THEN AND NOW.
THE HISTORY OF POLAND SPRING KENNELS
IN 1925, Lonhard Seppala traveled a total of 340 miles in sub zero temperatures to save the children of Nome, Alaska from an outbreak of diptheria. Few mushers would dare tempt their fate by crossing Norton sound once, and most would have wasted time going around the bays ice. Seppala crossed the treacherous sea ice of Norton Sound twice with his small imported dogs from Siberia to save time, once out to receive the serum and then again on the way back..
Within the year Seppala and his lead dog Togo began to be recognized for their accomplishments. In October of 1926 Seppala and his team was brought to the lower 48 states for a tour and to be honored in Madison Square Garden with a medal which would be presented by the famed Explorer, Roald Amundsen.
While in New York. Another Mushing explorer, Arthur Walden, of New Hampshire, invited Seppala to compete against him in the Second running of the Poland Spring Race, From Riccar mansion, Inn and resort, in Poland Spring Maine. Seppala took the challenge.
For more information on this historic race, read the "Poland Spring Derby" page of this website.
By the end of the weekend Elizabeth Riccar had persuaded Seppala To move his entire kennel from Nome Alaska to Poland Spring Maine and tour the North East in Races with her every Winter. Poland Spring Seppala Kennel (our namesake) Was born!
The dogs of Leonhard Seppala and the Quebec kennels that continued his work were rescued from the brink of extinction by JJ Bragg and bred by him at Markovo Kennels in the 1970's.
Jeffrey Bragg: curtesy of Seppala Kennels
His Seppalas are regarded by all camps as pure Seppalas. In fact, the term “Markovo Pure” has come to mean a 100% Seppala by mushers. All one typically needs to do is trace their dogs back to a dog with Jeffrey Braggs "Markovo" in its name to know how much Seppala is in the dog.
Jeffrey Bragg sold some of his stock to a racers in the Western United States in the early 80’s. Those Seppalas and their progeny logged unprecedented wins in mid distance Sled dog racing. Many, however, thought he could improve on the breed by outbreeding these Seppalas to Alaskans and racing Siberians. The results were that more and more of his pure Seppalas were replaced by the hybrids. This group comprises what is now known as the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club.
Jeffrey Bragg was saddened by these dogs being out crossed rather than used to preserve the Seppalas he had worked so hard to save and has thus maintained the entire breeding program at Seppala Kennels at his Kennel in Manitoba. He founded the International Seppala Association.
Mr. Bragg has not released stock to anyone in the United States for more than 20 years. But that is now changed.
Jeffrey Bragg delivers Cuchi of Seppala over to Jonathan Hayes
Seeing our desire to preserve what was left of the pure Seppalas in the United States, and to revive the Poland Spring legacy, Bragg has now graciously made ISA Seppalas available to Poland Spring Kennels again. After 7 years of hard work at saving what was left here in the US, Poland Spring now has access to the Same Seppala Sled dogs that set records in the 1920’s right here in Maine again.
Now, nearly 80 years after Poland Spring Kennel was established by Leonhard Seppala, Poland Spring Seppala Kennels is carrying on the Legacy. All of our dogs are registered descendants of these original dogs of Leonhard Seppala! More than 90% of their heritage are from these dogs!
Poland Spring's Corvus and Centaurus
With these ISA Seppalas being made available to PSK from Canada for the firsdt time in 20 years, Poland Spring Kennels is putting the Seppala Siberian Sled dog back on his thrown as the King of North Eastern Sled dogs!
Poland Spring's "A Kodak Moment" photo curtesy of Meagan Rackliff