Indeed, when the whiteout conditions suddenly lifted, Seppala found that he and his team were at the bottom of a hill, racing towards the cliffs along the sea. Alaska Airlines has established the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. He was the oldest-born child of father Isak Isaksson Seppl (of Swedish descent) and Anne Henriksdatter (of Finnish Norwegian Kven descent). In 1929 he won the Eastern females and puppies, about fifteen dogs in all. it would have broken the Bank of Nome.) No passable winter roads. Seppala and his team mushed five times farther than any other team during that effort. Togo was the true champion of the Serum Run. Leonhard Seppala. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Yes. Leonhard Seppala with his dog Togo and Willem Dafoe in. In 1946, he and his wife Constance moved to Seattle, Washington. Fridtjof Nansen, and very shortly thereafter married him and left North Photo of Seppala and his Siberians in Seattle: Jonathan Hayes. The trail here was exposed and the steep grade grueling for the dogs, who were sleep-deprived and had already raced 260 miles (420km) over the previous 4.5 days. 'Sepp' entered the 1914 The following year Seppala's Siberian team won the Nome entrusted him with the raising and training of a group of Siberian The prestigious Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award is given annually to the Iditarod musher who illustrates outstanding dog care throughout the race. He began to go in his His friend Jafet Lindeberg had returned from Alaska and convinced Seppala to come to work for his mining company in Nome. his Siberians for the last time at the Lake Placid Olympic demonstration race. They wanted the 640 miles between the two towns to be traversed by the dog team. In 1914, he competed in the All Alaska Sweepstakes, a sled dog race. Generation. When Amundsen cancelled his trip a few weeks after the puppies arrived in Nome, Lindeberg gave them to Seppala. After a town meeting, the phone rang at Seppalas home and the dogs in the yard began to howl. Within the year, after the dust had cleared, Seppala and Togo began to be recognized for their accomplishments. While tending to newborn pups, Constance took pity on one puppy that was noticeably weaker than the others. After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. Place of Burial: Nome, Nome, Alaska, United States. [1], Seppala set out from Nome on January 28several days before he was due to meet the relay coming to Nulato. No one is! Unfortunately, there was no gold to be found and instead took up training sled dogs. He then bought a house near Seattle, where many other Norwegians Leonhard Seppala is the protagonist in the 2019 film Togo. As for Leonhard Seppala, famous as a dog sledder (), I think I knew him well because I was taken for a ride with his white dog team one Sunday. 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. Half of the meeting is logistics: Welch explains that the serum they need for the diphtheria has been found at the Fairbanks Railroad Hospital (more than 500 miles away) and that it could be put on a train to Nenana (still 483 miles away). Both are buried in Nome, Alaska. . Leonhard Seppala is considered one of Alaskas first great dog mushers; He took part in the 1925 serum run to Nome. The Story of Leonhard Seppala consistently with his Siberian sleddogs until the race was discontinued History vs. Hollywood visited the headquarters in 2013 and captured the photo of Togo displayed below. Dallas Seavey. considered the hero of the run. He then had to learn mining from the ground up, starting Birth Name: Leonhard Seppala Occupation: Dog Musher Place Of Birth: Norway Date Of Birth: September 14, 1877 Date Of Death: January 28, 1967 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: Norwegian Leonhard Seppala was born on the 14th of September, 1877. The initials "G.I." You, he said, are no Leonhard Seppala.. 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. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. 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). And Togo has many behavioral issues: Hes magnetically drawn to Seppala, such that he successfully defies any of Seppalas attempts to pen him up or give him up for adoption. As the Salisburys put it, they were considered a part of the landscape.. His tour ended in January 1927 with the dogsled race at Poland Spring, Maine, where he accepted the challenge to race against Arthur Walden, founder of the New England Sled Dog Club and owner of the famous lead dog, "Chinook". SEPPALA'S EXPLOITS and the Poland Spring kennel breeding gave We all did our best. [15][16] He bred Togo, and the dog's descendants contributed to the "Seppala Siberian Sleddog", a sought after sled dog line, as well as mainstream show-stock Siberian Husky lines bred in New England and eventually elsewhere. While Seppala insists on immediately retiring him due to his small and weak state, Constance is strongly supportive of the puppy. placing first, second and fourth. Seppala had not abandoned his mining career with his tour of the U.S.A. After The only planes they had were water-cooled aircraft from World War I, which didn't perform well in cold weather. 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. Wheeler, Shearer and the Belfords that were bred from them. 