The true story behind Togo confirms that as a result of his relatively small size, illness, and bad behavior as a young puppy, Leonhard Seppala decided that Togo was not sled dog material and gave him away to be a house pet when he was six months old. He competed with his beloved sleek, lightweight Siberian huskies and enjoyed watching the aged Togo continue to beat the odds. Leonhard Seppala and his sled dog team led by Togo traveled 340 miles roundtrip to pick up the serum and start bringing it back, eventually handing it off to Charlie Olson's team. A relay of 20 sled dog teams then traveled a distance of 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. Walt Disney Pictures: Willem Dafoe in "Togo" Cleveland, Ohio – Clevelanders know the story of Balto, the heroic 6-year-old husky who helped save the children of Nome, Alaska in 1925. And having a racing body was THE measure of breeding material back then. Seppala handily won Nome's All-Alaska Sweepstakes in 1915, 1916, and 1917 with his Siberians. Seppala collected it, turned and carried it to Golovin, another 91 miles. Those dogs, topping out around 50 pounds… He achieved fame when he led a team of sled dogs on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nenana, Alaska, by train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease. Seppala and his team again traversed the exposed open ice of Norton Sound, which was breaking up. Think again. Diphtheria can attack healthy tissues in the respiratory system. We explain why the Togo true story has a sadder ending than the Disney+ movie. In the movie, Balto is a charming but socially-outcast wolf-dog hybrid living in the remote Alaskan town of Nome. The Norwegian-born Seppala first arrived in Alaska in 1900, when most sled dogs were burly Alaskan Malamutes or mixed breeds. The darkness and a blizzard also made it impossible for Leonhard Seppala to see where he was going. Leonhard Seppala's experience and fame as a champion dog musher are why he was chosen to drive a sled dog team in the Serum Run. Togo continued to get loose and pester Seppala's team whenever he drove off with a team. Who Is The Real Togo? Although neither of us smoked, we bet two cigars on the result. In the end, Togo and the Seppala team ran 260 miles, while other mushers ran between 25 and 40 miles each. His competitor was a large mixed-breed dog named Chinook, owned by another musher and dog breeder, Arthur Walden, who had prospected in the Yukon. Following his death, Seppala had Togo custom mounted. Gunnar Kaasen was exhausted, frostbitten and snowblind when Balto led him into Nome on February 2, 1925, after treading 53 miles of rugged trail. His only friends are a snow goose named Boris and a couple of goofy polar bears named Muk and Luk. Symptoms usually begin two to five days after exposure and include a fever, sore throat and weakness. After the race, Kaasen, who by then owned Balto, took his leader and other team members on a celebrity tour of the West Coast for a year. A title card at the end reveals that while Balto had received a statue in his honor in New York, Togo is remembered in Alaska for making the longest run and for being the true hero of Nome, and his offspring became prized by mushers worldwide for their sledding capabilities. By that time, he had already been a lead sled dog for seven years. Balto is now actually more black in colour than brown and I added some spotting on his front forelegs. And those who lost against Seppala's lean, smaller-frame dogs disdainfully called them "Siberian rats." Togo, the dog that started the 650-mile run across Alaska during a 1925 storm finished by Balto, finally gets his due in a new movie, “Togo,” streaming Friday on Disney+. Welch had ordered more diphtheria antitoxin from the health commissioner in Juneau, but the port closed for the winter before the shipment arrived. The little dog with the big heart died on December 5, 1929, at age 16, and his remains were mounted and returned to Alaska. Disney+ Has Given Us A Few Hero And Instead Of A Cape, He Wears A Harness. Copyright © 2021 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Willem Dafoe's character states in the movie that Togo was named after the underdog Japanese admiral and naval hero Tōgō Heihachirō. After four children took ill and died, the town's only doctor, Curtis Welch, eventually diagnosed diphtheria in three-year-old Billy Barnett, who died just two weeks after the onset of symptoms. Step aside, Balto, Disney+ is giving us another very good doggo his due in the Dec. 20 premiere of the streaming site's original movie based on a true story, Togo. The next day a seven-year-old girl was diagnosed and Welch tried to give her expired antitoxin (all that was on hand) in hopes that it would work, but she died several hours later. He led the team through many miles and dangerous types of weather to reach Nome but, after being replaced by Balto in the last leg of the journey, the misunderstanding took place. She too was at risk of being stricken with diphtheria. "Walden had bragged that his Chinook would break out and pull a heavier load than any dog in the country," Seppala wrote. This seems to be exaggerated a bit for the film. Togo is on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters cabin in Wasilla; Balto is still at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, Ohio. Known