It remains unclear As for Seppala, he lived to be 89. Photo illustration by Slate. Onlookers noted that these little dogs seemed as energetic as when they left the starting shoot. He was Poland Spring event three years running. trade and allow him to work as a Master blacksmith. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. The diphtheria serum was first transported by train from Anchorage northward to Nenana, Alaska. [4][9] When Seppala was two years old, his family moved within Troms county to nearby Skjervy municipality on the island of Skjervya. Despite the differences in the Disney version of the storysuch as the blizzard at the beginningthe fictionalized aspects are not an exaggeration of the dangers involved. infant Siberian Husky breed, established in the USA in 1930, could hardly Diphtheria can attack healthy tissues in the respiratory system. Early on, it was believed that the individual attention led to his rowdiness and mischievous behavior. He writes: WHILE SEPPALA WAS IN ALASKA the sport of dogsled racing was developed They asked him to begin traveling toward Nenana. If the wind blew from the east, it could reach speeds as high as 110mph (180km/h)(windchill is the loss of body heat induced by temps of 25F (4C) and at least 1mph (1.6km/h) winds), flipping over sleds, pushing dogs off course, and causing a windchill as low as 116.5F (82.5C). After 1932 he remained in Alaska. Not only is Diesel related to Togo, he also resembles Togo in coloring: Unlike many Siberians, Togo had a darker coat. Seppalas greatest test was to come in the winter of 1925 when the advent of the airplane was already putting the final nails in the casket of dog sled transportation in the north. Although he found the heavy labour of Nome mining gruelling (Victory at this race had He made the decision to leave Togo behind in Maine in March 1927, concerned that the journey would be too much for the retired dog. In June 1999, a memorial was . second son of the Earl of Dalhousie. While my trail has been rough at times, he wrote in his diary at age 81, the end of the course seems pretty smooth, with downhill going and a warm roadhouse in sight. had also settled. Willem Dafoe All rights reserved. tough and self-reliant. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. Undaunted by the massive storm heading their way and against his wife Constance's ( Julianne Nicholson) better judgement, veteran musher Seppala will push Togo and his entire dog sled team to. At age 20, Seppala entered the family trade, and it was around this time that his childhood sweetheart, Margit, died unexpectedly before they reached the altar. Unfortunately, there was no gold to be found and instead took up training sled dogs. According to The Cruelest Miles, Seppala wrote: I hope I shall never be the man to take away credit from any dog or driver who participated in that run. Seppala's worst competition during this entire period was the Quebec driver Emile Seppala crossed the treacherous sea ice of Norton Sound twice to save time, once out to receive the serum and then again on the way back.. I guess you could say Nome was willing to put all their hope into one basket, Seppalas sled basket. Chinese Zodiac: Leonhard Seppala was born in the Year of the Rabbit. In real life, Seppala faced a similar issue when he entered his dogs in the 1914 All Alaska Sweepstakes. In 1929 he won the Eastern He inherited his first sled dogs through a friend, who originally intended them for the polar explorer Roald Amundsen, before his expedition was cancelled. Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". Seppala tosses Togo ashore, and the dog somehow manages to tow the floe close enough to the coast to enable the rest of the team to follow. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPZG-Z2K, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBL-18T, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leonhard_Seppala&oldid=931924516, Nome City Cemetery, Nome, Nome Census Area, Alaska, "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (, "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (. death on the 28th of January 1967 at the age of ninety. 2020 by Poland Spring Seppala Kennels. It was unusual at that time to keep sled dogs working when the snow thawed, or to spend as much time with them as he did. The work was difficult for Seppala, and he regretted his decision to leave home, until he became a sled dog driver, mushing supplies up to 100 miles each day. (Other relay teams involved in the delivery Seppala manages to get his team back to the outpost of Joe Dexter and passes the serum over to his friend Gunnar Kaasen. The initials "G.I." Tony Krier had told Urtha years ago that if he wanted the building to preserve the memory of Nome resident, Leonhard Seppala, that he could have it. He kept his dogs in form during the summer by having them pull a cart on wheels instead of a sled. As principal musher, Seppala battled blizzard conditions and icy terrain, eventually traveling more than twice as far as his colleagues. Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway. However, they could only afford a short rest, and set out again at 2 am. It was 50 F in Fairbanks. Seppala and his Alaska Sweepstakes team: Property of Jonathan Hayes. twenty-three of them spent with the Pioneer company. He was disruptive to harnessed sled dogs, just as hes shown to be in the film. I have it here!". The other half of the meeting is not-so-subtle pressure on Seppala to ride to Nenana to pick up the serum. