Balto comes home

ANCHORAGE - Balto the Iditarod hero made a grand return to Alaska Friday, applauded by Butte Elementary School children, photographed by the press and praised by museum officials.

Hes really cool, said Gia Homstad, a third-grader at Butte who was one of the special guests as the stuffed sled dog was uncrated at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.

Added classmate Sarah Makay, I thought Balto would look black and white, not brown and white. Im just glad he got to come to Alaska.

The 41 children whispered as the ordinary-looking dog was unpacked from a special container proclaiming Contains one hero dog Balto. They applauded after the last piece of plastic and packing was removed.

The well-cared-for, stuffed dog has a shiny reddish-brown coat and looks like an ordinary sled dog, although student Noah Jackson commented that he didnt look like he had much husky in his lineage.

Although Baltos six-month visit to his home state wasnt the direct result of the lobbying by the Butte children who wanted him returned to Alaska for good, officials from his home at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History said they appreciated the childrens interest in him.

Last year, students at Butte began lobbying the Alaska Legislature to pass a resolution requesting Balto be returned to Alaska.

Noah said he and his classmates testified before a legislative committee, made lots of telephone calls, and learned everything they could about the four-footed hero who led the last team of dogs transporting diphtheria serum into Nome. The resolution was forwarded to the Cleveland museum, but the staff declined the request.

Balto is very special to the city of Cleveland, JoAnn Coburn, a representative of the Cleveland museum and Baltos companion on the trip, told the students.

She said some employees at the museum still remember donating their pennies, nickels and dimes in 1927 to raise the money to buy Balto and his teammates, who had been sold to a sideshow in Los Angeles.

Cleveland businessman George Kimble saw the dogs there and was appalled at their condition. The people of Cleveland raised $2,000 in 10 days to purchase the team, and they were given a parade through Public Square to City Hall before retiring to their new home at the Brookside Zoo. Fifteen thousand visitors came to see the dogs the first day they were on display.

Coburn told the audience some people in Cleveland were initially apprehensive about having half-wild sled dogs in their midst. But Balto turned out to be a people lover, and he was occasionally brought out to meet zoo visitors. Balto died March 19, 1927, at the age of 11.

Were glad to bring Balto to Anchorage, she said. Museums hold precious objects, but we also hold them to share with others.

The Butte students unfurled a banner they made that read, Alaska Thanks Cleveland, decorated with paw prints.

Suzi Jones, the deputy director of the Anchorage museum, said the brave 675-mile journey by Balto, fellow Iditarod lead dog Togo, and other other dogs and mushers highlights important themes in Alaska history the serum run to Nome, early health care, transportation in the Last Frontier, dog mushing and the endurance and dedication of early Alaskans.

Baltos visit to Alaska is the result of efforts by Diane Jung, a manager with the National Park Services education and interpretation division, who worked on the museum loan for two years.

This is Baltos first journey outside of Cleveland since he arrived there. He left Cleveland Oct. 13, and after 48 hours to acclimate to Alaskan temperatures, was uncrated Friday morning. He goes on display at the museum today, accompanied by photographs and newspaper articles relating to the famous 1925 serum run. Saturday, Jan. 20, will be Balto Day with visits from Alaskan mushers and a theater reading. Hell return home March 20 after the Iditarod.