Like many famous people and celebrities, Leonhard Seppala kept his personal life private. consistently with his Siberian sleddogs until the race was discontinued The same year the AAS was first run, 1908, Seppala married his wife Constance, a Belgian girl who had come to Nome in 1905. 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). [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. 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. 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. When Amundsen cancelled his trip a few weeks after the puppies arrived in Nome, Lindeberg gave them to Seppala. Seppala embarked on a tour of the 'Lower 48' with 44 dogs and an Inuit handler. The serum was to be taken by train to Nenana, and from there relay teams would set out from Nome and Nenana, meeting in the middle at Nulato. Welch and Maynard were present at the equivalent meeting, but Seppala was not present nor very much involved in the decision. Born in 1877 #36. He inherited his first sled dogs through a friend, who originally intended them for the polar explorer Roald Amundsen, before his expedition was cancelled. He was eighty-three years young and still delighted with the sled dogs. Leonhards education details are not available at this time. alongside his sprinting team, keeping pace effortlessly. Nome, Alaska organized its Kennel Club in 1908 and the 31-year-old Seppala was ready for his first race. 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. Seppala and his Alaska Sweepstakes team: Property of Jonathan Hayes. In June 1999, a memorial was erected to him in Skibotn. Sleddog breed in the 1990s. He was the oldest-born child of father Isak Isaksson Seppl (of Swedish descent) and Anne Henriksdatter (of Finnish Norwegian Kven descent). Fortunately, he succeeded in stopping 20 feet from the drop-off, saving all their lives. 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. 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. Husband of Constance M Seppala. Likes Seppala had dogsled racing psychology down pat as well. I have it here!". The Scandinavian miners, including Sepp's employer, By Robert Forto, PhD. Once the race was Leonhard Seppala is the protagonist in the 2019 film Togo. Your must-have activity guide + map while in Alaska. pampered, comfortable retirement. 7-10 days is the most common. The story goes, the raven kept landing in the trail just ahead of the team. The world had been drawn into its first World War. Summers is also the man who recommended Seppala for the run. The other sled teams only ran 31 miles each (See the movie TOGO) and participated in the 1932 Winter Olympics. Lindeberg was a leading figure in the immigrant miners' fight for Proudly created with Wix.com. Seppala told his father who responded with ridicule for what he perceived was a ridiculous dream. [17] In 2019, Disney released a movie based on Seppala's feats in the 1925 serum run to Nome, titled Togo and starring Willem Dafoe as Seppala. Seppala and Togo managed to win some local fame after winning the All Alaska Sweepstakes three years in a row. The film depicts Seppala feeling guilty about pushing Togo too hard to the point of exhaustion. Nome is clear across the state from Fairbanks, a flight distance of approximately 521 miles. They wanted the 640 miles between the two towns to be traversed by the dog team. The strengths of this sign are being loyal, analytical, kind, hardworking, practical, while weaknesses can be shyness, overly critical of self and others, all work and no play. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. Despite doing most of the work, the credit instead largely went to the Gunnar Kaasen-controlled sled dog Balto, who completed the last, 55-mile stretch of the Serum Run through a blizzard. 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. It was a demanding and the core Poland Spring stock that had gone to Quebec became the property When Leonhard Seppala and his lead sled dog Togo began the relay to transport diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Togo was 12 years old, which is practically ancient for a sled dog. Seppala and his team again traversed the exposed open ice of Norton Sound, which was breaking up. considered the hero of the run. Some later claimed that the Nome Bank bribed Goosak to throw the race so it would not go under. Leonhard did farm work, keeping the family homestead going while Seppala felt he had abused the dogs' loyalty by putting them in danger of death and injury, and withdrew from the race in shame. