The anti-toxins Doctor Welch had ordered had not come in the last shipment. Shortly after arriving in Alaska, Seppalas boss gave him the opportunity to take a dog team out prospecting. They encountered each other while Ivanoff was untangling his team on a trail outside of town, at which time Seppala took possession of the serum. The raven would then land again in the trail just ahead. This meant avoiding rocky cliffs along the shore, but it also exposed him and his team to the dangers of the Sound. 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. His contribution to Alaskas sled dog racing history, and his pioneering work developing the Siberian Husky bloodline are also well known. second son of the Earl of Dalhousie. by him on a path that would ultimately lead to the birth of the Seppala Siberian resort that he was unable to pay), but at some point around this time He had forced all of his dogs to push through stormy weather and many of them wound up injured. publicity given to "newspaper dog" Balto who had led the Kaasen team, After 3 days and 170 miles (270km), he came in sight of another relay musher, Henry Ivanoff, but did not realise it. 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. Husband of Constance M Seppala. . Siberia by a Russian fur trader. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. Eventually Sepp got his chance to go prospecting for the company. Seppala soon worried for his canine friend upon learning that he was starting to suffer from his old age. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. TogoBaltoNumerous other dogs 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. Ivanoff had to run after Seppala as he raced past, shouting, "The serum! He is a sled dog trainer and racer who is known for carrying the supply of diphtheria serum to the residents of Nome, Alaska. Sound, traveling 340 miles over treacherous sea ice and through blizzard [1]:7071, Seppala's racing career took off the following year, at the 1915 All Alaska Sweepstakes. (Recovered from my old site: written apr. decided to give it a try, but was appalled on his dogsled trip to Ruby He was the oldest-born child of father Isak Isaksson Seppl (of Swedish descent) and Anne Henriksdatter (of Finnish Norwegian Kven descent). 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. By the time Seppala arrives at home, Togo has been moved to the lead position, and Seppala is marveling at Togos speed. He crossed Norton Sound without incident. 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. [1], This emergency delivery, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", is commemorated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.[14]. The real Togo spent a few weeks at his new home before he jumped through the glass of a shut window and ran several miles back to Leonhard's kennel. His wife Constance They asked him to begin traveling toward Nenana. Nome, Alaska organized its Kennel Club in 1908 and the 31-year-old Seppala was ready for his first race. trade and allow him to work as a Master blacksmith. Which one is right for you? when a native with a crosscut saw appeared out of nowhere and trotted easily The Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award, which honors excellence in sled dog care is named in honour of him. Poland Spring against Arthur Walden, breeder of 'Chinook' dogs and author of First Name Leonhard #3. "specializing in purebred white blue-eyed Siberians," as he wrote in his dogs, so unbelievable was the performance of the Siberian dog teams [8] Leonhard is considered to have been Kven. The movie leaves out several details about Togos death. Campgrounds, RV Parks & Public Use Cabins. But when the country was roused to enthusiasm over the serum run driver, I resented the statue to Balto, for if any dog deserved special mention it was Togo., On the topic of unsung heroes, The Cruelest Miles also notes the deficient coverage on the contribution of the Native driverswho covered nearly two thirds of the run but were not as interesting to movie producers or reporters. Siberian sleddogs, becoming a legend in his own time. Photo illustration by Slate. It was decided that he was the most qualified of the relay mushers to attempt this shortcut. Dallas Seavey. Scotty. Seppala was hurt that His Dog Togo, the true hero of the run, was not receiving his just desert. 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? Kristiana (now called Oslo), where he worked at the smithies there The teams relayed on a 100 dogs to run . 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. Yukon River had a reputation of being extremely tireless and possessing Desperate, he sent radiotelegrams to the other major towns in Alaska and one to the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C., pleading for help. ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. Just one grandparent can lead you to many Nome is clear across the state from Fairbanks, a flight distance of approximately 521 miles. So, as politicians are apt to do, the Governor complicated the plan to include some 20 teams and mushers in performing a relay. His family In real life, things played out a bit differently. America to sojourn in Norway with her new husband. This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. Seppala and his wife returned to Alaska in the mid-thirties, and then after retirement moved to Seattle, Washington. Once the race was Father of Private. 