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). 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. conditions to bring the serum back. The acquisition in 1931 by Harry R. Wheeler of the three This page is updated often with latest details about Leonhard Seppala. 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. We consulted cousins Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisburys deeply researched book about the serum race, The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic, along with what few other sources we could find, to break it all down below. In 1916 the Nome Kennel 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. feeling that the credit had been stolen from Togo who had deserved to be Kaasen, whose team is being lead by Seppala's other dog Balto, makes the last couple of miles back and ends up gaining the credit for saving Nome. This film sequence is an excerpt of AAF-2240 from the Seppala-Hanks collection held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of the Alaska \u0026 Polar Regions Department in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Seppala was not yet ready to participate in this, the longest of races. Car, train, or group tour. 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. Leonhard Seppala is part of G.I. Photo of Seppala and his Siberians in Seattle: Jonathan Hayes. Seppala would cross the sound each way in the race to deliver the serum. 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? Leonhard Seppala and his sled dog team, led by Togo, were major participants in the Serum Run, having traveled the longest distance of any team. Inspiration Sled dog breeder considered the hero of the run. Seppala and his wife returned to Alaska in the mid-thirties, and then after retirement moved to Seattle, Washington. 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. Within the year, after the dust had cleared, Seppala and Togo began to be recognized for their accomplishments. While he raced to the roadhouse at Isaac's Point on the opposite shore, gale-force winds drove the windchill to an estimated 85F (65C) from a real temperature of only 30F (34C). The Winter of 2018, the City of Nome earmarked some buildings in Nome for destruction because of their abandonment . Sepp wrote: Liz Ricker divorced her husband Ted and relocated, along with Seppala, to Grey Did Leonhard Seppala and his wife have any children? The very next year, Nome ran its second annual, 500 mile, All Alaska Sweepstakes Race. Anadyr River were imported by a wealthy young Scot, Charles 'Fox' Maule Ramsay, of hair-raising adventures in defense of Pioneer claims against pampered, comfortable retirement. infant Siberian Husky breed, established in the USA in 1930, could hardly Explorer. Seppala became the crucial figure in the delivery by dogsled of a Half of the meeting is logistics: Welch explains that the serum they need for the diphtheria has been found at the Fairbanks Railroad Hospital (more than 500 miles away) and that it could be put on a train to Nenana (still 483 miles away). In 1913, Seppala and his wife Constance welcome a newborn Siberian Husky puppy to their sledding dog pack in Nome, Alaska. - Unlike Balto, whom Seppala had neutered at six months of age, Togo sired many litters of puppies for Sepp's breeding program, and today is widely considered one of the fathers of the modern Siberian Husky breed (as well as a strong contributor to the much older "Seppala . Seppala and Togo managed to win some local fame after winning the All Alaska Sweepstakes three years in a row. However, almost by fate, Seppala is surprised to see Togo up and running; refusing to give in. Seppala apparently His mounted skin is currently on display at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters museum in Wasilla, Alaska. And although Seppala did not seem upset on his own account (he praised Kaasen), he was reportedly upset that Togo had not received his due. If the Serum Drive finished Lindeberg convinced Seppala to come work for his Pioneer Mining Company. In 1960 the chipper little man flew to Laconia to serve as honorary judge at the World Championships Sled Dog Derby. 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. Highlights plus less visited destinations. second son of the Earl of Dalhousie. The People of Nome had another idea. [1], With Norton Sound behind them, Seppala and his team now faced the final challenge of the trailclimbing an 8-mile (13km) ridge formation that led to the summit of Little McKinley. Leonhard did farm work, keeping the family homestead going while Togo jumped into the water, clambered back out, wrapped the rope around his body, and pulled. twenty-three of them spent with the Pioneer company. Siberian imports Kree Vanka, Tserko and Volchok, together with other key Leonhard Seppala was a Virgo and was born in the G.I. Memorials 68 added (7% photographed). In real life, things played out a bit differently. In 1931 the SeppalaRicker partnership ended. At the New Year festivities at Unlike the movie, Leonhard Seppala eventually decided that he wanted Togo to live out the remainder of his life in comfort. Once the race was Rocks Inn in St. Jovite Station, Quebec. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. By the time Seppala arrives at home, Togo has been moved to the lead position, and Seppala is marveling at Togos speed. This was possibly filmed in Chatanika, Alaska. It was only in the previous February that the first airmail flight in Alaska took place. In researching the. Welch and Maynard were present at the equivalent meeting, but Seppala was not present nor very much involved in the decision. This meant avoiding rocky cliffs along the shore, but it also exposed him and his team to the dangers of the Sound. Seppala dominated Alaska's major race thereafter, winning Seppala and his team mushed five times farther than any other team during that effort. Unfortunately, there was no gold to be found and instead took up training sled dogs. His pivotal role in the 1925 serum run was professional, but also personal. He was the oldest-born child of father Isak Isaksson Seppl (of Swedish descent) and Anne Henriksdatter (of Finnish Norwegian Kven descent). seventy Siberian dogs bought at the Siberian trading village of Markovo on the included that of Gunnar Kaasen who made the final leg with cull dogs of Seppala's 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. The only planes they had were water-cooled aircraft from World War I, which didn't perform well in cold weather. America to sojourn in Norway with her new husband. Leonhard Seppala with his dog Togo and Willem Dafoe in. Leonhard Seppalas mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. SEPP AND LIZ RICKER were a feature on the eastern race circuit from stricken city. when a native with a crosscut saw appeared out of nowhere and trotted easily 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. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. The 2019 Disney film costars Nicholson as Constance Seppala, wife of dog sledder Leonhard Seppala (played by Willem Dafoe) who brought life-saving diphtheria medication across Alaska in 1925. Thank you! Norwegians of the far north are almost born on skis. IN 1913 SEPPALA'S EMPLOYER Jafet Lindeberg, a mining company operator, entrusted him with the raising and training of a group of Siberian females and puppies, about fifteen dogs in all. rugged life for a child; "Sepp" (as many later called him) grew up fishing grounds. Seppala and his wife nursed them for a whole year before he attempted to reenter the Sweepstakes. His father was both a blacksmith and a fisherman. Photos by Bettmann via Getty Images and Disney. Choose a round-trip Inside passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska Cruise. Few mushers would dare tempt their fate by crossing Norton sound once, and most would have wasted time going around. 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 is considered one of Alaska's first great mushers, and like all who took part in the 1925 serum run from Seward to Nome, he's a local hero. resort that he was unable to pay), but at some point around this time Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. death on the 28th of January 1967 at the age of ninety. had also settled. The darkness and a blizzard also made it impossible for Leonhard Seppala to see where he was going. He inherited his first sled dogs through a friend, who originally intended them for the polar explorer Roald Amundsen, before his expedition was cancelled. 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. 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. Seppala was assigned to train the dogs. . All rights reserved. sleddogs from Chukotka, Kamschatka and the Kolyma River basin, had been placed [1], The next day, the gale had intensified into a severe blizzard, with blinding snow and winds of at least 65mph (105km/h). Eventually Sepp got his chance to go prospecting for the company. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Chinese Zodiac: Leonhard Seppala was born in the Year of the Rabbit. Lindeberg was a leading figure in the immigrant miners' fight for Father of Private. This seems to be exaggerated a bit for the film. Early on, it was believed that the individual attention led to his rowdiness and mischievous behavior. The People of Nome had another idea. Seppala's friend Jafet Lindeberg returned home The odds were set at 100 to 1 against these Siberian runts. After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. The diphtheria serum was first transported by train from Anchorage northward to Nenana, Alaska. [1], This emergency delivery, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", is commemorated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.[14]. Seppala's only childan eight-year-old daughter named Sigridwas also at risk. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". The teams relayed on a 100 dogs to run . Only a few hours after they had crossed it, the ice broke up altogether and drifted out to sea. a powerful boost to the early days of sleddog sport in New England. In June 1999, a memorial was erected to him in Skibotn. First Name Leonhard. Leonhard Seppala was born in Norway. Yes. It remains unclear They were laughed at and given 100-to-1 odds Yes. Welch had ordered more diphtheria antitoxin from the health commissioner in Juneau, but the port closed for the winter before the shipment arrived. Poland Spring event three years running. (It was widely rumoured that the team had been interfered with or the I once told Jeffrey Bragg about about a training run I had with 16 dogs attached to my four-wheeler. Constance Seppala (wife) 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. Let us simplify it for you, How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? [1], In 1913, Seppala inherited his first team of sled dogs by chance. Seppala continued the trail across Norton Sound. 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