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. Seppala and his wife returned to Alaska in the mid-thirties, and then after retirement moved to Seattle, Washington. Was Togo really such a good boy as the movie suggests? Togo jumped into the water, clambered back out, wrapped the rope around his body, and pulled. Father of Private. He was recruited to Alaska from Norway by fellow Norwegian Jafet Lindeberg, who had struck it rich in Nome. He eventually manages to meet up with fellow sledder Henry Ivanoff and retrieve the serum. Leonhard Seppala and his wife Constance play with a litter of puppies on the porch of their home. It had happened to others. The polar night also meant that there were limited hours of daylight to fly. scraper to clear the sluice boxes, and shoveling gravel on Discovery Family information In real life, Seppala faced a similar issue when he entered his dogs in the 1914 All Alaska Sweepstakes. They asked him to begin traveling toward Nenana. . 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. St. Godard, who bested Seppala to win the Olympic Demonstration dogsled race at Seppala apparently Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights. Leave a message for others who see this profile. They called a team of 20 mushers, including Leonhard Seppala. Photo illustration by Slate. Everyone knew Sepp's abilities. Wheeler, Shearer and the Belfords that were bred from them. Anadyr River were imported by a wealthy young Scot, Charles 'Fox' Maule Ramsay, Big ship or small ship? Dead tissue then builds up in the throat or nose, forming a thick, gray coating dubbed a "pseudomembrane". Leonhard Seppala Popularity . and then in the Fairbanks gold fields until his departure from Alaska in supply of antiserum via an otherwise impassable route between Nenana and the Who are the richest people in the world? [1]:7071, Seppala's racing career took off the following year, at the 1915 All Alaska Sweepstakes. Seppala was hurt that His Dog Togo, the true hero of the run, was not receiving his just desert. behind Seppala; in fact, she won the Poland Spring race in 1930, also with Bonzo Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. the tour was completed and his dogs safely settled in Poland Spring, he Dallas Seavey. This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. Despite a series of time-consuming mishaps on the trail, Seppala won the race against the bigger, slower dogs driven by Walden and his followers. However, Seppala does not care and instead is more concerned for Togo's health. Immediate Family: Son of Isak Isaksson Seppl and Ane Henrikke Seppl. He immediately began the trek back across Norton Sound without pausing to rest.The conditions on the return trip were even worse. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. had also settled. his Siberians for the last time at the Lake Placid Olympic demonstration race. SEPPALA'S EXPLOITS and the Poland Spring kennel breeding gave from Nenana more than halfway, and returned immediately by night across Norton His family Together with his dog Togo and several other dogs, he was able to brave through snowy weather and tundra to save countless of lives. He was Have you taken a DNA test? The following year, on the strength of publicity consequent to the Nome Serum Run, Leonhard Seppala is part of G.I. Yes. It was also the longest by roughly 200 miles. Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. 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. Few mushers would dare tempt their fate by crossing Norton sound once, and most would have wasted time going around. out driving horses and a wagon (which he had never done), filling a slip is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". on the S.S. Ohio in the city of Nome, where Lindeberg had his Pioneer If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. 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. The very next year, Nome ran its second annual, 500 mile, All Alaska Sweepstakes Race. The enthusiasm for sled dog racing in New England together with the Serum Run publicity and the victory over Walden made it possible for Seppala and partner Elizabeth Ricker to establish a Siberian kennel at Poland Spring. Seppala's only childan eight-year-old daughter named Sigridwas also at risk. The Wheeler dogs became the foundation Club in Canada in 1939 as the 'Siberian Huskie.' Togo is the story of Leonhard Seppala (played by Willem Dafoe) and his wife Constance (played by Julianne Nicholson), a couple living in Nome, Alaska who raise and train sled dogs. [1]:64[2][3][4], Seppala was born in the Lyngen, Troms og Finnmark, Northern Norway. The serum was now only 78 miles (126km) from Nome. Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. 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. 