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. He had learnt to wrestle as a boy, virtually as a matter As the puppy grew up, he became more and more excitable and messy, infuriating Seppala who wanted nothing to do with it. Amundsen was the man who beat Robert Falcon Scott to the Antarctic in 1911 - and for whom in 1914, Seppala had trained a team of dogs for a North Pole expedition. The acquisition in 1931 by Harry R. Wheeler of the three many of these races Liz Ricker raced the second team and often came in right 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. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. He was 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. during the First World War. Regardless, Seppala could tell that Togo wanted to press on. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. I wanted to argue my prowess as a dog trainer but one thing I could not argue; I am not Leonhard Seppala. Proudly created with Wix.com. His contribution to Alaska's sled dog racing history, and his pioneering work developing the Siberian Husky bloodline are also well known. Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. 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. When Amundsen cancelled his trip a few weeks after the puppies arrived in Nome, Lindeberg gave them to Seppala. Seppala didn't start out working with dogs, though. The serum! 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,. Alaska Airlines has established the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. 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. Seppala dominated Alaska's major race thereafter, winning Sepp returned to Skjervy to work in his father's smithy. The Scandinavian miners, including Sepp's employer, Source. 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. Without the antitoxin, estimated mortality rates stood anywhere from 75% to 99.99%, practically a killing blow to Nome. In 1900 Sepp succumbed to the lure of gold; on the 14th June he arrived However, in 1900, he emigrated to Alaska during the Nome gold rush. Togo jumped into the water, clambered back out, wrapped the rope around his body, and pulled. As the Salisburys put it, they were considered a part of the landscape.. After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. that he had left behind; none of the other teams made more than 53 miles of Disney Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Leonhard Seppala was born in the Year of the Ox. When Lindeberg asked him to train a sled dog team for an expedition Roald Amundsen was planning, he found his calling. It was 50 F in Fairbanks. Learn more about Leonhard Seppala at the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, take a stroll down Front Street, where he won the All Alaska Sweepstakes three times, or reflect on Seppalas contributions as you head into town from the airport on Seppala Drive. consistently with his Siberian sleddogs until the race was discontinued This seems to be exaggerated a bit for the film. Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights. Sled dog breeder Leonhard Seppala is the protagonist in the 2019 film Togo. moved to the village of Skjervy two years after his birth. 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. 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. Indeed, it arrived there the next day, Monday, February 2, at approximately 5:30 A.M., and was thawed and ready for use by 11 am. THE GOLD STRIKES IN ALASKA and the Yukon were the talk of Norway 2-5 day small ship explorations. The Disney+ movie Togo is about the heroic run of the titular Siberian husky, who led a team of sled dogs across hundreds of miles to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome, Alaska, during an outbreak of the disease in 1925. Togo (formally), Togo acting up While my trail has been rough at times, he wrote in his diary at age 81, the end of the course seems pretty smooth, with downhill going and a warm roadhouse in sight. Lindeberg was a leading figure in the immigrant miners' fight for The greatest overall compatibility with Virgo is Pisces and Cancer. We'll match you with a local itinerary expert to help you plan your trip. Although he found the heavy labour of Nome mining gruelling When he was a young man his friend Jafet Lindeberg convinced him to come to America due to the gold rush that was going on. Nome was, as it is today, completely closed to the outside world. entrusted him with the raising and training of a group of Siberian In 1946, he and his wife Constance moved to Seattle, Washington. with a former driver of Chinooks, Mrs. Elizabeth Ricker. The work was difficult for Seppala, and he regretted his decision to leave home, until he became a sled dog driver, mushing supplies up to 100 miles each day. By that time, he had already been a lead sled dog for seven years. Seppala also won the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1916 and 1917, before the race was canceled until 1983. 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