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. The Story of Leonhard Seppala The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, and Hulu in March, The Audition So Insulting That It Inspired a Classic Hollywood Satire, actually Togos great-grandson, 14 generations removed,. Rocks Inn in St. Jovite Station, Quebec. Neither he nor his canine freight leader, Suggen, knew the dangerous trail, and when a blizzard suddenly descended on the area during the race, Seppala realized his young dogs had lost the trail and they were all at great risk of death due to the nearby drop-off to the Bering Sea. Training his dogs, his wife, Togo Lindeberg was a leading figure in the immigrant miners' fight for 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., On the topic of unsung heroes, The Cruelest Miles also notes the deficient coverage on the contribution of the Native driverswho covered nearly two thirds of the run but were not as interesting to movie producers or reporters. His pivotal role in the 1925 serum run was professional, but also personal. consistently with his Siberian sleddogs until the race was discontinued This can lead to death from asphyxiation. Leonhard Seppalas mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. considered the hero of the run. For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives. just what happened (rumours say that Seppala ran up a hotel bill at the partnership arrangement with the Bow Lake Kennels of Earl L. Snodie, This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. A sustained east wind could also push the ice out to sea, and a team caught on a drifting floe could find itself stranded on open water. They encountered each other while Ivanoff was untangling his team on a trail outside of town, at which time Seppala took possession of the serum. The Togo true story reveals that as a young puppy Togo required excessive care from Leonhard Seppala's wife Constance. In the movie, Togo gets his first break by busting loose and harassing Seppalas harnessed team until Seppala finally gives him a chance run with the big dogs. His mounted skin is currently on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters museum in Wasilla, Alaska. Seppala had to decide whether to risk Norton Sound in high winds in the dark, when he could not see or hear potential warning signs from the ice. Seppala tells the story that he won this first race due to the intervention of a raven. He had learnt to wrestle as a boy, virtually as a matter . Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. As the Salisburys put it, they were considered a part of the landscape.. If the Serum Drive finished This page is updated often with latest details about Leonhard Seppala. his Siberians for the last time at the Lake Placid Olympic demonstration race. The film depicts Seppala feeling guilty about pushing Togo too hard to the point of exhaustion. Still, his reputation was perhaps even greater than the movie suggested: According to The Cruelest Miles, he was known as the fastest musher in Alaska, and his nickname was the King of the Trail. It was Seppalas boss at the Hammon Consolidated Gold Fields Company, Mark Summers, who came up with the plan to use two teams of dogs, traveling toward each other from Nenana and Nome to meet at the halfway point in Nulato. Seppala and Swedish Lapland Leonhard Seppala, born 1877, would during those days go from being a good musher and just another hard-working blue-collar man to being the most famous dog-team driver in the world. Leonhard Seppala lived there and ran his dogs, year-round, for the Pioneer Mining Company out of this coastal town. Wikipedia contributors, "Leonhard Seppala," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. travel at most.). Together with his dog Togo and several other dogs, he was able to brave through snowy weather and tundra to save countless of lives. ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala (/lnrd spl/; September 14, 1877 January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian-American sled dog breeder, trainer and musher who with his dogs played a pivotal role in the 1925 serum run to Nome,[1] and participated in the 1932 Winter Olympics. sleddogs from Chukotka, Kamschatka and the Kolyma River basin, had been placed Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. When . This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. It was only in the previous February that the first airmail flight in Alaska took place. After the death Sleddog breed in the 1990s. (Color/Silent/16mm film). In real life, things played out a bit differently. Beyond the possibility of getting caught in a storm or a dog injuring its paw on a shard of ice, it was also likely that the ice of the Norton Sound could break up and carry the team out to sea. Dallas Seavey. When Lindeberg asked him to train a sled dog team for an expedition Roald Amundsen was planning, he found his calling. 12.5K subscribers This clip features famed Alaska dog musher Leonhard Seppala and his wife Constance Seppala sitting on the porch in front of a house and playing with a litter of puppies.. Seppala became the crucial figure in the delivery by dogsled of a Car, train, or group tour. SEPPALA'S EXPLOITS and the Poland Spring kennel breeding gave The native drivers from the He transferred the serum over to the next musher as he was instructed. Seppala dominated Alaska's major race thereafter, winning However, many of his dogs' paw pads had been shredded and claws broken by the ice-encrusted snow as they clawed their way back to the top of the hill. 2-5 day small ship explorations. of the Seppala Strain that was finally registered by the Canadian Kennel Death on the 28th of January 1967 at leonhard seppala wife age of ninety conditions and icy terrain eventually... 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