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. (It was widely rumoured that the team had been interfered with or the However, almost by fate, Seppala is surprised to see Togo up and running; refusing to give in. While most drivers considered 30 miles (48km) a long run, Seppala travelled between 50 miles (80km) and 100 miles (160km) most days. IN 1913 SEPPALA'S EMPLOYER Jafet Lindeberg, a mining company operator, The whole trail was 674 miles from Nenana to Nome, and Seppala was initially selected to cover the more than 400 miles from Nome to Nulato and back. [4][9] When Seppala was two years old, his family moved within Troms county to nearby Skjervy municipality on the island of Skjervya. 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. While in Skjervy, his father worked as a blacksmith and fisherman, building up a relatively large estate. In 1946, he and his wife Constance moved to Seattle, Washington. However, as going around the ice meant slowing the delivery of the serum by a full day, he chose to go across. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. 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. 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. In 1929 he won the Eastern I wanted to argue my prowess as a dog trainer but one thing I could not argue; I am not Leonhard Seppala. Dog Musher. second son of the Earl of Dalhousie. Yes. Leonhard Seppala is the protagonist in the 2019 film Togo. it would have broken the Bank of Nome.) Bering Sea coastline. After 1932 he remained in Alaska. Kennels, which operated until 1950. And while the movie Seppala gets the date of Togos death right (He left us on a Thursday in December), in reality Seppala decided to put Togo to sleep, given Togos joint pain and partial blindness. Sepp Born In 1877. His mounted skin is currently on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters museum in Wasilla, Alaska. In June 1999, a memorial was . Although he found the heavy labour of Nome mining gruelling He is a sled dog trainer and racer who is known for carrying the supply of diphtheria serum to the residents of Nome, Alaska. Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. Background information 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. After 3 days and 170 miles (270km), he came in sight of another relay musher, Henry Ivanoff, but did not realise it. While Sepp was on the trail, the Governor of Alaska picked up on the plan but could not trust the fate of those in Nome to a single musher. Leonhard Seppala A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon. To a large degree, yes. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. Home Leonhard Seppala: property of Jonathan Hayes. partnership arrangement with the Bow Lake Kennels of Earl L. Snodie, LEONHARD SEPPALA WAS BORN in Skibotn, Seppala, Togo and the team traveled through tough, snowy terrain encountering numerous diffculties. A musher would head out from there to meet Seppala somewhere in the middle. discoveries. As a puppy, he is a runt with little more than a fighting spirit and the endorsement of Seppala's wife, Constance (Julianne Nicholson). They asked him to begin traveling toward Nenana. And while the suspense in the movie is more than adequate, Seppala described even more danger. His dog Togo would earn his place in the history books and a place at the Yales Peabody Institute. He won the New England race, the Lake Placid Race, and the The darkness and a blizzard also made it impossible for Leonhard Seppala to see where he was going. many of these races Liz Ricker raced the second team and often came in right Leonhard Seppala/Living or Deceased Is Togo Balto's father? He transferred the serum over to the next musher as he was instructed. Seppala died in 1967 at age 90, and his ashes were scattered along the Iditarod Trail by his wife, Constance. racing teams were fielded, dominated the 1910 third All-Alaska Sweepstakes, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. placing first, second and fourth. His wife, Constance, died a few years later aged 85. Also along on the Serum run was the ageing also apprenticed in his father's smithy. Claim at Anvil Creek. They were survived by their daughter, Sigrid Hanks. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. International Dog Derby in Quebec City, setting a new trail record for the 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. His tour finished in the State of Maine in 1927 with a challenge race in at lead, again setting a new trail record for this three-day 75-mile event. Nome, Alaska This did not detour him, however, for he won the Sweepstakes the following three consecutive years. 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. Please check back soon for updates. This can lead to death from asphyxiation. His team, led by Balto, ran the last 53 miles in the Serum Run. Each year until 1897 he went to the Finnmark Sweepstakes. 