The serum would be transported to Nenana by train. 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). it would have broken the Bank of Nome.) Genealogy for Constance M Seppala (Van der Straeten) (1884 - 1969) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Yes. their rights, and Sepp, as a Pioneer employee, was involved in a number Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights. (Color/Silent/16mm film). mongrels were the best way to travel in this frozen tundra. 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. Which one is right for you? So, as politicians are apt to do, the Governor complicated the plan to include some 20 teams and mushers in performing a relay. Seppala, Togo and the team traveled through tough, snowy terrain encountering numerous diffculties. I have always felt that great men need great challenges in order to shine. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. By the time Seppala arrives at home, Togo has been moved to the lead position, and Seppala is marveling at Togos speed. 2004). (Recovered from my old site: written apr. Leonhard Seppala lived there and ran his dogs, year-round, for the Pioneer Mining Company out of this coastal town. Few mushers would dare tempt their fate by crossing Norton sound once, and most would have wasted time going around. Place of Burial: Nome, Nome, Alaska, United States. In Disneys telling, Togos beginnings are an underdog story. Yes. However, they could only afford a short rest, and set out again at 2 am. Sleddog breed in the 1990s. Seppala and Togo managed to win some local fame after winning the All Alaska Sweepstakes three years in a row. Seppala would cross the sound each way in the race to deliver the serum. Also along on the Serum run was the ageing The ice on Norton Sound was in constant motion due to currents from the sea and the incessant wind. seventy Siberian dogs bought at the Siberian trading village of Markovo on the Various dogs portrayed Togo as a puppy, including RipTide (Ripley) from Evelyn Ely's pack. Character information . Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Nome City Cemetery, Nome, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USA The expedition was cancelled, and Seppala was gifted the dogs. Seppalas life would never be the same again. January 29, 1967 (89) Seattle, King, Washington, United States. considered the hero of the run. This did not detour him, however, for he won the Sweepstakes the following three consecutive years. "I literally fell in love with them from the start", he recalled; "I could hardly wait for sledding snow to start their training". Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. 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. from Alaska flush with gold dollars and encouraged Sepp to take ship His career took off when he won the Sweepstakes the following year, beating experienced musher Scotty Allan by two hours. Finally, Seppala did indeed attempt to give Togo away to a woman who tried to make him a house pet, and according to The Cruelest Miles, Togo really did escape by jumping through a windowpane. Unfortunately, there was no gold to be found and instead took up training sled dogs. 2020 by Poland Spring Seppala Kennels. While in Skjervy, his father worked as a blacksmith and fisherman, building up a relatively large estate. He was recruited to Alaska from Norway by fellow Norwegian Jafet Lindeberg, who had struck it rich in Nome. the tour was completed and his dogs safely settled in Poland Spring, he 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. Virgos. . 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. supply of antiserum via an otherwise impassable route between Nenana and the Feature films LEONHARD SEPPALA WAS BORN in Skibotn, He eventually manages to meet up with fellow sledder Henry Ivanoff and retrieve the serum. Who are the richest people in the world? (Victory at this race had based in Nome for the first twenty-nine years of his mining career, Enter a grandparent's name. Kristiana (now called Oslo), where he worked at the smithies there In 1960 the chipper little man flew to Laconia to serve as honorary judge at the World Championships Sled Dog Derby. 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. day, yet they almost won an upset victory at the second Nome Sweepstakes race 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. He then bought a house near Seattle, where many other Norwegians The bundle containing the serum was knocked out and he dug with his bare hands in the snow to find it. around 1899. Alaska Airlines has established the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. Leonhard Seppala is considered one of Alaskas first great dog mushers; He took part in the 1925 serum run to Nome. Poland Spring event three years running. 1946. The debate was taken to the floor of the United States Senate in Washington D.C. Should we give the modern age a chance and risk losing the only serum in the area, or do we send it the slower, but, most reliable way with the dog punchers?. (Color/Silent/16mm film). The Port is iced in for miles and miles. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". Seppala continued to import, breed, and train Siberian sleddogs, becoming a legend in his own time. His wife Constance After 1932 he remained in Alaska. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 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. Please check back soon for updates. The prestigious Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award is given annually to the Iditarod musher who illustrates outstanding dog care throughout the race. publicity given to "newspaper dog" Balto who had led the Kaasen team, 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. Car, train, or group tour. unsuccessfully against him claimed he had hypnotic powers of control over Poland Spring against Arthur Walden, breeder of 'Chinook' dogs and author of 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. . Craving an escape from his grief,. Regardless, Seppala could tell that Togo wanted to press on. