from Nenana more than halfway, and returned immediately by night across Norton After a close competition between him and experienced musher Scotty Allan, Seppala defeated him on the fourth day of the race and finished two hours ahead of Allan to win the Sweepstakes. She too was at risk of being stricken with diphtheria. International Dog Derby in Quebec City, setting a new trail record for the his dogs, so unbelievable was the performance of the Siberian dog teams a warm reception from the Alaskan people. He had two stunt doubles, Hugo and Mackey, who were lead sled dogs from Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours in Alberta. 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. This seems to be exaggerated a bit for the film. Wikipedia contributors, "Leonhard Seppala," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. under way, Sepp writes: IN 1925 THE CITY OF NOME was threatened by a midwinter diphtheria epidemic. Seppala grew to adulthood and followed in his fathers footsteps as both a smithy and a fisherman. Mining Company. He won the New England race, the Lake Placid Race, and the He said goodbye to Togo and gave the dog to fellow sled dog musher, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Early on, it was believed that the individual attention led to his rowdiness and mischievous behavior. 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. He began to go in his with its endless mounds of gravel to be shoveled, he was very fit. St. Godard, who bested Seppala to win the Olympic Demonstration dogsled race at have gone anywhere without the Poland Spring dogs and the sleddogs of 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. 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,. when a native with a crosscut saw appeared out of nowhere and trotted easily The People of Nome had another idea. Neither he nor his canine freight leader, Suggen, knew the dangerous trail, and when a blizzard suddenly descended on the area during the race, Seppala realized his young dogs had lost the trail and they were all at great risk of death due to the nearby drop-off to the Bering Sea. 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. 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. Sleddog breed in the 1990s. of the Seppala Strain that was finally registered by the Canadian Kennel Photos by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images and Disney. His mounted skin is currently on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters museum in Wasilla, Alaska. Seppala dominated Alaska's major race thereafter, winning worked as a ranger for U.S. Mining and Melting Company, first in Nome If the story of Seppala ended here we would probably not be thinking of him now, nor trying to preserve the breed he worked so hard to establish. At age 20, Seppala entered the family trade, and it was around this time that his childhood sweetheart, Margit, died unexpectedly before they reached the altar. According to The Cruelest Miles, although Togo was the only puppy in his litter, he was indeed smaller than average, and worse, he had a painful condition that made his throat swell. 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. Leonhard Seppala Was born 14 Sep 1877 in Skibotn, Troms, Norway. After a town meeting, the phone rang at Seppala's home and the dogs in the yard began to howl. Meanwhile, the number of diphtheria cases in Nome continued to climb. Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Leonhard is a "musher" (AKA a dogsled driver) and Togo is his lead dog. 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. To his surprise, the dog turned out to be a fast runner and Seppala happily decided to make him a lead dog and name him Togo after admiral Tg Heihachir. Leonhard Seppala. supply of antiserum via an otherwise impassable route between Nenana and the Together with his dog Togo and several other dogs, he was able to brave through snowy weather and tundra to save countless of lives. Dislikes 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. 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. A street in Nome named Seppala Drive connects the town to its airport. Dead tissue then builds up in the throat or nose, forming a thick, gray coating dubbed a "pseudomembrane". (Victory at this race had by him on a path that would ultimately lead to the birth of the Seppala Siberian The acquisition in 1931 by Harry R. Wheeler of the three Alaska at the invitation of American journalist Lowell Thomas, enjoying His slow freight leader Balto (which was actually a cull from Seppalas team) became the famed dog of the Race for Life. New York had Kasson and Balto come for the dedication of a statue erected in Baltos honor. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Place of Burial: Nome, Nome, Alaska, United States. Did Leonhard Seppala and his wife have any children? Without the antitoxin, estimated mortality rates stood anywhere from 75% to 99.99%, practically a killing blow to Nome. The 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. Whos the richest Dog Musher in the world? JUMP TO: Leonhard Seppalas biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. 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. Seppala said, Ive always said that this buzzard was the reason why I started sled dog racing. Nome City Cemetery, Nome, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USA Siberia by a Russian fur trader. Those who raced alongside his sprinting team, keeping pace effortlessly. Seppala, Togo and the team traveled through tough, snowy terrain encountering numerous diffculties. For some years in Seattle in his retirement he had a Siberian sleddogs, becoming a legend in his own time. We all did our best. Feature films "20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs 674 miles (1,085 km) in five and a half days." According to the Salisburys, this is also true to life. The diphtheria serum was first transported by train from Anchorage northward to Nenana, Alaska. Shortly after arriving in Alaska, Seppalas boss gave him the opportunity to take a dog team out prospecting. He immediately began the trek back across Norton Sound without pausing to rest.The conditions on the return trip were even worse. Everyone knew Sepp's abilities. 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. on the S.S. Ohio in the city of Nome, where Lindeberg had his Pioneer Small cracks in the ice could suddenly widen, and driver and team could be plunged into the freezing water. In 1946, he and his wife Constance moved to Seattle, Washington. Please check back soon for updates. Seppala died in 1967 at age 90, and his ashes were scattered along the Iditarod Trail by his wife, Constance. 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. 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. Thank you! Lindeberg convinced Seppala to come work for his Pioneer Mining Company. Nome is clear across the state from Fairbanks, a flight distance of approximately 521 miles. Family information In real life, Seppala faced a similar issue when he entered his dogs in the 1914 All Alaska Sweepstakes. Zodiac Sign: Leonhard Seppala was a Virgo. The only way in, then and now, after the snow flies, is by plane. . Choose a round-trip Inside passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska Cruise. As for Seppala, he lived to be 89. The native drivers from the As the Salisburys put it, they were considered a part of the landscape.. Leonhard Seppala lived there and ran his dogs, year-round, for the Pioneer Mining Company out of this coastal town. Seppala became the crucial figure in the delivery by dogsled of a 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. 1946. A diphtheria epidemic had broken out in Nome, Alaska. Snowy Owl provided all of the adult sled dogs used in the movie. This did not detour him, however, for he won the Sweepstakes the following three consecutive years. (It was widely rumoured that the team had been interfered with or the IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. The movie leaves out several details about Togos death. Some later claimed that the Nome Bank bribed Goosak to throw the race so it would not go under. The dogs who play Togo throughout the film often needed to be colored to match Diesel, the adult Togo. The Port is iced in for miles and miles. Seppala grumbles that Constance is too softhearted and. You, he said, are no Leonhard Seppala.. However, almost by fate, Seppala is surprised to see Togo up and running; refusing to give in. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The ice on Norton Sound was in constant motion due to currents from the sea and the incessant wind. He once attempted to leap over a 7-foot-high fence and got stuck in the wiring. Seppala felt he had abused the dogs' loyalty by putting them in danger of death and injury, and withdrew from the race in shame. 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). of hair-raising adventures in defense of Pioneer claims against Claim at Anvil Creek. 1927 through 1930. Insider tips to pick the best Alaska cruise. Dallas Seavey. Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Sepp stricken city. It was a demanding and Impressed, Leonhard decided to keep him. a powerful boost to the early days of sleddog sport in New England. Only a few hours after they had crossed it, the ice broke up altogether and drifted out to sea. 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