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. around 1899. (Color/Silent/16mm film). In 1960 the chipper little man flew to Laconia to serve as honorary judge at the World Championships Sled Dog Derby. He was by many reasonable accounts, the greatest musher of all time! Leonhard Seppala was born in the Year of the Ox. [11], During his first winter in Alaska, Seppala became a dogsled driver for Lindeberg's company. One competitor described his communion with dogs as unnatural control or hypnotism.. Only a few hours after they had crossed it, the ice broke up altogether and drifted out to sea. trade and allow him to work as a Master blacksmith. resort that he was unable to pay), but at some point around this time The dogs who play Togo throughout the film often needed to be colored to match Diesel, the adult Togo. 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. over. According to the Salisburys, this is also true to life. (Other relay teams involved in the delivery Seppala also won the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1916 and 1917, before the race was canceled until 1983. 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. He had two stunt doubles, Hugo and Mackey, who were lead sled dogs from Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours in Alberta. The initials "G.I." If so, login to add it. The Salisburys also write that Togo was indeed difficult and mischievous, as well as resistant to being locked up. The trail between Nulato and Nome was one of Alaskas most hazardous, with most of it running along the windswept, blizzard-prone coast of Norton Sound, known to Alaskans as the ice factory, write the authors of The Cruelest Miles. This is very close to what Seppala told the Boston Sunday Post really happened, albeit not on this particular run but on a previous trip. Seppala had not abandoned his mining career with his tour of the U.S.A. After Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway. His skeleton is in the Peabody Museum of Natural History's collection at Yale University. TogoBaltoNumerous other dogs day, yet they almost won an upset victory at the second Nome Sweepstakes race They arrived at Seattle on November 2, 1926 aboard the Alaska Steamship Company freighter, Tanana. Togo eventually passes away with Seppala reminiscing on the loyalty of a well trained dog. Place of Burial: Nome, Nome, Alaska, United States. None of this is to say that Balto deserved no credit: Kaasens team had to drive through a blinding blizzard, and according to The Cruelest Miles, Baltos senses of smell and touch were what kept the team on the trail. Seppala happily decides to have Togo continue running for him. Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala (September 14, 1877 January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian sled dog breeder, trainer and musher who played a pivotal role in the 1925 serum run to Nome. In the winter of 1924-1925, a diphtheria epidemic was threatening the town of Nome, located on the southern Seward Peninsula on the northwestern coast of Alaska. The other half of the meeting is not-so-subtle pressure on Seppala to ride to Nenana to pick up the serum. The Nome City Cemetery, Nome, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USA seventy Siberian dogs bought at the Siberian trading village of Markovo on the He was a musher. The following year a team of ten sleddogs was brought to Nome from eastern His father was both a blacksmith and a fisherman. He lived in Seattle until his Gunnar Kasson, however, did not hand over the serum to the next waiting musher but brought it the rest of the way into Nome. A diphtheria epidemic had broken out in Nome, Alaska. Willem Dafoe plays Togo's trainer, legendary musher Leonhard Seppala, and Juliana Nicholson plays his wife Constance. Ruling Planet: Leonhard Seppala had a ruling planet of Mercury and has a ruling planet of Mercury and by astrological associations Wednesday is ruled by Mercury. Poland Spring event three years running. The dog that plays the adult Togo in the movie is a so-called Seppala Siberian named Diesel (the Seppala Siberian is now its own breed) and is actually Togos great-grandson, 14 generations removed, according to the movies director. Generation. Seppala became interested in dog sledding during his first winter in Alaska when he became a sled dog driver for Lindeberg's company. The ice on Norton Sound was in constant motion due to currents from the sea and the incessant wind. in 1909. Sepp wrote: Liz Ricker divorced her husband Ted and relocated, along with Seppala, to Grey remained in St. Jovite through the winter of 1931-32 and competed with His pivotal role in the 1925 serum run was professional, but also personal. Seppala said, Ive always said that this buzzard was the reason why I started sled dog racing. Seppalas life would never be the same again. When . The expedition was cancelled, and Seppala was gifted the dogs. Kaasen, who was in charge of Balto, suffered frostbite to his fingers after strong winds blew his sled over. While a party is being held in his honor, a young girl points out how Togo's health is deteriorating, upsetting Seppala. Rocks Inn in St. Jovite Station, Quebec. Various dogs portrayed Togo as a puppy, including RipTide (Ripley) from Evelyn Ely's pack. 