From Maine to the Arctic 2011

Arctic Conditions on Mt. Washington (Johan Erikson photo)

What better day to talk about the connection between New England and the Arctic than today when a hovering Arctic air mass has Mainers stoking their fires and visitors at the Mount Washington Observatory cowering from 100 mph plus winds with -60 degree wind chill?

Professor Susan Kaplan just shared a blog with me - "From Maine to the Arctic 2011." It documents how faculty from Bowdoin College's Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum traveled to Cape Sheridan, Ellesmere Island last summer. Kaplan and Genevieve LeMoine studied the archaeological remains of over-wintering sites established by Greenlandic Inuit families. These Inuit people lived on Cape Sheridan during the winters of 1905-06 and 1908-09 so that they could work for Robert E. Peary as he tried to reach the North Pole."

Eagle Island shoreline from Peary's office (Patricia Erikson photo)

The blog explains, "Peary was determined to be the first person to reach the North Pole. He spent many years in the Arctic, always learning from his mistakes and refining his plans and techniques to achieve this goal.  He used the best of both Western and local Inughuit technology, from a custom-built steam ship, the SS Roosevelt, to traditional fur clothing sewn by local (Inughuit) seamstresses...While he and his men overwintered aboard the ship, these (Inughuit) families constructed houses and lived on shore. The women sewed clothing for the expedition (in addition to their own families), while the men hunted and drove dog sleds for the expedition."
The Bowdoin expedition found fascinating evidence of this Inuit support camp and the blog details some of the incredibly well-preserved artifacts.

Peary's connections to Maine ran deep. A graduate of Portland High School and Bowdoin College, he spent as much time in Maine as possible throughout his life, especially at the cottage he had built for his family on Eagle Island. Thanks to the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, the ties between the Arctic and Maine remain strong. Check out the "From Maine to the Arctic 2011" blog to see the similarities and differences in Arctic expeditions a century apart.

If you would like to read any of my writing about the Peary family, you can check out the following:

• Meet the Other Pearys (Portland Magazine, Winter 2011)
• Josephine Diebitsch Peary (journal Arctic, March 2009)
• An Arctic Betsy Ross (Heritage in Maine 2010)
• Snow Queen: A Woman in Full (Portland Magazine 2009)