3 November 2020 - HOW 'TOGO' THE DOG SAVED A TOWN FROM DIPHTHERIA

HOW 'TOGO' THE DOG 

SAVED A TOWN 

FROM DIPHTHERIA

G'day folks,

Here is a post for all dog lovers. Dogs are loyal. This is a well-known fact. History is replete with innumerable instances of our lovable canines showing fierce loyalty and heroism even in the most unbelievable scenarios. 

One such heroic dog was Togo – a Siberian husky and a sled dog from Alaska who helped save the lives of thousands of people back in the winter of 1925 during a vicious outbreak of diphtheria. It is the most sensational story of great fortitude in extreme circumstances that deserves to be better known.

 The saga of Togo begins in 1925 when a ravaging case of diphtheria (a serious bacterial infection of the nose and throat) broke out in the isolated Alaskan village of Nome. The 1,000-plus people living in the area, especially the children, were at great risk from the outbreak. Back then, diphtheria was called the “strangling angel of children” as it releases a toxin that shuts down its victim’s windpipe. (The disease has now virtually been eliminated after the development of a vaccine).

While there was an antitoxin available initially, the supply of the serum quickly ran out as the number of patients rose. Children died and doctors in the town were worried that the fatality rate for those infected would soon touch 100 percent. 

 After a call for help was put out by the medical team in the village, it was discovered that the nearest supply of serum was in a storehouse outside Anchorage. However, the village of Nome was approximately 150 miles (241 km) south of the Arctic Circle and no plane or ship could get the serum there. Trains could only bring it about 700 miles (1126 km) of Nome. To make matters worse, a ferocious blizzard was approaching.

The people then decided that the only way out was if the village's sled dogs could deliver the serum in time by relaying the 20-pound (9 kg) package of medicine across the treacherous frozen land.

 This is where Togo, the Siberian husky, entered the scene. Togo was already a popular name in Alaska and was highly regarded for his tenacity, vigor, perseverance, and intelligence. He had become a champion racer by 1925 and had established his name as a famous sled dog in the region. In fact, it is said that Togo was a living legend among Alaskan dog sledders and was often described as “a natural-born lead dog”.

To get the serum, a relay of 20 teams was then assembled. One of the teams belonged to Leonhard Seppala, Alaska’s most revered musher. Togo was owned by Seppala and the dog was tapped to anchor the serum relay team.

“He was the best dog [owner Leonhard Seppala] had at navigating sea ice, and would often run well ahead of the team on a long lead in order to pick out the safest and the easiest route across Norton Sound or other parts of the Bering Sea,” write Gay and Laney Salisbury in the book ‘The Cruelest Mile’, a 2003 history of the serum run. This is the talent that eventually came in handy for 12-year-old Togo on the historic run. 

 What happened next was incredible. The run (also called “the Great Race of Mercy”) was completed by the sled teams in just five and a half days and the lifesaving serum was delivered to Nome just in time. The journey was harsh and filled with unbelievably extreme weather conditions. There were about 100 dogs who carried the medicine from a train line near Fairbanks, along the Yukon River, over a frozen bay, and eventually along the Bering Sea coast. The temperatures in many places along the way were around minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (- 45.5 °C)! It was a phenomenal feat that ultimately saved the residents of the town.

While no single dog deserves all the credit for that historic feat that helped save Nome from the deadly outbreak, Togo does merit special mention. Seppala and Togo traversed an astounding 365 miles (587.4 km) across the Alaskan wilderness and their journey was fraught with temperatures estimated at −30 °F (−34 °C), along with white-out storms and gale-force winds causing a wind chill of −85 °F (−65 °C). Furthermore, their trip included a ride across the hazardous Norton Sound where Togo saved his team and master in an audacious swim through ice floes. Compared to an average of 31 miles (49.8 km) each for the other teams, Togo’s accomplishment was rather extraordinary.

 Interestingly, however, it was the lead dog of the 53-mile (85.2 km) final leg, Balto, who became famous for his role in the run and even got rewarded with a statue and an animated film to his name. In fact, Togo was initially presumed to be dead after the race had ended. He was only found more than a week after his teammates' return, and he had missed all the fuss over Balto crossing the finish line with the serum but remained unperturbed about it. 

However, Seppala wasn’t impressed. “I hope I shall never be the man to take away credit from any dog or driver who participated in that run. We all did our best. But when the country was roused to enthusiasm over the serum run driver, I resented the statue to Balto, for if any dog deserved special mention it was Togo,” the owner was later quoted as saying.

 Regardless of the needless controversy, Togo is indeed a true hero whose name shall be etched in history forever. He was the momentous serum run’s unsung champion and, over time, with the help of historians, Togo finally got the recognition he deserved.

 The super dog received his own statue in NYC’s Seward Park in 2001 and in 2019, his valiant story was retold in the captivating Disney film, 'Togo', which stars Willem Dafoe. Amazingly, Togo’s role in the film is played by his own descendant Diesel.

Clancy's comment: Go, Togo! Can't wait to see that movie.

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19 July 2019 - PORTAGE - A GHOST TOWN IN ALASKA

PORTAGE GHOST TOWN

 IN ALASKA

G'day folks,

This post is about the ruins of a town wiped out by the second-largest earthquake in recorded history. 

 

On Good Friday in 1964, everything was normal in Portage, Alaska, until 5:36 p.m. That’s when the second largest earthquake in recorded history hit.

 

  

The 9.2 magnitude earthquake, which had side effects registered in Florida and Texas, lasted four minutes and 38 seconds, but did a devastating amount of damage. The quake raised some areas by as much as 30 feet in elevation and caused many buildings to collapse. The earthquake and the tsunamis it caused killed 139 people in total.

