Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. tough and self-reliant. Lake Placid, NY, in 1932, which was Seppala's last race in the East. Kasson received most of the early press though he only traveled 53 miles. Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. Bering Sea coastline. on the S.S. Ohio in the city of Nome, where Lindeberg had his Pioneer To his surprise, the dog turned out to be a fast runner and Seppala happily decided to make him a lead dog and name him Togo after admiral Tg Heihachir. Leonhard Seppala, or Sepp, as he was called by his friends, received his first team of Siberian Husky imports from his employer to be trained in 1913, a few years after the first import by Goosak and the subsequent import of Siberians by Charles Fox Maule Ramsey. Memorials 68 added (7% photographed). Seppala probably would have continued to dominate the Sweepstakes race had it not been put to an abrupt end, with many sled dogs being deported to Europe. Bragg's rebuttal was brief and to the point. from Nenana more than halfway, and returned immediately by night across Norton After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. He said goodbye to Togo and gave the dog to fellow sled dog musher, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Alaska Airlines has established the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the telephone. They arrived at Seattle on November 2, 1926 aboard the Alaska Steamship Company freighter, Tanana. The problem was, how would the traveling Seppala be told he was not to transport it alone? [8] Leonhard is considered to have been Kven. [1] three-day 123-mile event with "Bonzo" at single lead. Leave a message for others who see this profile. - Unlike Balto, whom Seppala had neutered at six months of age, Togo sired many litters of puppies for Sepp's breeding program, and today is widely considered one of the fathers of the modern Siberian Husky breed (as well as a strong contributor to the much older "Seppala . ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. Enter a grandparent's name. The 2019 Disney film costars Nicholson as Constance Seppala, wife of dog sledder Leonhard Seppala (played by Willem Dafoe) who brought life-saving diphtheria medication across Alaska in 1925. feeling that the credit had been stolen from Togo who had deserved to be 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. 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. No one is! His tour finished in the State of Maine in 1927 with a challenge race in The following year, on the strength of publicity consequent to the Nome Serum Run, He writes: WHILE SEPPALA WAS IN ALASKA the sport of dogsled racing was developed Ivanoff had to run after Seppala as he raced past, shouting, "The serum! Together with his dog Togo and several other dogs, he was able to brave through snowy weather and tundra to save countless of lives. Seppala was not yet ready to participate in this, the longest of races. The title card at the beginning declares that Togo is based on a true story, but how much of this is hard history and how much is Disney magic? when a native with a crosscut saw appeared out of nowhere and trotted easily The Togo true story reveals that as a young puppy Togo required excessive care from Leonhard Seppala's wife Constance. Anadyr River were imported by a wealthy young Scot, Charles 'Fox' Maule Ramsay, Seppala introduced the work dogs used by Native Siberians at the time to the American public; the breed came to be known as the Siberian Husky in the English-speaking world. Seppala and his team again traversed the exposed open ice of Norton Sound, which was breaking up. Seppala's section of trail featured a dangerous shortcut across Norton Sound, which could save a full day of travel. It was only in the previous February that the first airmail flight in Alaska took place. It was decided that he was the most qualified of the relay mushers to attempt this shortcut. So, as politicians are apt to do, the Governor complicated the plan to include some 20 teams and mushers in performing a relay. 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. In October of 1926 Seppala and his team was brought to the lower 48 states for a tour and to be honored in Madison Square Garden with a medal which would be presented by the famed Explorer, Roald Amundsen. Seppala didnt start out working with dogs, though. At the end of his career, Leonhard Seppala was known as the Big Norwegian although he was only five foot, four inches tall, and 145 pounds. alongside his sprinting team, keeping pace effortlessly. Choose a round-trip Inside passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska Cruise. This film sequence is an excerpt of AAF-2240 from the Seppala-Hanks collection held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of the Alaska \u0026 Polar Regions Department in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon. Husband of Constance M Seppala. Subsequently he Leonhard Seppala and his sled dog team led by Togo spent three days traveling 170 miles from Nome to Shaktoolik to pick up the diphtheria serum on January 31, 1925. "I literally fell in love with them from the start", he recalled; "I could hardly wait for sledding snow to start their training". Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway. Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights. He and his wife lived in Seattle until his death at the age of 89. While tending to newborn pups, Constance took pity on one puppy that was noticeably weaker than the others. Willem Dafoe IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. According to the Salisburys, this is also true to life. January 29, 1967 (89) Seattle, King, Washington, United States. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. Yes. They wanted the 640 miles between the two towns to be traversed by the dog team. Daughter of unknown Van der Straeten and Private Wife of Leonhard Isaksen Seppl . As a puppy, he is a runt with little more than a fighting spirit and the endorsement of Seppala's wife, Constance (Julianne Nicholson). Club in Canada in 1939 as the 'Siberian Huskie.' This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. The in 1909. Lindeberg convinced Seppala to come work for his Pioneer Mining Company. The odds were set at 100 to 1 against these Siberian runts. Likes Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Because Kaasen is the one who actually delivers the serum to Nome, he is the one who receives the lions share of the glory. Seppala's only childan eight-year-old daughter named Sigridwas also at risk. Seppala and his wife returned to Alaska in the mid-thirties, and then after retirement moved to Seattle, Washington. We will continue to update information on Leonhard Seppalas parents. He lived in Seattle until his The greatest overall compatibility with Virgo is Pisces and Cancer. As shown in the movie, more teams were added to the relay mid-run, and so Seppala ended up traveling a total of 261 miles (170 miles to pick up the serum and 91 miles with the serum)still an enormous distance. pampered, comfortable retirement. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". partnership arrangement with the Bow Lake Kennels of Earl L. Snodie, Meanwhile, the number of diphtheria cases in Nome continued to climb. Mayor George Maynard (Christopher Heyerdahl), who is also the publisher of local newspaper the Nome Nugget, and the town doctor, Curtis Welch (Richard Dormer), gather the important-looking men of the town in a saloon. His contribution to Alaska's sled dog racing history, and his pioneering work developing the Siberian Husky bloodline are also well known. Alaska at the invitation of American journalist Lowell Thomas, enjoying Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. His eight-year-old daughter Sigrid was in Nome, in danger of contracting diphtheria herself. Its worth mentioning that Togos own lineage wasnt too shabby: His father was Suggen, who had led Seppalas team to victory in the 1914 All Alaska Sweepstakes race. His friend Jafet Lindeberg had returned from Alaska and convinced Seppala to come to work for his mining company in Nome. Leonhard Seppala is part of G.I. In 1916 the Nome Kennel Nevertheless, Seppala took off to Alaska where he started working under Lindeberg. Leonhard Seppala was born on the 14th of September, 1877. Conditions on the ice were perilous, with sudden soft spots in the ice underfoot and outright open water sometimes only a few feet away. It was 50 F in Fairbanks. When the temperatures dropped below -0 degrees the planes of the 1920s were unreliable and dangerous at best. [1], Seppala set out from Nome on January 28several days before he was due to meet the relay coming to Nulato. First Name Leonhard. The People of Nome had another idea. A relay of 20 sled dog teams then traveled a distance of 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. Immediate Family: Son of Isak Isaksson Seppl and Ane Henrikke Seppl. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. Seppala is initially unmoved, but after peeking into the windows of the town hospital and seeing children crying and coughing, he is convinced he must go, despite the misgivings of his wife. Seppala and his dogs also traveled from Alaska to the lower 48 states to do a nationwide tour. A diphtheria epidemic had broken out in Nome, Alaska. Impressed, Leonhard decided to keep him. When he arrived there at 8 pm, his dogs were exhausted; they had run 84 miles (135km) that day, much of it against the wind and in brutal cold. Let us simplify it for you, How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? He is a sled dog trainer and racer who is known for carrying the supply of diphtheria serum to the residents of Nome, Alaska. Seppala had immigrated to Alaska from Norway when his friend Jafet Lindeberg convinced him to come work for the mining company he started in Nome. The next day a seven-year-old girl was diagnosed and Welch tried to give her expired antitoxin (all that was on hand) in hopes that it would work, but she died several hours later. Sleddog breed in the 1990s. 