In 1925, a diphtheria antitoxin was delivered to Nome, Alaska by a team of sled dogs. The team was purportedly led by Balto, a Siberian Husky and underdog, who ushered his team, the Iditarod Trail, and a tiny town in Alaska to fame. So, what does this century-old American hero have to do with Cleveland? Believe it or not, you can visit Balto in Cleveland today. Prepare to experience a dose of history, because it’s awaiting discovery in University Circle at this very moment.

Known as the Great Race of Mercy or The Serum Run, the trek to Nome, Alaska in 1925 was a tense one.
Brown Brothers/Wikimedia Commons
The goal of the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska was to deliver a diphtheria antitoxin to an ailing town. The trek was 674 miles in length, and it took various sled teams nearly six days to traverse. When the antitoxin finally arrived, a team led by Balto (pictured here with driver Gunnar Kaasen) was celebrated for diverting further disaster.
In total, Balto and his team traveled 55 miles across dangerous terrain in brutally cold temperatures.
Pixelillo/Wikimedia Commons
Believe it or not, Balto's team didn't even endure the worst of the Iditarod Trail. One team led by sled dog Togo traveled 260 miles! Some teams lost dogs, and many mushers and sled dogs alike walked away from the experience with frostbite and other injuries.
As the story goes, Balto was an inexperienced lead dog... and he wasn't even supposed to be a part of the final team on the serum run.
Andrei Strokov/Wikimedia Commons
Balto and his team were supposed to be the second to last team in the run. You see, sled teams were positioned across the trail -- about 20 different mushers and 150 sled dogs worked together to transport the antitoxin from one point to the next. Once the antitoxin was handed off to the next musher and team in line, the previous team could rest. Balto and his crew were meant to hand off the antitoxin to musher Ed Rohn, but he and his team were asleep, expecting Balto and friends to have been slowed down by inclement weather. Musher Gunnar Kaasen decided to push through the last leg of the relay, and so he and Balto arrived in Nome on February 2, 1925 at 5:30 in the morning. 
Following the relay, Balto was hailed as a hero, and Nome, Alaska was nationally recognized for the first time since its previous Gold Rush.
Jay Dobkin/Wikimedia Commons
Balto was honored tremendously, and his statue stands in New York City's Central Park to celebrate his story today. However, controversy surrounds Balto. In addition to obscuring the contributions of native Alaskans and other sled teams, Balto may not have even been the lead dog on Gunnar Kaasen's team. It's likely that his teammate Fox was the lead, or possibly the co-lead. Balto, of course, is a more newsworthy name... so one has to question the validity of the story. Additionally, some assume that Gunnar Kaasen chose to continue through the final trek of the journey to secure glory for himself.
Across the nation, several communities presented Balto with a key to the city... including Seattle, where this photo was taken.
Yukon Order of Pioneers/Wikimedia Commons
Whether or not the story about Balto being lead was true, it is undeniable that he (and all the other dogs involved in the 1925 trek) was a hero. His fame was instant... but it didn't last.

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Sadly, the excitement fizzled out. Balto and his team eventually became a sideshow act, and they stayed in that position for many years following their moment in the spotlight.
Markus Trienke/Flickr
According to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Balto's owner fell into debt, and his dogs joined the vaudeville circuit for a few years. While entertaining the public at a dime museum in Los Angeles, a native Clevelander spotted the dogs.
George Kimble, a Cleveland businessman, offered to buy the dogs for $2,000... but he didn't have the money, and he had a mere two weeks to raise it.
Markus Trienke/Flickr
Fortunately for Balto and his crew, the City of Cleveland was moved by his plight and his fall from the spotlight. In just over a week, Clevelanders -- from schoolchildren to local kennel clubs -- donated enough money to bring the famous pups to their final home.
In 1927, Balto and his team finally arrived in Cleveland, where they would live out their years at the local zoo.
Scaranol/Wikimedia Commons
After a parade through Public Square, the heroic dogs were given a pampered life in Brookside Zoo, which we now know as the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Eventually, at 14 years of age, Balto peacefully passed away... still regarded as a hero and beloved by an entire community.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Balto's remains were taxidermied and donated to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where they now reside in the museum's permanent collection.
To this day, you can visit Balto at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
AJHalliwell/Wikimedia Commons
This heroic dog reminds us of how man's best friend went through a great struggle to save an ailing town, but it also reminds us of how the entirety of Cleveland came together to honor an American hero. You can learn more by visiting the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's online exhibit, but it's well worth checking out in person.

So there you have it! While this famous tale has been immortalized in movies and novels, it is often forgotten that Balto lived out his final days here in The Land. Have you ever visited Balto in Cleveland? If not, a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History just might belong on your to-do list.

While you’re at the museum, be sure to check out their fossil fish exhibit. This area is known for producing the finest fossilized sea life in the nation, and you can see many Cleveland-area discoveries in person.

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