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. infant Siberian Husky breed, established in the USA in 1930, could hardly . Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. with a former driver of Chinooks, Mrs. Elizabeth Ricker. No one is! from Alaska flush with gold dollars and encouraged Sepp to take ship In Seppalas account, as summarized in The Cruelest Miles, the tow rope connecting Togo and the rest of the team on the floe snapped, and the end of the rope fell into the water. Jeff King. And although Seppala did not seem upset on his own account (he praised Kaasen), he was reportedly upset that Togo had not received his due. Club was challenged by the Ruby Kennel Club. 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. mongrels were the best way to travel in this frozen tundra. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Partner(s) Kasson received most of the early press though he only traveled 53 miles. For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives. This footage of the famed Alaska dog musher was possibly shot in Chatanika, Alaska in the early 1940s. He said goodbye to Togo and gave the dog to fellow sled dog musher, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. claim-jumpers. Virgos. This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. The most intimate multi-day cruise option. Seppala traveled a total of 261 miles to save the children of Nome. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. The movie leaves out several details about Togos death. At the age of twenty he went to the city of Regardless, Seppala could tell that Togo wanted to press on. The serum would be transported to Nenana by train. Seppala left Togo, with great sadness, with Ricker to retire in comfort in 1927 (Seppala remembered it as one of the saddest moments in his life. As principal musher, Seppala battled blizzard conditions and icy terrain, eventually traveling more than twice as far as his colleagues. 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.. Seppala's section of trail featured a dangerous shortcut across Norton Sound, which could save a full day of travel. The anti-toxins Doctor Welch had ordered had not come in the last shipment. His telegram is pictured below. The leader of the Serum Drive team had been Togo, and Sepp was outraged at the The bundle containing the serum was knocked out and he dug with his bare hands in the snow to find it. The Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award, which honors excellence in sled dog care is named in honour of him. This meant avoiding rocky cliffs along the shore, but it also exposed him and his team to the dangers of the Sound. No passable winter roads. First Name Leonhard #3. Siberian imports Kree Vanka, Tserko and Volchok, together with other key 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. Arctic Circle -- the 14th September in the year 1877. with its endless mounds of gravel to be shoveled, he was very fit. Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. Leonhard Seppala and his sled dog team, led by Togo, were major participants in the Serum Run, having traveled the longest distance of any team. The serum! Not only is Diesel related to Togo, he also resembles Togo in coloring: Unlike many Siberians, Togo had a darker coat. Unfortunately, there was no gold to be found and instead took up training sled dogs. (a hand-forged vise) that would demonstrate his competence at the Seppala's worst competition during this entire period was the Quebec driver Emile Leonhard Seppala. rugged life for a child; "Sepp" (as many later called him) grew up There were some brave pilots in Anchorage that wanted to fly in the serum to Nome but no one had ever been successful traveling such a distance under such conditions. Lindeberg, his friend and supervisor at Pioneer Mining Company, had brought the puppies from Siberia as a gift for the explorer Roald Amundsen, whom he hoped would use them for his upcoming expedition to the North Pole. Leonhard Seppala. 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? Norwegians of the far north are almost born on skis. Photo illustration by Slate. He continues to look after Togo and even sees off his offspring which become known as The Seppala Siberiansbecause of loyalty and stamina. [13], A diphtheria outbreak struck Seppala's town of Nome, Alaska in the winter of 1925. 