Leonhard Seppala

Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala /ˈlɛnərd ˈsɛpələ/ (September 14, 1877 – January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian-born American Sled dog musher who 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.

Leonhard Seppala was born in the village of Skibotn in Storfjord municipality, Troms county, Norway. He was the oldest-born child of father Isak Isaksson Seppälä (of Swedish descent) and Anne Henriksdatter (of Finnish Norwegian Kven descent). His fathers family name was of Finnish origin. When Seppala was two years old, his family moved within Troms county to nearby Skjervøy municipality on the island of Skjervøya. 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. However, he emigrated to Alaska during the Nome gold rush of the 1900s. His friend Jafet Lindeberg had returned from Alaska and convinced Seppala to come to work for his mining company in Nome.

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