First Name Leonhard #3. Lygenfjrd, Norway -- 600 miles north of the Have you taken a DNA test? 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. Father of Private. Leonhard Seppala was born on the 14th of September, 1877. Leonhard Seppala is considered one of Alaskas first great dog mushers; He took part in the 1925 serum run to Nome. Dallas Seavey. based in Nome for the first twenty-nine years of his mining career, 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. feeling that the credit had been stolen from Togo who had deserved to be around 1899. Nome is clear across the state from Fairbanks, a flight distance of approximately 521 miles. I responded by reminding him that Leonhard Seppala often ran as many as 24 dogs on snow and ice! The Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award, which honors excellence in sled dog care is named in honour of him. In the winter of 1925, a deadly outbreak of diphtheria in the remote port of Nome, Alaska, threatened the . However, in 1900, he emigrated to Alaska during the Nome gold rush. Seppala's friend Jafet Lindeberg returned home Seppala was not yet ready to participate in this, the longest of races. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. The Salisburys also write that Togo was indeed difficult and mischievous, as well as resistant to being locked up. Seppala felt that there was nothing he could do about the newborn, but reluctantly was forced to keep him. 1927 through 1930. Impressed, Leonhard decided to keep him. 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. Memorials 68 added (7% photographed). Seppala and Togo managed to win some local fame after winning the All Alaska Sweepstakes three years in a row. Car, train, or group tour. [1], In 1913, Seppala inherited his first team of sled dogs by chance. [1], This emergency delivery, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", is commemorated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.[14]. Willem Dafoe First Name Leonhard. Leonhard Seppala: property of Jonathan Hayes. After he reached his adult weight of only about 48 pounds, the real Togo had a brown, black, and gray coat that made him look constantly dirty. Overwhelmed by choices? Disney Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. He writes: WHILE SEPPALA WAS IN ALASKA the sport of dogsled racing was developed Nome was, as it is today, completely closed to the outside world. considered the hero of the run. One competitor described his communion with dogs as unnatural control or hypnotism.. 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.. 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. [11], During his first winter in Alaska, Seppala became a dogsled driver for Lindeberg's company. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. at lead, again setting a new trail record for this three-day 75-mile event. In 1928, Seppala moved his permanent home to near Fairbanks, Alaska. [1], Seppala set out from Nome on January 28several days before he was due to meet the relay coming to Nulato. 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". In the movie, Seppala sets out for Nenana in the midst of a blizzard. Yes. 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. Proudly created with Wix.com. In real life, things played out a bit differently. He transferred the serum over to the next musher as he was instructed. He had forced all of his dogs to push through stormy weather and many of them wound up injured. 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. Who are the richest people in the world? Dead tissue then builds up in the throat or nose, forming a thick, gray coating dubbed a "pseudomembrane". TogoBaltoNumerous other dogs The teams relayed on a 100 dogs to run . St. Godard, who bested Seppala to win the Olympic Demonstration dogsled race at Seppala would cross the sound each way in the race to deliver the serum. 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. (a hand-forged vise) that would demonstrate his competence at the Togo He then bought a house near Seattle, where many other Norwegians People of this zodiac sign like animals, healthy food, nature, cleanliness, and dislike rudeness and asking for help. He then had to learn mining from the ground up, starting This did not detour him, however, for he won the Sweepstakes the following three consecutive years. The following summer a shipload of He immediately began the trek back across Norton Sound without pausing to rest.The conditions on the return trip were even worse. Both are buried in Nome, Alaska. By Robert Forto, PhD. Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. Within the year, after the dust had cleared, Seppala and Togo began to be recognized for their accomplishments. In 1916 the Nome Kennel While tending to newborn pups, Constance took pity on one puppy that was noticeably weaker than the others. Although he found the heavy labour of Nome mining gruelling Like in the film, Seppala almost missed musher Henry Ivanoff, who had been in Shaktoolik in case Seppala didn't arrive. Snowy Owl provided all of the adult sled dogs used in the movie. Training his dogs, his wife, Togo Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. Bragg's rebuttal was brief and to the point. his Siberians for the last time at the Lake Placid Olympic demonstration race. Jeff King. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. Seppala is based on the real person of the same name. Conditions on the ice were perilous, with sudden soft spots in the ice underfoot and outright open water sometimes only a few feet away. Each year until 1897 he went to the Finnmark 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. 