Cold River Kennels Copyright ©2003 J. Jeffrey Bragg

The important Cold River brood bitch Sky of Seppala (foreground) with unregistered Toto standing behind

THE PURCHASE of this impressive body of Seppala stock set Cold River up as a major force in the New England Sled Dog Club for the next twenty years. Cold River bred its own stock thereafter as an independent entity, providing as well an occasional boost to other breeding programmes. SAPSUK, VANKA II, SKY and CHUCHI proved to be a potent genetic force; these were truly fine dogs. SAPSUK and SKY produced a breathtakingly lovely white long-coated male, JEUAHNEE OF COLD RIVER, who in turn sired Bill Shearer's fine leader of the 1950s, FOXSTAND'S SHAMUS.

Jeuahnee of Cold River

Cold River stock, noted for its leadership qualities, became a motive force for other New England sleddog racing "names": bitches sired by VANKA OF SEPPALA II out of SKY OF SEPPALA became leaders for Dr. Roland Lombard (HELEN OF COLD RIVER) and William Belletete (DUCHESS OF COLD RIVER).      Millie Turner eventually married and moved to Alaska, leaving the dogs behind with her mother. Mrs. Frothingham made do with hired drivers to train and race the Cold River dog teams. The last of these were Lyle and Marguerite Grant, who were taken on in 1949. Photos from the 1950s show the Grants with well-known Cold River dogs such as NINGA OF COLD RIVER (the leader in those years), TONGASS OF COLD RIVER, JEUAHNEE OF COLD RIVER and "Cub," the striking male registered simply as BUGS.
	Vanka of Seppala II "Cossack" (by Kree Vanka ex Tosca)	Millie Turner with Sapsuk of Seppala (by Tserko ex Dushka)

THE COLD RIVER SAGA came to a sad ending. In 1956 the kennel closed; Lyle and Peggy Grant acquired several of the remaining core stock: NINGA OF COLD RIVER and LENA OF COLD RIVER (leaders), ENARA OF COLD RIVER and TONGASS OF COLD RIVER -- a male and three females. Lyle Grant sustained an ankle injury that same year and quit driving dogs; Peg Grant drove from 1956 to 1960, but was a timid driver and finally had an accident herself, breaking a leg and crushing her heel in a wheel-rig mishap.

Peggy Grant stands beside the Cold River team in training. Ninga of C. R. at lead.

Mrs. Grant came under the influence of Lorna B. Demidoff (Monadnock Kennels) and the Cold River bloodline became assimilated into New England mixed-lineage and show-dog bloodlines. (Cold River dogs such as VALUIKI OF COLD RIVER and DUCHESS OF COLD RIVER actually formed a critical part of the Monadnock foundation breeding.) Peggy Grant did not much like the piebalds and pure whites that were produced by Cold River stock, so cosmetic selection became a major factor.
     As late as 1970 there were still a few dogs in New England of pure Seppala lineage that included Cold River ancestry: TONGASS OF COLD RIVER was apparently acquired by the Bryars who bred her to MARKO OF SEPPALA, and this lineage survived in a dog named ROWAN'S KENT born in 1964. Larry Prado discovered this dog, bred one of his Bryar-lineage bitches to him, and I acquired PATOU OF MONTE ALBAN, who was pure Seppala and one-eighth Cold River. The bloodline was lost in the post-Markovo confusion.

TODAY THE MAGNIFICENT Cold River bloodline is no longer a part of the Seppala mainstream except through the presence of JEUAHNEE OF COLD RIVER in Foxstand breeding. In my mind, at least, Peggy Grant bears a heavy burden of blame for the assimilation of the Cold River bloodline into show-dog bloodlines. That such an important and long-lasting bloodline could come to such an end is tragic, and a heavy loss for Seppalas. It is a sobering lesson in the dangers that dog shows and assimilation hold for the Seppala Siberian Sleddog.