Maine Memory Network

Contributed by Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media

Description

This is an image of Elizabeth Ricker as she read to the prize sled dog Togo from a book she wrote, Togo's Fireside Reflections.

Togo was Leonhard Seppala's lead sled dog, who helped deliver medicine to Nome, Alaska, in 1925 during a diphtheria outbreak. Seppala with Togo (12 years old) at the lead, mushed 170 miles (270 km) of the most dangerous portion of the trek.

There is controversy among mushers still today about how much credit Balto, the famous sled dog, deserved. Gunnar Kaasen and Balto mushed the second to last leg of the trek with the antitoxin. Kaasen skipped the last hand off, because the next musher was supposedly not awake and rode a total of 53 miles (85 km) into Nome.

Poland Spring Resort hosted dog-sled competitions in 1926-1927. Seppala's teams participated.

Ricker began a kennel to breed the Seppala sled dogs at Poland Spring with Leonhard Seppala.

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About This Item

• Title: Elizabeth P. Ricker and Togo, Poland Spring, 1928
• Creation Date: 1928
• Subject Date: 1928
• Location: Poland Spring, Androscoggin County, ME
• Media: Glass Negative
• Dimensions: 8.3 cm x 10.8 cm
• Local Code: Coll. 1949, 2005.061.16561
• Collection: Portland Press Herald glass negative collection
• Object Type: Image

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Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

• Dogs
• Dogsledding--Maine--Poland Spring
• Kennels
• Reading
• Seppala, Leonhard, 1877-1967
• Sled dog racing--Maine--Poland Spring

People

• Ricker, Elizabeth P.

Other Keywords

• Reading

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For more information about this item, contact:

Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media
489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website

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