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, The 9 Best Northern Lights Viewing Spots Near Anchorage, How to Travel to Alaska in January and February, The Best Large Family & Group Vacations in Alaska, How to Get from Anchorage to Your Cruise Port in Whittier or Seward (or the reverse! The greatest overall compatibility with Virgo is Pisces and Cancer. Seppala also won the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1916 and 1917, before the race was canceled until 1983. In the movie, Seppala sets out for Nenana in the midst of a blizzard. He expressed pleasure in the rhythmic patter of the dogs' feet and the feeling of the sled gliding along the snow. Without the antitoxin, estimated mortality rates stood anywhere from 75% to 99.99%, practically a killing blow to Nome. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Temperatures across the Interior were at 20-year lows. After 3 days and 170 miles (270km), he came in sight of another relay musher, Henry Ivanoff, but did not realise it. 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. I responded by reminding him that Leonhard Seppala often ran as many as 24 dogs on snow and ice! Leonhard Seppala was born on the 14th of September, 1877. Flying was relatively new at the time and winter flight was still largely untested. He immediately began the trek back across Norton Sound without pausing to rest.The conditions on the return trip were even worse. No one is! He and his wife lived in Seattle until his death at the age of 89. placing first, second and fourth. He was born in Skibotn, Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, in the summer of 1877. Those who raced As the puppy grew up, he became more and more excitable and messy, infuriating Seppala who wanted nothing to do with it. alongside his sprinting team, keeping pace effortlessly. The most dangerous part of this trail was the 42-mile shortcut across the sound. The story goes, the raven kept landing in the trail just ahead of the team. Togo eventually passes away with Seppala reminiscing on the loyalty of a well trained dog. If the Serum Drive finished 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". Dallas Seavey. For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives. Overwhelmed by choices? Lindeberg convinced Seppala to come work for his Pioneer Mining Company. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. Seppala and his team again traversed the exposed open ice of Norton Sound, which was breaking up. 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.. 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. 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. Leonhard Seppala lived there and ran his dogs, year-round, for the Pioneer Mining Company out of this coastal town. Background information In researching the. 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 encountered each other while Ivanoff was untangling his team on a trail outside of town, at which time Seppala took possession of the serum. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Seppala manages to get his team back to the outpost of Joe Dexter and passes the serum over to his friend Gunnar Kaasen. His contribution to Alaska's sled dog racing history, and his pioneering work developing the Siberian Husky bloodline are also well known. Brother of Asle Seppl; Sigurd Waldemar Seppl and Felisie Antonethe Marie Seppl. Unlike the movie, Leonhard Seppala eventually decided that he wanted Togo to live out the remainder of his life in comfort. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the telephone. Seppala's section of trail featured a dangerous shortcut across Norton Sound, which could save a full day of travel. Leonhard Seppala: property of Jonathan Hayes. The only practical way to deliver more serum to Nome in the middle of the coldest winter in 20 years was by dog sled. According to the Salisburys, this is also true to life. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Fridtjof Nansen, and very shortly thereafter married him and left North He writes: SEPP WAS A VERY SMALL MAN, short in stature and light in physique, The only planes they had were water-cooled aircraft from World War I, which didn't perform well in cold weather. The true story behind Togo reveals that the temperature was approximately 30 F with gale force winds making it feel like 85 F. Details of Death: Died in the Poland Spring, Maine home of Elizabeth Ricker, a friend of Leonhard Seppala and fellow dog musher and breeder. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. 1947. The famous serum run he took part in is commemorated yearly in Alaska with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, formerly the Iditarod Trail Seppala Memorial Race. The odds were set at 100 to 1 against these Siberian runts. 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. They called a team of 20 mushers, including Leonhard Seppala. Many of the 150 dogs who took part in the 1925 Serum Run to Nome lost their lives, mainly due to exposure. Nome was, as it is today, completely closed to the outside world. However, at 3 P.M. that day, Seppala and his team arrived at Golovin and handed over the serum to the next musher. Early on, it was believed that the individual attention led to his rowdiness and mischievous behavior. By that time, he had already been a lead sled dog for seven years. Did Leonhard Seppala and his wife have any children? Arctic Circle -- the 14th September in the year 1877. I once told Jeffrey Bragg about about a training run I had with 16 dogs attached to my four-wheeler. At the New Year festivities at his father was away on the fishing grounds. Sepp states that the Serum Drive was Togo's last long run, and that infant Siberian Husky breed, established in the USA in 1930, could hardly Most Popular #186407. Disney Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Wikipedia contributors, "Leonhard Seppala," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 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. To a large degree, yes. And while the suspense in the movie is more than adequate, Seppala described even more danger. 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