#021 Balto & Togo - a musical history lesson from the 1925 Diphtheria anti-toxin to the Covid 19 vaccine
In late 1925, Diphtheria broke out in the remote town of Nome Alaska, and so began "The Great Race of Mercy". 20 dog mushers and 200 dogs swiftly mobilized their teams to bring the much needed anti-toxin to the ailing group of 1430 townspeople separated from any means of contact and resources as they fought to stave of eminent death.
Winter had its icy grip on Nome Alaska and the only means of transportation was by dog team since the steam ship ports were iced in and the airplanes that serviced Nome were unable to fly in the severe cold of 1925. The 928 miles of the Iditarod Trail was the only accessible route to deliver the Diphtheria anti-toxin to the people of Nome, and it was throughout the commitment and determination of the dog mushing community with their rugged four legged crew, that the fate of the entire community of Nome was forever changed.
Fast forward nearly 100 years. In February through April 2021, I was fortunate to work along side a group of equally dedicated individuals who's mandate was to to deliver the Covid 19 Moderna vaccine to every Yukon community in much the same manner as the 1925 "Great Race of Mercy", although the dog sleds were not necessary this time. The two mobile Covid 19 vaccine teams, affectionately named Balto and Togo, were deployed from Whitehorse by road and by air to service all of the outlying Yukon communities and also the Northern town of Atlin BC.
During a long bus ride back from Watson Lake, I started to think about the history of the Yukon once again and also about our Alaskan neighbours to the west since we did indeed adopt their Balto name for our team. By the time we arrived back in Whitehorse I had a good idea of what the chorus of my song would sound like and how I could establish a time, place and "feeling" within the first verse of the song and how the tempo, rhythm, and overall vibe would reflect the determination and cadence of a group of people/dogs working towards delivering a serum during these trying times.
The Balto & Togo song is available as a free downloadable mp3 on the My Amazing Yukon Life website and I'd be thrilled if you'd send it to your friends and favourite radio station in your area, so we can share our Yukon experience and with the rest of the world .
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Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel Halen