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. Norwegians of the far north are almost born on skis. In 1925 when a diphtheria outbreak caught everyone off guard, Seppala was approached to take Togo and his sled dogs out towards Nenana and back to Nome with a serum. He expressed pleasure in the rhythmic patter of the dogs' feet and the feeling of the sled gliding along the snow. He enjoyed the task from his first run, which he recalled clearly for the rest of his life. However, the descriptions in The Cruelest Miles suggest more whimsy: The cheerful and diminutive Seppala was also seen as something of a show-off, known to flip double back handsprings just for laughs and land with a somersault. As shown in the movie, Seppala did beat legendary musher Scotty Allen in a race, which marked the beginning of his own celebrity. Seppala soon worried for his canine friend upon learning that he was starting to suffer from his old age. his name was over, but his Seppala sleddogs, descendants of original Siberian Previously unexposed children as well as adults were at risk of dying from the infection. The expedition was cancelled, and Seppala was gifted the dogs. . By the time the war had ended, air transportation was becoming more and more of a reality in even these northern climes and, it seemed, the age of the Sled dog was quickly drawing to a close. While none of the mushers lost their lives, several of them succumbed to frostbite, including Charlie Olson and Gunnar Kaasen, who completed the final two legs of the journey. The serum was now only 78 miles (126km) from Nome. travel at most.). 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. Seppala's friend Jafet Lindeberg returned home and then in the Fairbanks gold fields until his departure from Alaska in He and his wife lived in Seattle until his death at the age of 89. People who are born with Mercury as the ruling planet have communication skills, intellect and cleverness. Seppala would cross the sound each way in the race to deliver the serum. As for Seppala, he lived to be 89. Seppala and his Alaska Sweepstakes team: Property of Jonathan Hayes. death on the 28th of January 1967 at the age of ninety. This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. The teams relayed on a 100 dogs to run . I guess you could say Nome was willing to put all their hope into one basket, Seppalas sled basket. 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. Seppala described him as an infant prodigy and a natural-born leader.. Yukon River had a reputation of being extremely tireless and possessing A street in Nome named Seppala Drive connects the town to its airport. in a blizzard and nearly going over a two-hundred-foot precipice along the Leonhard Seppala Popularity . . In June 1999, a memorial was . claim-jumpers. Chinese Zodiac: Leonhard Seppala was born in the Year of the Rabbit. with its endless mounds of gravel to be shoveled, he was very fit. Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. He immediately began the trek back across Norton Sound without pausing to rest.The conditions on the return trip were even worse. 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. Nome was, as it is today, completely closed to the outside world. If the Serum Drive finished Partner(s) After a town meeting, the phone rang at Seppala's home and the dogs in the yard began to howl. A relay of 20 sled dog teams then traveled a distance of 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. in that drive he had worked his hardest and best. 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. Leonhard Seppala is considered one of Alaskas first great mushers, and like all who took part in the 1925 serum run from Seward to Nome, hes a local hero. Source. Seppala was not yet ready to participate in this, the longest of races. Club in Canada in 1939 as the 'Siberian Huskie.' They have a strong faith and can be seen as stubborn in their old ways. JUMP TO: Leonhard Seppalas biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. out driving horses and a wagon (which he had never done), filling a slip It had happened to others. And when I come to the end of the rail, I feel that along with my many friends, Togo will be waiting and I know that everything will be all right.. Knowing the severity of the weather, as well as Togo's age, Seppala had no choice, but to take the mission. His pivotal role in the 1925 serum run was professional, but also personal. In 1961, Seppala revisited Fairbanks and other places in Alaska at the invitation of American journalist Lowell Thomas, enjoying a warm reception from the Alaskan people. Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. Dog musher who was one of the men tapped to deliver a vital shipment of diptheria serum over ice-bound roads. A musher would head out from there to meet Seppala somewhere in the middle. At the start of Togo, Seppala arrives in town after a run to find that a diphtheria outbreak has already claimed the lives of five children. The safer alternative was twice as far. The fact that I won that race, started my career as a sled dog racer.. Roald Amundsen. Born In 1877. feeling that the credit had been stolen from Togo who had deserved to be In 1928, Seppala moved his permanent home to near Fairbanks, Alaska. The Port is iced in for miles and miles. Flying was relatively new at the time and winter flight was still largely untested. Death "He and his wife lived in Seattle until his death at the age of eighty nine. His skeleton is in the Peabody Museum of Natural History's collection at Yale University. And while the suspense in the movie is more than adequate, Seppala described even more danger. Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. By January 1927, Seppala had opened a kennel with a socialite named Elizabeth Ricker in Poland Springs, Maine, and he was traveling between Alaska and Maine. First Name Leonhard. [1], In 1913, Seppala inherited his first team of sled dogs by chance. had also settled. Father of Private. It was there they rested and slept for six hours before continuing their journey at 2 a.m., heading into another bad storm. Likes have gone anywhere without the Poland Spring dogs and the sleddogs of (Color/Silent/16mm film). One of the most terrifying moments in the movie is the second crossing of the Norton Sound, on the way back toward Nome with the serum. And while, in the movie, Constance Seppala initially objects to her husbands participation, saying that the town should pick someone with more stake in [the diphtheria outbreak], in reality the Seppalas did have more of a stake than is indicated by the film script: They had an 8-year-old daughter named Sigrid. Whos the richest Dog Musher in the world. While certain details have been changed, this is largely what happened, and explains the disproportionate fame that the real-life Balto has enjoyed; beyond the media attention, there were movie deals, a tour, and a statue. (Color/Silent/16mm film). While only black and white photos exist of Togo when he was alive, Leonhard Seppala had him custom mounted after his death at age 16. All rights reserved. It remains unclear Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Willem Dafoe's character states in the movie that Togo was named after the underdog Japanese admiral and naval hero Tōgō Heihachirō. His wife, Constance, died a few years later aged 85. 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. Seppala told his father who responded with ridicule for what he perceived was a ridiculous dream. Today he is remembered for that feat, but also for the care and concern he showed for his dogs, who were not only co-workers, but were his friends. He was disruptive to harnessed sled dogs, just as hes shown to be in the film. three-day 123-mile event with "Bonzo" at single lead. Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Thank you! However, almost by fate, Seppala is surprised to see Togo up and running; refusing to give in. Symptoms usually begin two to five days after exposure and include a fever, sore throat and weakness. I wanted to argue my prowess as a dog trainer but one thing I could not argue; I am not Leonhard Seppala. One competitor described his communion with dogs as unnatural control or hypnotism.. sleddogs from Chukotka, Kamschatka and the Kolyma River basin, had been placed Lindeberg was a leading figure in the immigrant miners' fight for 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. Leave a message for others who see this profile. Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. But in 1899, when a friend of Leonhard Seppala returned to Norway, rich from the goldfields of Alaska, the lure of wealth and adventure was just too much for the twenty-two-year-old smithy to overcome and before long he was on his way to the new world. Seppala set out from Nome, met the driver carrying the serum Proudly created with Wix.com. Kasson received most of the early press though he only traveled 53 miles. Genealogy for Constance M Seppala (Van der Straeten) (1884 - 1969) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. In 1931 the SeppalaRicker partnership ended. Subsequently he After 3 days and 170 miles (270km), he came in sight of another relay musher, Henry Ivanoff, but did not realise it. with a former driver of Chinooks, Mrs. Elizabeth Ricker. Leonhard Seppala was born on the 14th of September, 1877. under way, Sepp writes: IN 1925 THE CITY OF NOME was threatened by a midwinter diphtheria epidemic. Big ship or small ship? Zodiac Sign: Leonhard Seppala was a Virgo. The Scandinavian miners, including Sepp's employer, Leonhard is a "musher" (AKA a dogsled driver) and Togo is his lead dog. Eventually Sepp got his chance to go prospecting for the company. The ride back proves to be just as difficult when Seppala is forced to have Togo pull him and his team from a block of ice over the Norton Sound. In the winter of 1925, a deadly outbreak of diphtheria in the remote port of Nome, Alaska, threatened the . 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.. I responded by reminding him that Leonhard Seppala often ran as many as 24 dogs on snow and ice! The same year the AAS was first run, 1908, This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. 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. Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway. While in Skjervy, his father worked as a blacksmith and fisherman, building up a relatively large estate. He kept his dogs in form during the summer by having them pull a cart on wheels instead of a sled. conditions to bring the serum back. LEONHARD SEPPALA WAS BORN in Skibotn, 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. When the temperatures dropped below -0 degrees the planes of the 1920s were unreliable and dangerous at best. In 1960 the chipper little man flew to Laconia to serve as honorary judge at the World Championships Sled Dog Derby. In 1916 the Nome Kennel In 1961 Sepp and his wife revisited Fairbanks and other places in Seppala continued the trail across Norton Sound. The real-life Seppala was astounded at the effect of the harness: The 8-month-old Togo went from pesky to serious, and Seppala finally understood what Togo had been wanting all these months: to be a member of the team. In a feat unheard of for an inexperienced puppy, Togo traveled 75 miles on this first day. 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