Central Park Landmarks
Balto Statue Pedicab Tour in Central Park
The Balto statue is a bronze sculpture of a Siberian husky on a rock outcrop along the East Drive, near East 67th Street. It honors the sled dogs of the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, and Balto in particular, who led the final team into town. Children climb on it constantly.
Photo: Asylum7830 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Quick facts
- Where
- On a rock outcrop along the East Drive at about East 67th Street, just north of the Zoo
- Unveiled
- December 17, 1925
- Sculptor
- Frederick George Richard Roth
- Materials
- bronze figure on a Manhattan schist boulder, with a slate tablet
- Height
- about 9 feet in total
- Honors
- Balto and the sled dogs of the 1925 serum run to Nome
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History
In January 1925, diphtheria threatened Nome, Alaska. Planes could not fly the serum in, so about twenty dog-sled teams relayed it roughly 675 miles from Nenana to Nome, crossing ice floes and mountains in extreme cold. Balto led the final leg under musher Gunnar Kaasen and reached Nome just before dawn on February 2, 1925.
Sculptor Frederick G. R. Roth, born in Brooklyn, made the statue, and it was unveiled on December 17, 1925. The Conservancy says Balto and Kaasen attended the unveiling, making it the only monument in the park with its honoree present. The statue won the 1925 Speyer Prize of the National Academy of Design. The plaque reads "To the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs" and lists "Endurance, Fidelity, Intelligence."
After the run, Balto ended up in a Los Angeles "dime museum." A Cleveland businessman bought the dogs in 1927, and they went to Cleveland's Brookside Park Zoo. Balto died on March 14, 1933, and his mounted body is displayed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Because children climb the statue so often, it wears faster than most sculptures in the park, and the Conservancy reapplies a hot wax coating each year.
What to look for
- The bronze husky leaning forward on his rock
- The plaque on the boulder
- Roth's signature on the base
Visiting Balto Statue
Balto is a few blocks north of the Central Park Zoo, on the East Drive. There are no restrooms nearby. Roth is the most represented artist in Central Park, with works that include the Sophie Loeb Fountain, Mother Goose and the Dancing Goat.
Frequently asked questions
Who sculpted the Balto statue?
Frederick G. R. Roth. It was unveiled on December 17, 1925.
Where is Balto in Central Park?
On a rock outcrop along the East Drive at about East 67th Street, just north of the Zoo.
What is Balto famous for?
He led the last team of the 1925 relay that carried diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska.
Is the real Balto in Central Park?
No. The statue is in Central Park, while his mounted body is at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Sources
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