Cal Vornberger
Balto Statue
Balto stands ready to accept hugs and offer rides to his admiring fans.
Balto the sled dog hero has nobly stood on a rock outcropping just north of the Tisch Children's Zoo since 1925. His statue is a big favorite in the Park and stands ready for selfies with your own pet dog.
Back in 1925 Nome, Alaska was stricken with a horrific diphtheria outbreak. Not enough antitoxin was available to treat all the sick until teams of mushers and sled dogs battled a blinding blizzard and traveled 674 miles to deliver the medicine.
Balto, a husky, was one of the heroic lead dogs.
In recognition of such bravery, the famed Brooklyn-born sculptor Frederick George Richard Roth was commissioned to create a lasting tribute.
Roth, whose other work at Park includes Tales of Mother Goose and Dancing Goat and Dancing Bear, unveiled the statue on December 15, 1925. The most important among the honored guests was the real Balto himself.
Over the past nine decades, Balto’s statue has been a favorite as evidenced by the deep burnishing of his ears and back. Children and others frequently climb up on him for a photo op, or to contemplate life and the stirring words on the statue’s plaque: Endurance · Fidelity · Intelligence. Good words for today's heroes and heroines too!