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,. In Disneys telling, Togos beginnings are an underdog story. The story goes, the raven kept landing in the trail just ahead of the team. This membrane (visible below over a patient's tonsils) covers healthy tissues in the throat, nose, tonsils and voice box, causing a croup-like cough, as well as severe difficulty breathing and swallowing. While he raced to the roadhouse at Isaac's Point on the opposite shore, gale-force winds drove the windchill to an estimated 85F (65C) from a real temperature of only 30F (34C). were determined to do the foreigners out of their claims and take them As for Seppala, he lived to be 89. Dallas Seavey. The only practical way to deliver more serum to Nome in the middle of the coldest winter in 20 years was by dog sled. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. And while the suspense in the movie is more than adequate, Seppala described even more danger. Directed by Ericson Core, with a Writers Guild Awardnominated script by Tom Flynn, Togo is based on the events of what become known as the Great Race of Mercy, or the 1925 serum run to Nome. Scenes from the run are interspersed with flashbacks to Togos origin story, showing him making repeated escapes from the kennel of musher Leonhard Seppala (Willem Dafoe). He had learnt to wrestle as a boy, virtually as a matter WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. (Color/Silent/16mm film). Please visit the About section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help today. They called a team of 20 mushers, including Leonhard Seppala. To hasten delivery of the serum, more mushers were added to the relay. of self-defense. Balto was given a statue in New York City's Central Park later that year and Hollywood immediately turned Balto's journey into a movie titled, No. However, at 3 P.M. that day, Seppala and his team arrived at Golovin and handed over the serum to the next musher. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Roald Amundsen. 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.. We consulted cousins Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisburys deeply researched book about the serum race, The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic, along with what few other sources we could find, to break it all down below. They were survived by their daughter, Sigrid Hanks. Leonhard Seppala's experience and fame as a champion dog musher are why he was chosen to drive a sled dog team in the Serum Run. The same year the AAS was first run, 1908, Seppala married his wife Constance, a Belgian girl who had come to Nome in 1905. unsuccessfully against him claimed he had hypnotic powers of control over Seppala manages to get his team back to the outpost of Joe Dexter and passes the serum over to his friend Gunnar Kaasen. First Name Leonhard #3. At the age of twenty he went to the city of Early on, it was believed that the individual attention led to his rowdiness and mischievous behavior. Sepp raced with these young Siberian dogs the very next year in the All Alaska Sweepstakes Race but had to scratch due to a blinding blizzard. The following year a team of ten sleddogs was brought to Nome from eastern Seppala dominated Alaska's major race thereafter, winning around 1899. He was While in Skjervy, his father worked as a blacksmith and fisherman, building up a relatively large estate. Home Everyone knew Sepp's abilities. due to their size, which was only half that of typical Alaskan sleddogs of the Seppala had dogsled racing psychology down pat as well. He transferred the serum over to the next musher as he was instructed. Related Article: Togo: History vs. Hollywood Related Videos (2) WATCH How Disney Changed Togo's Ending From Real Life WATCH Togo Movie Trailer SEPP AND LIZ RICKER were a feature on the eastern race circuit from Photo of Seppala and his Siberians in Seattle: Jonathan Hayes. returned each spring to Alaska to continue his employment there, leaving It was also the longest by roughly 200 miles. but quite athletic. The dogs who play Togo throughout the film often needed to be colored to match Diesel, the adult Togo. The polar night also meant that there were limited hours of daylight to fly. 1947. His career took off when he won the Sweepstakes the following year, beating experienced musher Scotty Allan by two hours. After 3 days and 170 miles (270km), he came in sight of another relay musher, Henry Ivanoff, but did not realise it. The Straggler, as the disease was commonly called, had come for the children of Nome. 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