VINTAGE MEMORABILIA: SLED DOGS, MUSHING, DOG TEAMS, IDITAROD, SLED DOG RACING
| "Seppala
Siberians" original postcard of the kennel trailer of Legendary Musher Charles H. Belford of Laconia, N.H. Very rare original postcard published between 1924-1949 (the years the "AZO squares" stamp box was used. Written on the back of the postcard is "Center Sandwich, N.H." It's in very good condition. 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. [shelf locator: ephemera notebook: Sled Dogs] $1500.00 plus $12.00 postage & packing & insurance (international orders extra). for info email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
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Original 1929 Photograph of Leonhard Seppala & Elizabeth Ricker Two sled dog racing legends in the same photograph! The photograph is in good condition with a corner chip. 6 x 8 inches including the margins. The watermarks won't be in this photograph, obviously. This original 91 year old photograph will look GREAT framed on your wall, or as part of your home shrine to Togo and Seppala. [shelf locator: ephemera notebook: Sled Dogs] $950.00 plus $15.00 postage & packing & insurance (no international orders). for info email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
From Wikipedia: 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. 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. |
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First Edition  Leonhard Seppala Alaskan Dog Driver by Elizabeth Ricker The finest copy of this rare book that I have ever seen. I got it 40 years ago and couldn't bear to part with it...until now. Very good condition with some foxing. [shelf locator: bookroom book shelf: Sled Dogs] $1500.00 plus $15.00 postage & packing & insurance (no international orders). for info email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
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Leonhard Seppala ~Signed~ original postcard of Togo Leonhard Seppala's original postcard of Togo. It's in excellent condition. 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. SOLD |
Original postcards of Togo are extremely rare. We are members of the International Federation of Postcard Dealers. |
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Leonhard Seppala original advertising card from Seppala Kennels of Togo sent to Carl Lomen From one famous Alaskan to another famous Alaskan. The card is advertising Leonhard Seppala's kennel. It's in good condition with a corner crease. 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. SOLD |
Togo was one of the offspring of Seppala's former lead dog, "Suggen". He was named after the Japanese admiral Tōgō Heihachirō. Initially, he did not appear to have potential as a sled dog. He grew to about 48 pounds (22 kg) in adulthood, which was small comparing to the other sled dogs, and had a black, brown, and gray coat that made him appear perpetually dirty. Togo had been sick as a young puppy and had required intensive nursing from Seppala's wife. He was bold and rowdy, thus he was seen as "difficult and mischievous", showing "all the signs of becoming a ... canine delinquent" according to one reporter. At first, this behavior was interpreted as evidence that he had been spoiled by the individual attention given to him during his illness. As he did not seem suited to be a sled dog, Seppala gave him away to be a pet dog at 6 months of age. After only a few weeks as a house pet, Togo jumped through the glass of a closed window and ran several miles back to his original master's kennel. This devotion to the team impressed Seppala, so he did not try to give him away again. However, Togo continued to cause trouble by breaking out of the kennel when Seppala took the team out on runs. He would attack the lead dogs of oncoming teams, "as if ... to clear the way for his master". However, one day, he attacked a much stockier malamute leader and was mauled and severely injured. When he recovered, he stopped attacking other teams' lead dogs. This would eventually prove a valuable early experience, as it was difficult to teach a lead dog to keep a wide berth of oncoming teams. When Togo was 8 months old, he proved his worth as a sled dog. He had run after the team yet again and slept, unnoticed, near the cabin where Seppala was spending the night. The next day, Seppala spotted him far off in the distance, and understood why his dogs had been so keyed up. Togo continued to make Seppala's work difficult, trying to play with the work dogs and leading them in "charges against reindeer", pulling them off the trail. Seppala had no choice but to put him in a harness to control him, and was surprised that Togo instantly settled down. As the run wore on, Seppala kept moving Togo up the line until, at the end of the day, he was sharing the lead position with the lead dog (named "Russky"). Togo had logged seventy-five miles on his first day in harness, which was unheard of for an inexperienced young sled dog, especially a puppy. Seppala called him an "infant prodigy". And later added that "I had found a natural-born leader, something I had tried for years to breed" Togo began training and, after a few years, filled the vacated lead dog position. He became one of Seppala's most treasured dogs, a close and mutually beneficial relationship that would continue to the end of Togo's life. At the time of the historic Serum Run, he was 12 years old and had been a lead dog for 7 years. (wiki) Togo's life was celebrated in the 1928 book "Togo's Fireside Reflections" written by Elizabeth Ricker, the woman who took care of Togo when he was an old dog. |
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Alaska License Plate
Signed by the top ten finishers of the 2000 Iditarod! $250 plus $4 postage & packing (international orders extra). [shelf locator: Grey Cabinet drawer #5. To order this item email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
This Alaska `Centennial Gold Rush‘ design license plate was brought to the finish line of the World famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race in 2000 for the Millennium race. Hand signed at the finish line in Nome, by the top ten finishers. |
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Alaska 1938 Leather & Pyrography Ice Carnival & Dog Derby Fairbanks Souvenir 1938 Fairbanks Alaska Leather &
Pyrography
Ice Carnival & Dog Derby Souvenir. This is better in person than it photographed. It measures 8" by almost 4." [shelf locator: ephemera notebook: Sled Dogs] $350.00 plus $8.00 postage & packing & insurance (international orders extra). for info email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
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The Great Dog Races of the North Record of the Races of Alaska and
Manitoba.
It measures 10" by 6 5/8" I have shown the three Alaska plates. The oval photo on the cover is actually a window that shows the plate on the first page. Very rare booklet from 1921! [shelf locator: ephemera notebook: Sled Dogs] $250.00 plus $8.00 postage & packing & insurance (international orders extra). for info email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
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Two dog teams Alaska 1916 RPPC "Back from White Pass for another load" 1916 postmarked from Cordova.
Interesting message on the postcard re Lighthouse Canning and Packing Company where the author worked as a clammer. [shelf locator: ephemera notebook: Sled Dogs] $45.00 plus $1.00 postage (international orders extra). for info email dick@AlaskaWanted.com |
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