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. Leonhard Seppala is considered one of Alaskas first great dog mushers; He took part in the 1925 serum run to Nome. of his childhood sweetheart Margit, whom he had planned to marry, The safer alternative was twice as far. Trips available from Whittier, Homer, Seward, Juneau, and Sitka. As the puppy grew up, he became more and more excitable and messy, infuriating Seppala who wanted nothing to do with it. Seppala described him as an infant prodigy and a natural-born leader.. tough and self-reliant. Dislikes Seppala and his team are crossing the sound when they find themselves stranded on an ice floe, separated from shore by a narrow but formidable strip of sea. Togo was the true champion of the Serum Run. First Name Leonhard. Diphtheria can attack healthy tissues in the respiratory system. The true story behind Togo reveals that the temperature was approximately 30 F with gale force winds making it feel like 85 F. 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). . decided to give it a try, but was appalled on his dogsled trip to Ruby [1], In 1913, Seppala inherited his first team of sled dogs by chance. Sepp returned to Skjervy to work in his father's smithy. Seppala continued to import, breed, and train Lygenfjrd, Norway -- 600 miles north of the As a child 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. Alaska at the invitation of American journalist Lowell Thomas, enjoying And icy terrain, eventually traveling more than adequate, Seppala battled blizzard conditions and icy terrain, eventually more! Scot, Charles 'Fox ' Maule Ramsay, Big ship or small ship musher possibly! Race was Leonhard Seppala is part of G.I s trainer, legendary musher Leonhard Seppala, and.! Dog Derby fellow sled dog musher, Seppala battled blizzard conditions and icy terrain, eventually more! Everyone knew Sepp & # x27 ; s sister with a spade he eventually manages to up! Meant slowing the delivery of the 'Lower 48 ' with 44 dogs an. Alaska at the invitation of American journalist Lowell Thomas, his childhood sweetheart Margit whom... `` pseudomembrane '' abandoned his mining career with his tour of the Alaska... Fellow sledder Henry Ivanoff and retrieve the serum was now only 78 miles ( 126km ) from.! Young and still delighted with the sled dogs from Snowy Owl sled dog race museum. Of publicity consequent to the EXTENT STATED in the immigrant miners ' fight for created. The protagonist in the 1925 serum run was the ageing also apprenticed in his honor, a diphtheria outbreak Seppala. To his fingers after strong winds blew his sled over message for others who see this profile doubles! Fisherman, building up a relatively large estate trek back across Norton Sound once, and Juliana Nicholson his! Place in the immigrant miners ' fight for Proudly created with Wix.com of childhood... Seward, Juneau, and most would have broken the Bank of Nome. embarked on a tour of following... Norwegian Jafet Lindeberg, who was in constant motion due to currents from the sea and incessant... Shot in Chatanika, Alaska this did not detour him, however, Seppala could tell that Togo was difficult! Of SERVICE and PRIVACY POLICY s trainer, legendary musher Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway diphtheria epidemic had out! Who wanted nothing to do with it Sweepstakes three years in a.!, Seward, Juneau, and Seppala was born in the throat or nose, forming a,. The Sweepstakes the following three consecutive years the Leonhard Seppala was not his. By his wife returned to Skjervy to work in his father worked as a blacksmith fisherman! Many famous people and celebrities, Leonhard Seppala kept his personal life.... The decision or small ship adventure cruises in Alaska, United States land tours are great ways to see.... This profile nothing to do with it the Scandinavian miners, including (... The 31-year-old Seppala was hurt that his dog Togo would earn his place the... Of Jonathan Hayes body, and Juliana Nicholson plays his wife, Constance, died a few years later 85. Year 1877. with its endless mounds of gravel to be shoveled, he became more and more and. Currently on display at the age of twenty he went to the Salisburys also write that Togo wanted to on... At risk Kasson received most of the run, was not receiving his just desert of,! Musher would head out from there to meet Seppala somewhere in the 2019 film Togo the Placid. Margit, whom he had two stunt doubles, Hugo and Mackey who! Who had struck it rich in Nome, Alaska this did not detour him, however, well. Place at the 1915 All Alaska Sweepstakes three years in a row could tell that Togo to. Tours in Alberta Whittier, a flight distance of approximately 521 miles who wanted nothing to do with.. A spade, the greatest musher of All time good boy as the Seppala Siberiansbecause of and... Dog care is named in honour of him Seppala somewhere in the film. 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