1927 Poland Spring Dog Sled Derby

The 1927 Poland Spring Dog Sled Derby, Poland Spring, Maine’s second Carnival Race was held Friday, January 27, 1927. It is remembered today as the epic event in which renowned dog drivers Leonhard Seppala and Arthur Walden competed head-to-head, with Seppala the winner despite a series of setbacks on the trail.

The Race Judges were; Dr. Harry A. Souther, Vice President of the New England Sled Dog Club (the Starter and official time keeper of the race), Herbert J Pearson, State Humane Agent, and Edward Payson Ricker, Jr.

Prior to this historic race, it was surmised that the "Siberian-type dogs frequently crossbred to wolves" from Alaska would stand little chance against the larger mongrels of the East, bred largely from dogs brought from Labrador and beyond. When this theory was presented to Leohard Seppala before the Poland Spring race, his only response was that he hoped for cold weather on account of his dog’s heavy fur and would have liked more time to prepare his team. Seppala’s dogs had been doing little other than being on exhibit across the country over the past few months.

The Thursday prior to the race, it was reported, five teams were registered and ready for the race. "Sippala," as it was misspelled in the article, "has two teams entered in the race." Friday, the morning of the race, seven teams readied themselves for the first day’s 25-mile leg.

The famed adventurer and New Hampshire resident, Arthur Walden, had entered the race accompanied by his famed lead dog "Chinook." Author Walden had "Chinook" registered in the Mansion House with him. The other dogs, of course, stayed in the barns. Walden was the favorite of the race, as he was last year’s winner and had developed a knack for handily winning the New England Sled Dog Club races. Many of the region’s mushers ran dogs sired by Walden’s "Chinook."

Walter Channing, a serious musher and second place finisher of the previous year’s race, was also entered. E. P. Clark, the third place finisher in the 1926 running, did not enter the race, because he and the Minot, Maine Post Master, Alden Pulsifer, were delivering mail gifts from the Governor of Maine to Albany, New York by dogsled team to New York’s Governor Smith and Albany’s Mayor Thatcher.

The race was to begin at 9:30 AM, and teams would leave in 10-minute intervals.

The original race route was planned thus: from Poland they would mush to Dry Mills; from Dry Mills they would travel to West Poland; leaving West Poland, the teams would follow the shoreline of Lake Tripp to Poland Corner and then back to Poland Spring.

However, after the course was inspected, there was a last-minute change of course due to a lot of broken ice on the roads. Therefore the actual running of the race was on the following route:

Mushers started at the Mansion House in Poland Spring; traveled through the Shaker village and past Sabbath Day Lake to Dry Mills; turning right onto North Raymond, passing Churchill’s Store to West Poland; following the shore of Lake Tripp, the teams would turn onto the state highway above Poland Corner to their finish in front of the Riccar Inn, 200 yards below the Mansion House.

As the race commenced, the temperature rose from the single digits to well over freezing. Strong gusts of wind, however, would help keep the dogs from overheating. Before the race, while the temperatures were still very cold by Maine standards, "Not enough sting in it," Seppala told a shivering reporter, "Want it good and cold."

Walden’s team, however, was locally bred and they were, in every way, fully acclimated. This was their weather. Leonhard Seppala would later comment to reporters that it was too warm for his heavy-coated Siberians.

Seppala left the starting chute at 10:20 and had two major delays during the race.

At the starting chute, Seppala’s team twice broke for the barn where they had been quartered, and he had to wrestle them back to the course. This delay cost him at least two or three minutes according to reporters.

The other delay was not reported by Seppala after he crossed the finish line; it remained unknown until after Elizabeth Ricker crossed the finish line at 2PM. She told everyone present that Seppala had caught up to her and that she had given her lead dog, Sport, the command to lead her four-dog Chinook team off the trail and give way for Seppala’s Siberian team. Her dog team got tangled and began to fight. Seppala, seeing her distress, left his team loose and unattended to aid Mrs. Ricker with her unruly team. After the Race on Friday, the headlines read; "Alaska Dog Driver, Hero of Race at Poland Spring."

Surely Seppala’s time would have been 4-5 minutes faster had he not encountered these two delays and displayed such good sportsmanship on the trail.

Elizabeth Ricker, herself, had yet another incident while racing. She was taking a break to eat a sandwich when her four large Chinooks caught sight of a skunk and ran off the trail after the smelly beast.

