Posts Tagged ‘Erebus’
Michael Palin’s Erebus and Dead Reckoning look alike because they belong together
“What the publishing industry hath joined together let no bookseller put asunder.” That’s the way I see it. Faithful readers have been nudging me: “Have you seen the cover of Erebus? Michael Palin’s new book? Doesn’t it remind you of the cover of Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage?” Well, now that…
Read MoreJohn Rae Festival turns up a Franklin sailor and a tribute in stained glass
Arctic aficionados should check out this excellent bit of work from the Orkney News about the John Rae Festival. Most are aware that a gorgeous reclining memorial statue to explorer John Rae is one of the highlights of any visit to St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Here we see it with the witty and perceptive Fran…
Read MoreView from Alaska highlights indigenous contribution to Arctic discovery
DAVID JAMES (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner) Feb. 25, 2018 FAIRBANKS — For Arctic history enthusiasts, there’s never been a more exciting time. The recent findings of the two lost vessels of the Franklin Expedition, last seen sailing from Greenland in 1845 in search of the Northwest Passage, made global news. Meanwhile, historians have been producing an…
Read MoreVoyage to the Erebus meets Arctic reality
Snorkeling was back on the agenda. Last September, when we boarded the Ocean Endeavour to sail west Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada, we expected to don wetsuits and go snorkeling over the wreck of John Franklin’s Erebus. The Arctic had other ideas. Click on this link to see the article I wrote…
Read More2017 Greatest Hits feature Scotland, Atwood, and the Arctic
Last day of the year, I find myself driven out of bed at 5 am to look back at 2017, and to say hey to readers who have been checking in here. We’re up over 20,000 views per month — a far cry from pop-culture blogging numbers, but I’ll take it. And I’ll defer to…
Read MoreHere’s why we’re excited to visit the site of Franklin’s found Erebus
Parks Canada divers will resume exploring Erebus a few days from now, around the time we reach the site with Adventure Canada. That’s the word on the street. Thanks to Parks Canada, we will have a live feed that will enable us to witness discoveries as they happen. Why is this exciting? Well, I offer…
Read MoreThis Canadian moment symbolizes achievement & reconciliation
Here I stand on King William Island in August, 1999. Matheson Point. Behind me is Rae Strait. Three of us were about to cross that strait — Louie Kamookak, Cameron Treleaven, and I — to see if we could find a cairn built in 1854 on Canada’s Arctic coast. We were bent on honoring the…
Read MoreAn Open Letter to Explorer John Rae On His Birthday
Dear Dr. Rae: I write from the future to wish you Happy Birthday on the 203rd anniversary of your birth. What to report from 2016? Well, searchers have recently found the two lost ships of Sir John Franklin, Erebus and Terror. This has sparked renewed interest in the fate of the 1845 Franklin expedition. On this subject, slowly we…
Read MoreWhen will Franklin searchers discover that dead body on Erebus?
The next step in searching the Erebus, according to Parks Canada’s chief underwater archaeologist, is “to start exploring the inside in more depth, because that is where 97% of the artifacts are, where all the information that is going to tell us what happened is going to be.” Quoted in the digital magazine Tabaret, based…
Read MoreWho really discovered the Northwest Passage?
Gotta love the latest issue of Canada’s History. Check out the portrait of Arctic explorer John Rae by contemporary artist David Seguin. The question they asked me was: Who discovered the Northwest Passage? Editor Mark Reid writes that, in answering that question, I have “set the record straight” and sorted “the contenders from the pretenders,…
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