Some of the locations hit were the hamlets of Portage and Girdwood, both southeast of Anchorage. A Portage native described the earthquake as “like riding an open door elevator.” After the aftershocks subsided, all that was left of Portage were ruins and a barren forest. It was decided then that Portage would be abandoned and Girdwood relocated.

Today, the remaining bits of Portage serve as a ghost town; a skeletal reminder of the mining community that once thrived there and the force of nature that  destroyed it.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... Three things I have always had respect for are water, machinery and nature.  

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15 July 2019 - WORLD'S LARGEST CHOCOLATE WATERFALL IN ALASKA

WORLD'S LARGEST 

CHOCOLATE WATERFALL

IN ALASKA

G'day folks,

Here is something different. While not recognized by Guinness, this chocolate waterfall is likely to be the world's largest. 

Alaska is known for the cold, but the World’s Largest Chocolate Waterfall in Anchorage is pumping more hot cocoa confection than anywhere on the planet.

Consisting of a series of copper melting pots which spill liquid chocolate into one another before the stream reaches a grand fountain which settles out into a pool of pure candy, the sweet attraction brings plenty of visitors into the Alaska Wild Berry Park Store which houses the oddity. So popular is the fountain that much of the chocolate has been donated by large chocolate companies such as Nestle and Guittard. The falls pump over 3000 pounds of molten chocolate down the 20-foot installation at any given time, although visitors are not allowed to swim.

Clancy's comment: Imagine the delicious smell?

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13 July 2019 - BELUGA POINT FRESH WATER SPRING IN ALASKA

BELUGA POINT FRESH 

WATER SPRING IN ALASKA

G'day folks,

Clean, cold drinking water flows from a nondescript pipe in a roadside rock face. 

 

For water aficionados or just regular folks, tasting the fresh, cool underground spring water that flows from this rock face offers an experience unlike drinking any tap or bottled water.

 

 

While taking in the gorgeous sights along the scenic Seward Anchorage Highway, it can be easy to overlook a two-foot metal pipe covered in stickers that emerges unannounced from the roadside rock face. Known as the Beluga Point Fresh Water Spring, out of this pipe spurts cool, clean water from an underground spring. 

The pipe was reportedly installed years ago by the Alaska Department of Transportation to relieve pressure from the spring that passes beneath the highway. Today, it hearkens back to a time when people gathered water from natural springs, as locals and travelers alike now stop along this portion of the road to fill jugs and water bottles.

Quenching your thirst shouldn’t be your only reason to visit this stretch of road. Often ranked among the top scenic drives in the world, the Seward Anchorage Highway winds along Turnigan Arm, a narrow waterway that features the second highest tides in North America. The mountains of Chugach State Park rise on either side, some upwards of 3,000 feet.

 

Clancy's comment: Wow. Nothing like natural water. It certainly beats that expensive bottled stuff.

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14 May 2019 - WORLD’S BIGGEST OUTHOUSE RACE IN ALASKA

WORLD’S BIGGEST 

OUTHOUSE RACE 

IN ALASKA

G'day folks,

Now, this will probably make you smile.  An outhouse, also known by many other names, is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilets may be encountered. The term may also be used to denote the toilet itself, not just the structure itself. Here, we call them a Dunny.

Dozens of teams compete in this annual event in Anchorage, all trying their best to not be number two.

It’s often said that second place is the first loser, but at the Outhouse Races in Anchorage, Alaska, no one wants to be number two.

Since 2006, teams have descended upon downtown Anchorage to compete in the annual race hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage's Architecture and Engineering Club. Although similar races exist around the world, this one is considered the world's largest and was started by the school as a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. (Each team pays $100 to compete.) The event is part of Fur Rondy, the city’s two-week winter festival. But while vying to win may be the ultimate goal (top competitors receive trophy-turned-toilet-paper holders, not to mention bragging rights), it’s reaching the starting line that often proves to be the most challenging aspect of the event.

To even compete in the race, which took place on February 23 this year, teams of ten must first construct their outhouses and have them inspected by a race committee to ensure that each one is structurally sound for competition.

Bob Maxwell, the AE Club’s faculty advisor and an adjunct professor in UAA’s Facilities, Planning and Construction department (he’s also the event’s emcee), was tasked with giving the inspected outhouses the final green light. Although building an outhouse might seem like a relatively straightforward task, designing one that’s mobile and mounted to a pair of skis or a snowboard adds an unusual twist to the competition.

Outhouses can be built using any number of materials. Plywood and metal have proven to be popular choices over the years, however teams have also fashioned shopping carts and water tanks into roving restrooms. Besides skis or a snowboard, teams of five (with one person riding inside the outhouse) can use a rope to pull or push bars to thrust their outhouses simultaneously to the finish line.

“We also require that each outhouse be equipped with a roll of toilet paper,” Maxwell says. “And, of course, reading material.”

Racing teams can compete in one of two categories: traditional and unlimited. To comply with "traditional" specifications, the outhouse must have, at minimum, a 30-inch-by-30-inch base and three walls, whereas "unlimited" outhouses can be as large as 8-feet wide, 12-feet long and 8-feet tall. During the race, there must be four pushers or pullers and one helmeted rider. This year more than a dozen teams competed. While many of the teams are made up of university students, members of the community also compete, including students from local middle schools and high schools.

"We once had a team from Seattle come up two years in a row to race," Maxwell says.

And because the race is organized by the AE Club, teams put much care into designing outhouses that are not only easy to maneuver, but also able to stay intact during the competition’s multiple heats, which are organized in a bracket system similar to those used during athletic tournaments like March Madness.

Clancy's comment: Looks like heaps of fun, eh?

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