Leonhard Seppala
Leonhard Seppala (originally: Seppälä) (born September 14, 1877 in Skibotn (Norway); † January 28, 1967 in Seattle ) was a Norwegian musher who founded the Siberian Husky with dogs in Alaska in 1910 , which was founded by William Goosak in 1908 imported from Siberia .
Leonhard Seppala was born in the village of Emily near Skibotn in the municipality of Storfjord, Troms, Norway. He was the firstborn son of Isak Isaksson Seppälä (of Swedish descent) and Anne Henriksdatter ( Finnish - of Norwegian descent - see Kvenen ). His paternal surname Seppälä is of Finnish origin.
Seppala pursued the goal of pure breeding of the Siberian Husky after 1930 in the USA and Canada . The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the dog breed in the 1930s.
Seppala and his lead dog Togo were part of the dog sled squad that brought antitoxin to northwestern Alaska during a diphtheria epidemic in Nome in 1925 . Although Seppala had covered by far the longest distance, mainly Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto were turned into heroes, which Seppala described as "unbearable".
At the Olympic Games of 1932 in Lake Placid he competed for the United States with a team in the dog sled race and took second place behind Emile St. Goddard in the demonstration competition .
Individual evidence
- ^ Salisbury, Gay and Salisbury, Laney. The Cruelest Miles . WW Norton & Company , 2003. ISBN 0-393-01962-4
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Seppala, Leonhard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Norwegian musher and dog breeder |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 14, 1877 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Skibotn |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 28, 1967 |
| Place of death | Seattle |