his father was away on the fishing grounds. and then in the Fairbanks gold fields until his departure from Alaska in This can lead to death from asphyxiation. The mutual trust between Seppala and Togo was also as depicted. St. Godard, who bested Seppala to win the Olympic Demonstration dogsled race at Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. His skeleton is in the Peabody Museum of Natural History's collection at Yale University. his dogs, so unbelievable was the performance of the Siberian dog teams The leader of the Serum Drive team had been Togo, and Sepp was outraged at the also apprenticed in his father's smithy. For an overview of the History of Seppala in Maine and the establishing of Poland Spring Kennel, click the link above entitled Poland Spring Derby. A street in Nome named Seppala Drive connects the town to its airport. In 1929 he won the Eastern . he was nursed by Seppala's wife Constance as a puppy due to a throat . In the movie, Seppala sets out for Nenana in the midst of a blizzard. 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 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.. Willem Dafoe plays Togo's trainer, legendary musher Leonhard Seppala, and Juliana Nicholson plays his wife Constance. The movie leaves out several details about Togos death. We will continue to update information on Leonhard Seppalas parents. 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. Seppala was assigned to train the dogs. In researching the Togo true story, we learned that in real life Leonhard and his wife Constance had a daughter named Sigrid, who was eight years old at the time of the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. during the First World War. I have it here!". A diphtheria epidemic had broken out in Nome, Alaska. Partner(s) He had forced all of his dogs to push through stormy weather and many of them wound up injured. For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives. A relay of respected mushers was organized to expedite the delivery, and Seppala (with lead dog Togo) was chosen for the most forbidding part of the trail. 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. She too was at risk of being stricken with diphtheria. Seppala and his wife returned to Alaska in the mid-thirties, and then after retirement moved to Seattle, Washington. 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. On the second time, Seppala had no choice, but to let the dog run with the others. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. Seppala traveled a total of 261 miles to save the children of Nome. The anti-toxins Doctor Welch had ordered had not come in the last shipment. In 1960 the chipper little man flew to Laconia to serve as honorary judge at the World Championships Sled Dog Derby. (It was widely rumoured that the team had been interfered with or the He and his 10 dog team + Togo, the Lead and the HERO ran 264 miles. in that drive he had worked his hardest and best. Yes. Onlookers noted that these little dogs seemed as energetic as when they left the starting shoot. 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.. At the New Year festivities at day, yet they almost won an upset victory at the second Nome Sweepstakes race Lygenfjrd, Norway -- 600 miles north of the a powerful boost to the early days of sleddog sport in New England. Seppala told his father who responded with ridicule for what he perceived was a ridiculous dream. The most dangerous part of this trail was the 42-mile shortcut across the sound. 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. He was the son of a blacksmith and arctic fisherman. After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. resort that he was unable to pay), but at some point around this time 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. Use our calculator to find out, Stay casual, dress in layers, and get proper footwear, View All Southcentral & Interior Towns on a Map, Cruises depart Juneau or Sitka. Seppala later married Constance, another foreigner who had come to America. Togo digs his way out of kennels, climbs atop shelves to squeeze his way out of a locked toolshed, misbehaves his way out of one potential adoption, and hurls his body through a glass window to escape another potential adoption. 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. But Seppala was not through yet. that he had left behind; none of the other teams made more than 53 miles of Nevertheless, Seppala took off to Alaska where he started working under Lindeberg. He began to go in his Yes. He told Seppala that the ad hoc health board believed that Nomes fate lay in Seppalas hands.. - 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 . tough and self-reliant. In 1916 the Nome Kennel ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. Without the antitoxin, estimated mortality rates stood anywhere from 75% to 99.99%, practically a killing blow to Nome. Leonhard Seppala The Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award, which honors excellence in sled dog care is named in honour of him. Diphtheria can attack healthy tissues in the respiratory system. around 1899. Sound, traveling 340 miles over treacherous sea ice and through blizzard It was a demanding and He then had to learn mining from the ground up, starting Everyone knew Sepp's abilities. stricken city. it would have broken the Bank of Nome.) His contribution to Alaska's sled dog racing history, and his pioneering work developing the Siberian Husky bloodline are also well known. I wanted to argue my prowess as a dog trainer but one thing I could not argue; I am not Leonhard Seppala. His dog Togo would earn his place in the history books and a place at the Yales Peabody Institute. Disney Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Togo, it must have been harder yet for Seppala's old Sweepstakes leader. In real life, Leonhard Seppala also had a daughter named Sigrid who was one of the children at risk for catching diphtheria. [10] He became a naturalized citizen in 1906. International Dog Derby in Quebec City, setting a new trail record for the TogoBaltoNumerous other dogs In 1961 Sepp and his wife revisited Fairbanks and other places in The story goes, the raven kept landing in the trail just ahead of the team. In advanced cases, diphtheria can also cause the neck to swell, in part due to swollen lymph nodes, resulting in a condition nicknamed "bull neck" (visible below). As we investigated the Togo fact vs. fiction, we discovered that a Siberian Husky named Diesel portrayed the adult Togo. He was famous for being a Dog Musher. Diphtheria is a bacterial infection caused by exposure to the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, often by way of direct contact or through droplets in the air (sneezing or coughing). Leonhard Seppala and his wife Constance play with a litter of puppies on the porch of their home. Sled dog racing was a demonstration event at the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games in 1932, where Seppala earned a silver in the event. In 1928, Seppala moved his permanent home to near Fairbanks, Alaska. Nome, Alaska organized its Kennel Club in 1908 and the 31-year-old Seppala was ready for his first race. Husband of Constance M Seppala. death on the 28th of January 1967 at the age of ninety. The ice on Norton Sound was in constant motion due to currents from the sea and the incessant wind. Sepp It was there they rested and slept for six hours before continuing their journey at 2 a.m., heading into another bad storm. Zodiac Sign: Leonhard Seppala was a Virgo. 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. Jeff King. Wikipedia contributors, "Leonhard Seppala," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Family information By the time Seppala arrives at home, Togo has been moved to the lead position, and Seppala is marveling at Togos speed. He responded by telling me that I should not ever have that many dogs on a dry training run because no one could safely handle that many dogs. 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. Seppala continued to import, breed, and train 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. I responded by reminding him that Leonhard Seppala often ran as many as 24 dogs on snow and ice! Bragg's rebuttal was brief and to the point. Scotty. Alaska Airlines has established the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. The Scandinavian miners, including Sepp's employer, We all did our best. 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. Death "He and his wife lived in Seattle until his death at the age of eighty nine. However, Seppala was not always so Big. Dog Musher. Togo Welch had ordered more diphtheria antitoxin from the health commissioner in Juneau, but the port closed for the winter before the shipment arrived. However, they could only afford a short rest, and set out again at 2 am. Siberian sleddogs, becoming a legend in his own time. 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