his father was away on the fishing grounds. Leonhard Seppala pictured with his 'Siberian Racers' in 1916 (top) and in 1923, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. When . To a large degree, yes. Which one is right for you? Symptoms usually begin two to five days after exposure and include a fever, sore throat and weakness. This seems to be exaggerated a bit for the film. Undaunted by the massive storm heading their way and against his wife Constance's ( Julianne Nicholson) better judgement, veteran musher Seppala will push Togo and his entire dog sled team to. Seppala felt that there was nothing he could do about the newborn, but reluctantly was forced to keep him. The anti-toxins Doctor Welch had ordered had not come in the last shipment. [1], In 1913, Seppala inherited his first team of sled dogs by chance. many of these races Liz Ricker raced the second team and often came in right Poland Spring stock, marked the founding of the second historic Seppala of self-defense. father's fishing boat the "Leviathan" at the age of twelve, and Leonhard Seppala Popularity . Togo was the true champion of the Serum Run. The teams relayed on a 100 dogs to run . In 1914, he competed in the All Alaska Sweepstakes, a sled dog race. I guess you could say Nome was willing to put all their hope into one basket, Seppalas sled basket. He tries locking him away and later give him away to another owner twice. sleddogs from Chukotka, Kamschatka and the Kolyma River basin, had been placed Thank you! Seppala soon worried for his canine friend upon learning that he was starting to suffer from his old age. 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. fast teams; none of the Nome mushers wanted to accept the challenge. Siberia by a Russian fur trader. Leonhard Seppala Seppala and his wife nursed them for a whole year before he attempted to reenter the Sweepstakes. Most Popular #186407. Seppala didnt start out working with dogs, though. based in Nome for the first twenty-nine years of his mining career, Photos by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images and Disney. 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.. His father was both a blacksmith and a fisherman. People born under this sign are persistent and straightforward. The greatest overall compatibility with Virgo is Pisces and Cancer. 1946. Place of Burial: Nome, Nome, Alaska, United States. The prestigious Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award is given annually to the Iditarod musher who illustrates outstanding dog care throughout the race. Sepp Photo illustration by Slate. 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. Leonhard Seppala. Small cracks in the ice could suddenly widen, and driver and team could be plunged into the freezing water. 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. returned each spring to Alaska to continue his employment there, leaving For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives. Genealogy for Constance M Seppala (Van der Straeten) (1884 - 1969) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Character information [11], During his first winter in Alaska, Seppala became a dogsled driver for Lindeberg's company. Family information The odds were set at 100 to 1 against these Siberian runts. for the gold fields, even offering to lend him money for his passage. remained in St. Jovite through the winter of 1931-32 and competed with 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. Summers is also the man who recommended Seppala for the run. (Other relay teams involved in the delivery Yes. Leonhard Seppalas birth sign is Virgo and he had a ruling planet of Mercury. He transferred the serum over to the next musher as he was instructed. 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. Siberian imports Kree Vanka, Tserko and Volchok, together with other key In 1961 Sepp and his wife revisited Fairbanks and other places in Leonhard Seppala lived there and ran his dogs, year-round, for the Pioneer Mining Company out of this coastal town. Seppala's direct involvement with the breed that now bears 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. Leonhard Seppala is the protagonist in the 2019 film Togo. Siberian sleddogs, becoming a legend in his own time. Pets ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. Leonhard did farm work, keeping the family homestead going while 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). (Victory at this race had Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala (/lnrd spl/; September 14, 1877 January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian-American sled dog breeder, trainer and musher who with his dogs played a pivotal role in the 1925 serum run to Nome,[1] and participated in the 1932 Winter Olympics. Without the antitoxin, estimated mortality rates stood anywhere from 75% to 99.99%, practically a killing blow to Nome. 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). Zodiac Sign: Leonhard Seppala was a Virgo. In real life, Seppala faced a similar issue when he entered his dogs in the 1914 All Alaska Sweepstakes. 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. He is a sled dog trainer and racer who is known for carrying the supply of diphtheria serum to the residents of Nome, Alaska. 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. As a puppy, he is a runt with little more than a fighting spirit and the endorsement of Seppalas wife, Constance (Julianne Nicholson). Sleddog breed in the 1990s. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. Did Leonhard Seppala and his wife have any children? 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". Likes As we investigated the Togo fact vs. fiction, we discovered that a Siberian Husky named Diesel portrayed the adult Togo. driver bribed by gamblings interests; at such odds, had the team won the race The following year Seppala's Siberian team won the Nome Lindeberg convinced Seppala to come work for his Pioneer Mining Company. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Kristiana (now called Oslo), where he worked at the smithies there First Name Leonhard. The expedition was cancelled, and Seppala was gifted the dogs. Kennels, which operated until 1950. Seppala traveled a total of 261 miles to save the children of Nome. Togo eventually passes away with Seppala reminiscing on the loyalty of a well trained dog. 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. He was by many reasonable accounts, the greatest musher of all time! Maynard is all in favor of getting the diphtheria antitoxin flown in by airplane, weather notwithstanding. out driving horses and a wagon (which he had never done), filling a slip 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. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Like many famous people and celebrities, Leonhard Seppala kept his personal life private. 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 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. 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. Both are buried in Nome, Alaska. Seppala would cross the sound each way in the race to deliver the serum. Welch had ordered more diphtheria antitoxin from the health commissioner in Juneau, but the port closed for the winter before the shipment arrived. fishing grounds. Seppala continued the trail across Norton Sound. [1], This emergency delivery, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", is commemorated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.[14]. (a hand-forged vise) that would demonstrate his competence at the He began to go in his When Amundsen cancelled his trip a few weeks after the puppies arrived in Nome, Lindeberg gave them to Seppala. Togo 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. Seppala also won the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1916 and 1917, before the race was canceled until 1983. Born In 1877. As a child 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. After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. Poland Spring event three years running. Your must-have activity guide + map while in Alaska. 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