Tag Archives: Leonhard Seppala

Alaskan Roadhouses

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Helen Hegener

Alaskan Roadhouses: Shelter, Food and Lodging Along Alaska’s Roads and Trails, by Helen Hegener This 284-page book presents historic photos of dozens of individual roadhouses, along with the colorful histories are first-hand accounts of those who stayed at the roadhouses … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Information | Tagged Fairbanks, Judge James Wickersham, Leonhard Seppala, Nome, Roadhouses, Samuel Hall Young | Leave a comment

Alaskan Roadhouses

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Helen Hegener

This 284-page book presents historic photos of dozens of individual roadhouses, along with the colorful histories are first-hand accounts of those who stayed at the roadhouses while traveling the early trails and roads of Alaska, including the Reverend Samuel Hall Young, Frank G. Carpenter, Judge James Wickersham, Leonhard Seppala, Col. Walter L. Goodwin, and Matilda Clark Buller, who opened a roadhouse near Nome in 1901, at the height of the Nome Gold Rush. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Roadhouses | Tagged Alaskan Roadhouses, Col. Walter L. Goodwin, Fairbanks-McGrath Trail, Frank G. Carpenter, Helen Hegener, Jim Reardan, Judge James Wickersham, Lake Minchumina, Leonhard Seppala, Lone Star Roadhouse, Matilda Clark Buller, Nome, Sam O. White, Samuel Hall Young, Valdez-to-Fairbanks Trail | Leave a comment

Leonhard Seppala House

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Helen Hegener

The Leonhard Seppala House was named as one of the Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties for 2020 by the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, Inc., which is dedicated to the preservation of Alaska’s prehistoric and historic resources through education, promotion and advocacy. Preservation of the built environment provides a vital link and visible reminder of the past, emphasizing the continuity and diversity of Alaska. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Gold Rush History, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Balto, Fritz, Leonhard Seppala, Nome, Seppala House, Togo | Leave a comment

Togo’s Serum Run

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Helen Hegener

As the worldwide fight against the coronavirus goes on we are reminded almost daily that pandemics and epidemics have happened before, and we have struggled through them with far fewer resources and much less medical and scientific knowledge than we have now. That is a very real comfort, and lends a bit of perspective to what we are facing. One such epidemic was a deadly diphtheria outbreak which raged across Alaska almost 100 years ago. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged Bering Sea, Bluff Roadhouse, Dexter Roadhouse, diphtheria, Dr. Curtis Welch, Elizabeth Ricker, Golovin, Governor Bone, Iditarod Trail, Isaac's Point, Kaltag, Leonhard Seppala, Manley Roadhouse, Minto Roadhouse, Nenana, Nome, Nulato, Olson Roadhouse, Port Safety Roadhouse, Scott Bone, Seppala, Serum Run, Shaktoolik, Siberian huskies, Solomon Roadhouse, The Cruelest Miles, Togo, Tolovana Roadhouse, Unalakleet, Unlakleet | 1 Comment

Sled Dog Movies

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Helen Hegener

Last year, 2018, was noted by the Chinese calendar’s zodiac as being the Year of the Dog, but this year, 2019, seems to be the Year of the Sled Dog, as film after film featuring heroic sled dogs is released to movie theaters and home streaming services. There are two movies about the great Serum Run to Nome during the 1925 diphtheria epidemic, one focusing on the champion musher Leonhard Seppala, and the other on his favorite lead dog, Togo. One is an independent production, the other is from the powerhouse film company Disney Studios, but both are absorbing stories, beautifully filmed. Another champion musher, the sprint racing legend George Attla, is the subject of a new PBS documentary, and one of the greatest dog stories of all time is brought to life by a great film legend, Harrison Ford. Pass the popcorn! Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, Movies, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Videos | Tagged Attla, Brian Presley, Disney, George Attla, Harrison Ford, Huslia, Joe Bifelt, Leonhard Seppala, Nenana, Nome, Serum Run, Siberian huskies, sled dogs, The Call of the Wild, The Great Alaskan Race, Togo | Leave a comment

1967 Centennial Race

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Helen Hegener

The 1967 race was billed as ‘the biggest event in racing history,’ with an unprecedented purse of $25,000, richer than any purse offered for a sled dog race until then. It attracted mushers from all around Alaska, respected dog drivers such as George Attla, Gareth Wright, Earl Norris, Jerry Riley, Orville Lake, Herbie Nayokpuk, Dick Mackey, and even two champion sprint mushers from Massachusetts: Dr. Roland Lombard and Dr. Charles Belford. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged 1967, Dick Mackey, Earl Norris, George Attla, Herbie Nayokpuk, Iditarod Trail, Isaac Okleasik, Joe Redington, Joee Redington Jr., Knik, Leonhard Seppala, purchase of Alaska, The First Iditarod | Leave a comment

All Alaska Sweepstakes

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The historic All Alaska Sweepstakes is the oldest organized distance sled dog race in the world, with records kept by the Nome Kennel Club dating back to the first race in 1908. The race, which was held from 1908 to 1917, and commemorated with 75th and 100th anniversary races in 1983 and 2008, is the subject of All Alaska Sweepstakes: History of the Great Sled Dog Race, by Helen Hegener. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Gold Rush History, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Aaron Burmeister, All Alaska Sweepstakes, Baldy, Candle, Jan DeNapoli, Janice Doherty, Jeff King, Jodi Bailey, Joe May, John "Iron Man" Johnson, Jon Van Zyle, Lance Mackey, Leonhard Seppala, Mitch Seavey, Nome, Nome Kennel Club, Percy Blatchford, Scotty Allan, Togo | Leave a comment

Sled Dog Tales

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Helen Hegener

True stories include Alaskan mail carrier Eli Smith’s epic trip to Washington, D.C., Alaska Nellie’s daring rescue of a lost mail carrier, the Rev. Samuel Hall Young’s 1913 trip over the Iditarod Trail, and Territorial Judge James Wickersham’s 1901 dogsled trip down the frozen Yukon River from Eagle to Rampart. Fascinating stories of Alaska’s history as seen from the runners of a dogsled! Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Gold Rush History, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Alaska Nellie, “Iron Man” Johnson, huskies, Iditarod Trail, James Wickersham, Leonhard Seppala, Nome, Samuel Hall Young, Scotty Allan, Serum Run, sled dogs, Yukon River | 1 Comment

Joe Redington, Sr.

Posted on November 25, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Joe Redington came to Alaska in 1948, settling on a homestead near Knik, south of Wasilla, with his family. He learned about sled dogs and how to handle a dog team from his new neighbors, mail and freight team driver Sharon Fleckenstein and Lee Ellexson, one of the last dog team mail drivers on the Iditarod Trail. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Dick Mackey, George Attla, Gleo Huyck, Hudson Stuck, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail, Iditarod Trail Committee, Joe Redington, Ken Chase, Knik, Leonhard Seppala, Nome, Raymie Redington, Tom Johnson, Unalakleet, Vi Redington, Wasilla | 1 Comment

Icebound

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The documentary ‘Icebound’ is the story of the 1925 Serum Run, a heroic testament to the human spirit, and to the dogs of the far north. But beyond the legend lies a complex tale, filled with irony, tragedy, and myth. Continue reading →