from the Great Race for Mercy, carrying diptheria serum 365 miles across the Alaskan wilderness saving thousands of children. Togo … With Seppala, 19 other dog mushers and their teams were enlisted to carry the life-saving diphtheria serum in a relay across 675 miles of wilderness during the dead of winter. Unaware of the change, Seppala took a shortcut across Norton Sound in perilous conditions. The serum run trail trekked nearly 700 miles from Anchorage to Nome in treacherous blizzard conditions. Despite covering the most distance of any lead dogs on the run, over some of the most dangerous parts of the trail, his role was left out of contemporary news of the event at the time, in favor of the last lead dog in the relay, Balto. … Seppala and Togo were celebrities. Kaasen, who was in charge of Balto, suffered frostbite to his fingers after strong winds blew his sled over. Togo was 12 years old when he and Seppala were called to assist in the epic rescue effort in 1925. While none of the mushers lost their lives, several of them succumbed to frostbite, including Charlie Olson and Gunnar Kaasen, who completed the final two legs of the journey. Early on, it was believed that the individual attention led to his rowdiness and mischievous behavior. History vs. Hollywood visited the headquarters in 2013 and captured the photo of Togo displayed below. Togo (1913 – December 5, 1929) was the lead sled dog of Leonhard Seppala and his dog sled team in the 1925 serum run to Nome across central and northern Alaska. He also held the record time between Nenana and Nulato, as well as many other local races in the years to follow. The true story behind Togo reveals that the temperature was approximately −30 °F with gale force winds making it feel like −85 °F. Under the employ of the Pioneer Mining Company, Seppala began making a name for himself as one of the strongest mushers in Nome. Thousands would die. Not the least of which: Balto is limited to seconds on screen. Temperatures across the Interior were at 20-year lows. A short film titled Balto's Race to Nome was made to honor the lead dog. The True Story Behind Disney's 'Togo' Think Balto saved Nome, Alaska, on his own? It was −50 °F in Fairbanks. Balto recived ALL the credit, while Togo actually did the most work. He said goodbye to Togo and gave the dog to fellow sled dog musher, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. In one account of Togo's bravery, Seppala and the team were stranded for several hours on a Norton Sound ice floe after the ice on which they were traveling broke free. Kaasen had relied heavily on Balto to find the way during whiteout conditions, and the young dog had performed admirably. His skeleton is in the Peabody Museum of Natural History's collection at Yale University. The real Togo spent a few weeks at his new home before he jumped through the glass of a shut window and ran several miles back to Leonhard's kennel. Gunnar Kaasen and Balto in their race to Nome. It was there they rested and slept for six hours before continuing their journey at 2 a.m., heading into another bad storm. Togo's Body has been poorly preserved, as the second museum to aquire … Balto (1919 – March 14, 1933) was a Siberian Husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. Togo lived out his life in Maine, and Seppala visited him often. In 1928 Seppala made Chatanika, near Fairbanks, his Alaska home, and was warmed when the American Kennel Club accepted the Siberian Husky as a registered breed in 1930. The polar night also meant that there were limited hours of daylight to fly. Some 170 miles into the journey, just outside Shakloolik, Seppala was intercepted by another musher who shouted that he had the serum. Unlike the movie, Leonhard Seppala eventually decided that he wanted Togo to live out the remainder of his life in comfort. He was later mounted and added to the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The victory is depicted as a flashback in the movie. When Togo was about 14, Seppala gave him to his Maine kennel partner, Elizabeth Ricker, trusting that Togo would live out his life in ease. THE GREAT ALASKAN RACE tells the historical, true story of Leonhard ‘Sepp’ Seppala (Brian Presley; Home of the Brave, Touchback) and his champion mushing dogs, Togo and Balto, during the great serum run of 1925. Jan 4, 2020 - Explore Kayla Marie's board "Balto & Togo", followed by 189 people on Pinterest. Diphtheria is a bacterial infection caused by exposure to the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, often by way of direct contact or through droplets in the air (sneezing or coughing). Togo and Balto, both Seppala Siberians, would perform spectacularly, demonstrating their superior bloodlines and training. Chinook could not even start the load until Walden had kicked the runners loose from the snow. Around that time, the first known Siberian Huskies in America were brought to Nome by Russian fur trader William Goosak. Kingiak, my Eskimo helper, hid one of Walden's farm chickens under his parka and stepped out ahead of Togo a distance of 20 feet or so. I knew that Togo could do better but felt that here was an opportunity to inject a little comedy into the act. On one occasion, Togo had run up onto an oncoming team of Malamutes, which lead to him being mauled. Of