Leonhard Seppala

Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala (; September 14, 1877 – January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian-Kven-American sled dog breeder, trainer and musher who with his dogs played a pivotal role in the 1925 serum run to Nome, and participated in the 1932 Winter Olympics. Seppala introduced the work dogs used by Native Siberians at the time to the American public. The breed came to be known as the Siberian Husky in the English-speaking world. The Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award, which honors excellence in sled dog care, is named in honour of him.

Background

Seppala was born in Lyngen Municipality in Troms county, Northern Norway. He was the eldest child of Isak Isaksen Seppälä, a Tornedalian, born in Sweden, and Anne Henrikke Henriksdatter. His father's family name is of Finnish origin. Seppälä comes from the Finnish word seppä, meaning smith. Leonhard is considered to have been Kven. When Seppala was two years old, his family moved within Troms county to the nearby island of Skjervøya in Skjervøy Municipality.

While in Skjervøy, his father worked as a blacksmith and fisherman, building up a relatively large estate. Seppala initially followed in his father's footsteps as both a blacksmith and a fisherman. In 1900, he emigrated to Alaska during the Nome gold rush. His friend Jafet Lindeberg had returned from Alaska and convinced Seppala to come to work for his mining company in Nome. He became a naturalized citizen in 1906.

During his first winter in Alaska, Seppala became a dogsled driver for Lindeberg's company. He enjoyed the task from his first run, which he recalled clearly for the rest of his life. He expressed pleasure in the rhythmic patter of the dogs' feet and the feeling of the sled gliding along the snow. While most drivers considered a long run, Seppala travelled between and most days. This meant he worked as long as 12 hours a day. He kept his dogs in form during the summer by having them pull a cart on wheels instead of a sled. 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. He went on to win the race the following two years, as well, at which point the All Alaska Sweepstakes was suspended until 1983.

Role in the "Great Race of Mercy" of 1925

A diphtheria outbreak struck Seppala's town of Nome, Alaska in the winter of 1925. Previously unexposed children as well as adults were at risk of dying from the infection. Seppala's only child—an eight-year-old daughter named Sigrid—was also at risk. The only treatment available in 1925 was diphtheria antitoxin serum. However, the town's supply was insufficient and of presumably low efficacy, being past its expiry date. Without the antitoxin, estimated mortality rates stood anywhere from 75% to 99.99%, practically a killing blow to Nome. The only practical way to deliver more serum to Nome in the middle of the coldest winter in 20 years was by dog sled. A relay of respected mushers was organized to expedite the delivery, and Seppala, with lead dog Togo, was chosen for the most forbidding part of the trail.

After the Serum Run

After the Serum Run, Seppala and some 40 of his dogs toured the "lower 48" with an Eskimo handler. 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". 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 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. This was the start of the spread of the Siberian Husky breed in the United States and Canada. He bred Togo, and the dog's descendants contributed to the "Seppala Siberian Sleddog", a sought after sled dog line, as well as mainstream show-stock Siberian Husky lines bred in New England and eventually elsewhere.

thumb|A team of 10 [[Seppala Siberian Sleddogs in the Yukon in 1994]]

In 1928, Seppala moved his permanent home to near Fairbanks, Alaska. In 1931 the Seppala–Ricker partnership ended. Sled dog racing was a demonstration event at the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games in 1932, where Seppala earned a silver in the event. In 1946, he and his wife Constance 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. He and his wife lived in Seattle until his death at the age of 89. His wife, Constance, died a few years later aged 85. Both are buried in Nome, Alaska. They were survived by their daughter, Sigrid Hanks.

Seppala's ashes were scattered in the 1966 Iditarod as part of Alaska Centennial celebrations.

A street in Nome named Seppala Drive connects the town to its airport. Alaska Airlines has established the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. In June 1999, a memorial was erected to him in Skibotn, Norway. In 2019, Disney released a movie based on Seppala's feats in the 1925 serum run to Nome, titled Togo and starring Willem Dafoe as Seppala.

References

Sources

Beyer, Rick, The Greatest Stories Never Told (Harper, 2003)
Ricker, Elizabeth Miller, Seppala: Alaskan Dog Driver (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company. 1930)