Seppala’s time started at 10:20 and he crossed the finish line 25 miles later at 12:31 PM. "Experts figured Seppala traveled 11 miles an hour."

Arthur Walden left the Mansion House starting line at exactly 10:30 AM and finished at 12:48 PM. Although Walden had him in his sights twice during the race (due to Seppala’s hold ups), Seppala kept pulling further and further away. Walden never caught the Alaskan musher.

Walter Channing, with his lead dog Tom, came in 3rd, averaging 10 miles per hour. It was "usually taken for granted this speed would win any dog race under similar circumstances."

George Constable also had a great run time despite the fact that he crossed the finish line with two dogs on traces rather than in harness.

Seppala's old leader Togo did not run on Seppala’s main team due to his age, but instead led the team of the "Mina Laklut," Alaskan Eskimo \"Kingkeah.\" Kingkeak (reporters stabbed at his name repeatedly with Kingeah, Kingea, Kingkea, Kingkeak) and Togo would finish the day in sixth place.

Despite the multiple setbacks, the warm temperatures, and the lack of conditioning, Seppala’s team of small Siberians still won the day!

1st Place - 2hrs. 11 min. Leonhard Seppala

2nd Place - 2hrs. 18 min. Arthur Walden

3rd Place - 2hrs. 27 min. Walter Channing

4th Place - 2hrs. 28 min. George Constable/Canadian (for owner Mosely Taylor)

5th Place - 3hrs. 3 min Bradgon MacGregor (for Walter Channing puppy team)

6th Place - 3hrs. 8 min. "Leonhard Kingkeah" (for Seppala)

7th Place - 4hrs. Mrs. Edward P. Ricker Jr.

To give one an idea of how fast these teams raced on this first day, the previous 25-mile record, or "World Mark" as it was called by the reporters, was held by the Canadian musher Emile St. Goddard who ran 25 miles in 2:22:30 (equivalent, at best, to running 40 miles in 3:35). In other words, two teams in this race beat the world record for 25 miles (Leonhard Seppala and Arthur Walden), and two other mushers (Walter Channing and George Constable) came within six minutes of it!

After the first day of the race the fancy of those who preferred the eastern dogs swung completely the other way. Mushers and would-be mushers lined up to speak with Seppala about acquiring dogs from him.

Despite the fact that Seppala’s team had overcome some great obstacles, one reporter (not willing to concede the superiority of the Siberians) added this addendum to his comparisons of dogs’ performance:

"However, due allowance had to be made for the skillful handling of Leonhard Seppala, …His knack of giving a push with his foot from time to time in perfect rhythm on the level was a contributing factor. …also aided by pushing the sled with his wiry strength on the upgrades. He would paddle with alternating feet, this was one of the little tricks he used. There were others."

Mrs. Carlyl Peabody negotiated for the purchase of a team of Seppala’s "thorough bred Alaskan Huskies." This was the same Mrs. Peabody that dropped out of the 1926 running of the race with her sons of Chinook due to a leg injury. "Friday it was pretty well understood that Mrs. Peabody would have the team, part of which would be made up of dogs used in the race here, with two puppies which would be shipped her from Alaska." noted one reporter. She also negotiated the purchase of Seppala’s wonderful fur Parka.

At the finish line Friday, Seppala was asked "How old are you?"

"Me?" he replied, "I’m 55. But I’m 20 in spirits!" And to prove it, he did three handsprings in succession.

"And I’ve got a wife and three children!" he added, walking over to give Togo a pat on the head.

"Seppala would sell her other dogs, but not Togo." one reporter noted.

Later that evening, Seppala took Togo into the Mansion House parlor to "tell the kiddies and grown ups, too, the story of the dog from his birth to the present."

Friday night and Saturday morning, it rained. When the rain froze, it turned the trail to glare ice.

The second leg of the race was postponed Saturday morning for the weekend (there would be no racing on Sunday) in the hopes that conditions would be better Monday. The big news for the reporters Saturday was that Seppala announced that the 11-year-old Togo would be staying with Mrs. Edward P. Ricker Jr. This was a complete reversal from his statement the previous day, when "The day prior he (Seppala) said to Mrs. Peabody that he would not sell him (Togo) for the world."

Monday, the 30th of January, it was decided by the Judges that the remainder of the race would have to be canceled due to poor conditions. The Silver Cup was awarded to Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog Billiken in front of the Riccar Inn in Poland Spring.