the 20 mushers on the relay, Seppala ran the greatest distance, and through some of the most dangerous conditions on the trail. Togo eventually passes away in 1929 with Seppala continuing to train dogs. As the story goes, his harness snapped from the strain of pulling, but Togo jumped into the water after it, took the harness in his teeth and kept pulling, closing the gap so the team could get to shore. This can lead to death from asphyxiation. He later spoke of how difficult it was to say goodbye and hit the trail without Togo for the first time in 12 years. Togo and Balto, both Seppala Siberians, would perform spectacularly, demonstrating their superior bloodlines and training. DOG DAYS: Famed sled-dog racer Leonhard Seppala holds his lead dog, Togo. His journey through white-out storms and twice across the unforgiving Norton Sound was by far the most perilous leg of the run. With the port closed … Yes. An outbreak of diphtheria had bloomed in Nome and without a delivery of antitoxin, the population of the entire region would be exposed. In 1914, he competed in the All Alaska Sweepstakes, a sled dog race. The Togo true story reveals that as a young puppy Togo required excessive care from Leonhard Seppala's wife Constance. Togo was the true champion of the Serum Run. The bundle containing the serum was knocked out and he dug with his bare hands in the snow to find it. The movie "Balto" is advertised as being based on the true story of a sled dog who brought a life-saving vaccine to Alaska in the early '20s. Togo was the true hero dog of the serum run; it’s about time he got his due - Anchorage Daily News Skip to main Content On my command, Togo leaped to one side with his full weight straining against the collar, then another leap to the left and the sled runners were loosened. Togo had learned a lesson the hard way, but this incident helped shape Togo into one of … Balto ran 55 miles, while Togo's leg of the journey was the longest and most dangerous. Long after his death, he was toasted in children's books, television specials, and even in an animated feature film produced by Steve Spielberg. At Seppala's urging, Togo jumped across a five-foot gap to shore ice in his harness to pull the floe closer to shore. He was, however, not considered breeding material by his owner, Leonhard Seppala, as he did not "cut" a racing profile. Togo the Sled Dog, who lost his fame to Balto. His mounted skin is currently on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters museum in Wasilla, Alaska. That same year, Balto was given a commemorative statue in Central Park, and over half a century later, was also given his own tributary animated film. Originally Seppala and one other musher were going to carry the serum all the way, the first musher traveling from Nenana to Nulato; Seppala, from Nulato to Nome. He immediately began the trek back across Norton Sound without pausing to rest.The conditions on the return trip were even worse. Jan 4, 2020 - Explore Shxntell's board "Tōgō vs Balto truth" on Pinterest. In his book, Early Sled Dog Racing in Maine: A Frying Pan of Hot Meat Wrecked My Chances in the First Race, Seppala described how Togo, now in his teens, entered a weight-pull contest against another dog twice his size. Flying was relatively new at the time and winter flight was still largely untested. It was only in the previous February that the first airmail flight in Alaska took place. So Balto was larger than Togo. Despite Togo running roughly 200 miles more than Balto, Gunnar Kaasen and Balto (pictured) got the media attention because they were the pair that finished the relay and arrived in Nome with the serum. Seppala was stung that it was Balto, not Togo, who was the darling of the country. Both Balto and Togo were part of the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, where a diphtheria outbreak plagued the town's children. Like in the film, Seppala almost missed musher Henry Ivanoff, who had been in Shaktoolik in case Seppala didn't arrive. They encountered each other while Ivanoff was untangling his team on a trail outside of town, at which time Seppala took possession of the serum. The dogs were imports from Siberia, a team of huskies that were intended for a polar expedition headed by Roald Amundsen. Desperate, he sent radiotelegrams to the other major towns in Alaska and one to the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C., pleading for help. To a large degree, yes. Seppala also won the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1916 and 1917, before the race was canceled until 1983. Balto would be celebrated in newspapers across the national as the dog who delivered the serum and saved the town. Balto and Togo: how they got their names, how they ran in the Nome Serum Run, and how the media and promoters made them famous. When Leonhard Seppala and his lead sled dog Togo began the relay to transport diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Togo was 12 years old, which is practically ancient for a sled dog. In researching the. Yes. As seen in Togo, Balto was the dog who got the vast majority of the credit for the serum run instead of Seppala's lead pup. In the winter of 1924-1925, a diphtheria epidemic was threatening the town of Nome, located on the southern Seward Peninsula on the northwestern coast of Alaska.