/OnExhibit/PermanentExhibits/Balto.aspx
  • http://www.cleveland.com/ministerofculture/index.ssf/2010/03/natural_history_museum_celebra.html
  • https://www.google.com/search?q=balto+statue+anchorage+alaska&oq=Balto+statue+alaska&aqs=chrome.1.0l3.6416j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Balto the Sled Dog
1 Wade Oval Drive
Cleveland, Ohio, 44106
United States
41.511676, -81.611771
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dittrick Medical Museum

Cleveland, Ohio

miles away

The Percy Skuy Collection on the History of Contraception

East Cleveland, Ohio

miles away

Wade Memorial Chapel

Cleveland, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cleveland

Cleveland

Ohio

Places 30
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Dittrick Medical Museum

Cleveland, Ohio

miles away

The Percy Skuy Collection on the History of Contraception

East Cleveland, Ohio

miles away

Wade Memorial Chapel

Cleveland, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cleveland

Cleveland

Ohio

Places 30
Stories 3

Related Stories and Lists

15 Places That Put the Dog Back in the 'Dog Days'

List

By Gemma Tarlach

Essential Guide: Taxidermy Heroic Animals

taxidermy

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • Station Jim

    Slough, England

    Station Jim

    This preserved puppy was an adorable beacon of charity.

  • Sergeant Stubby at the Smithsonian

    Washington, D.C.

    Sergeant Stubby

    The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.

  • Riga, Latvia

    P. Stradins Museum for History of Medicine

    Medical museum that houses most notably the taxidermied remains of Vladimir Demikhov's famous two-headed dog experiment.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Owney the Postal Dog

    A traveling postal dog covered 48 states and more than 140,000 miles, and he lives on as taxidermy, patched up with a rabbit's foot and a pig's ear.

  • Hachikō, Jirō, and Kai Ken

    Tokyo, Japan

    Hachiko

    After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

  • Togo the Wonder Dog. (Creative Commons)

    Wasilla, Alaska

    Togo the Wonder Dog

    Siberian husky that delivered a life-saving antitoxin.

  • Taxidermy dogs

    Bítov, Czechia

    Bítov Castle

    The castle in the romantic landscape of Podyjí houses what may be Europe's largest collection of taxidermy dogs.

  • Peter the dog.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Queensland Police Museum

    It's home to the taxidermy remains of Peter, the dog who helped convict a murderer.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.