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. 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. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Dog Musher. Feeling that he has had enough, Seppala refuses to train Togo further. 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. that he had left behind; none of the other teams made more than 53 miles of When Lindeberg asked him to train a sled dog team for an expedition Roald Amundsen was planning, he found his calling. father's fishing boat the "Leviathan" at the age of twelve, and Only a few hours after they had crossed it, the ice broke up altogether and drifted out to sea. Photos by Bettmann via Getty Images and Disney. 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. Eventually Sepp got his chance to go prospecting for the company. . Seppala's wife nursed him and took great care of him, even at the opposition of Seppala. 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. worked as a ranger for U.S. Mining and Melting Company, first in Nome 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.. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. Enter a grandparent's name. Whos the richest Dog Musher in the world. The diphtheria serum was first transported by train from Anchorage northward to Nenana, Alaska. 7-10 days is the most common. Sound, traveling 340 miles over treacherous sea ice and through blizzard Togo jumped into the water, clambered back out, wrapped the rope around his body, and pulled. Leonhard Seppala and his sled dog team led by Togo traveled 340 miles roundtrip to pick up the serum and start bringing it back, eventually handing it off to Charlie Olson's team. And while the suspense in the movie is more than adequate, Seppala described even more danger. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. In 1913, Seppala and his wife Constance welcome a newborn Siberian Husky puppy to their sledding dog pack in Nome, Alaska. 1946. Seppala didn't start out working with dogs, though. Seppala and his dogs also traveled from Alaska to the lower 48 states to do a nationwide tour. The Story of Leonhard Seppala Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. The victory is depicted as a flashback in the movie. Seppala was hurt that His Dog Togo, the true hero of the run, was not receiving his just desert. The only treatment available in 1925 was diphtheria antitoxin serum. Wikipedia contributors, "Leonhard Seppala," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Meanwhile, the number of diphtheria cases in Nome continued to climb. Unlike the movie, Leonhard Seppala eventually decided that he wanted Togo to live out the remainder of his life in comfort. Portrayed by . 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. In researching the. [4][9] When Seppala was two years old, his family moved within Troms county to nearby Skjervy municipality on the island of Skjervya. . However, they could only afford a short rest, and set out again at 2 am. Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. He said goodbye to Togo and gave the dog to fellow sled dog musher, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The acquisition in 1931 by Harry R. Wheeler of the three 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. Regardless, Seppala could tell that Togo wanted to press on. 'Sepp' entered the 1914 Seppala happily decides to have Togo continue running for him. Place of Burial: Nome, Nome, Alaska, United States. The Port is iced in for miles and miles. He began to go in his He lived in Seattle until his stricken city. The darkness and a blizzard also made it impossible for Leonhard Seppala to see where he was going. [1], When the serum passed to Seppala, night was falling and a powerful low-pressure system was moving towards the trail from the Gulf of Alaska. The safer alternative was twice as far. over. 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. Fortunately, he succeeded in stopping 20 feet from the drop-off, saving all their lives. By that time, he had already been a lead sled dog for seven years. 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. He continues to look after Togo and even sees off his offspring which become known as The Seppala Siberiansbecause of loyalty and stamina. Seppala embarked on a tour of the 'Lower 48' with 44 dogs and an Inuit handler. Family information Leonhard is a "musher" (AKA a dogsled driver) and Togo is his lead dog. Flying was relatively new at the time and winter flight was still largely untested. The two 100lb. The leader of the Serum Drive team had been Togo, and Sepp was outraged at the His skeleton is in the Peabody Museum of Natural History's collection at Yale University. A street in Nome named Seppala Drive connects the town to its airport. supply of antiserum via an otherwise impassable route between Nenana and the Seppala had taken the shortcut across the Sound several times in his career; a less-experienced musher was likelier to lose not only his life and the lives of his dogs, but also the urgently needed serum. We all did our best. I wanted to argue my prowess as a dog trainer but one thing I could not argue; I am not Leonhard Seppala. Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. Siberian sleddogs, becoming a legend in his own time. Seppala saw the musher stopped on the trail and having trouble with his dogs, but did not intend to stop and be delayed. 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