31:
368:'. However, MacMillan insisted they press on, even though it was late in the season and the sea ice was breaking up. For five days they went on, following the mirage. Finally, on 27 April, after they had covered some 125 miles (201 km) of dangerous sea ice, MacMillan was forced to admit that Piugaattoq was right—the land that they had sighted was in fact a mirage. (It was probably a rare form of mirage called a
190:
106:. It is now known that Peary's claim was fraudulent, as he wrote in his diary at the time that no land was visible. The invention of Crocker Land was apparently an attempt to secure further support from Crocker for Peary's 1909 expedition. If so, the attempt failed, as Crocker had diverted all of his available resources to the rebuilding of San Francisco following the
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In
December 1914, MacMillan and Tanquary set off for Etah with the intention of sending a message to the outside world that a rescue was needed the following summer. They quickly ran into trouble with the weather, and MacMillan turned back. Tanquary pressed on and eventually reached Etah in mid-March
352:
on 11 April, only MacMillan, Green and two Inuit, Piugaattoq and
Ittukusuk, remained. The four dog sleds set off across the treacherous sea ice, avoiding thin patches and expanses of open water, and eventually, on 21 April, the party saw what appeared to be a huge island on the north-western horizon.
478:
in
Brunswick, Maine. Journals from Tanquary, Ekblaw and Donald MacMillan and his wife Miriam are available online at the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives website. Digitization of materials at Bowdoin College related to the Crocker Land Expedition was funded by the
408:
On 4 May Green rejoined MacMillan and told him what had happened. Upon their return to Etah, MacMillan informed the other
American members of the expedition, but asked them to keep quiet. He told the Inuit that Piugaattoq had died in an avalanche. Ekblaw said later that this was "one of the darkest
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The day was exceptionally clear, not a cloud or trace of mist; if land could be seen, now was our time. Yes, there it was! It could even be seen without a glass, extending from southwest true to north-northeast. Our powerful glasses, however, brought out more clearly the dark background in contrast
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The next three weeks were spent constructing a large eight-room shed, with electricity generation capabilities, that was to serve as the local headquarters of the expedition. An attempt was also made to set up a radio room, but it was not successful, and the expedition was never able to establish
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before joining the Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station in 1919 as chief of the division of entomology. Tanquary was interested in apiculture and resigned in 1923 to enter professional beekeeping in North Dakota. He later joined the University of Minnesota in apiculture and remained there until
604:
117:
returned to civilization, claiming to have reached the North Pole. Since Cook claimed to have traversed the alleged region of
Crocker Land and found no such land, the existence of Crocker Land would be proof of the falsity of Cook's claim. Backers of Peary's claim therefore set out to find it.
412:
Green was never prosecuted for the murder, although the Inuit suspected there was more to the story than had been told and that Green had had a relationship with
Piugaattoq's wife Aleqasina, a striking beauty. She had previously been Peary's mistress, and had borne him two children.
286:. He did not go there, but he gave it a name in honor of the late George Crocker of the Peary Arctic Club. That is Crocker Land. Its boundaries and extent can only be guessed at, but I am certain that strange animals will be found there, and I hope to discover a new race of men.
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with the white, the whole resembling hills, valleys and snow-capped peaks to such a degree that, had we not been out on the frozen sea for 150 miles, we would have staked our lives upon its reality. Our judgment then, as now, is that this was a mirage or loom of the sea ice.
466:
Although the expedition failed to map the non-existent
Crocker Land, much important research was done. A considerable number of photographs and artifacts were brought back, documenting the indigenous peoples and natural habitat of the region.
405:. One of the dog teams died in the snow, and during a squabble over which direction to travel next, Green took a rifle from the sled and shot Piugaattoq in the back, killing him.
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In 1916, a second relief ship was sent, and ran into similar problems. By this time, Tanquary, Green and Allen had made their own way back to the United States by dog sled.
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After returning to land, MacMillan sent
Piugaattoq and Green to explore a route to the west. The weather turned against them and they were forced to take shelter in a
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set off on the 1,200-mile (1,900 km) journey to
Crocker Land on 11 March 1914. The temperature was many degrees below zero and weather conditions were very poor.
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897:"George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives (Bowdoin Library - George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives)"
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He had been Professor of Entomology and Economic Zoology at the University of Minnesota for the last sixteen years. Dr. Maurice Cole Tanquary was born ...
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Expedition members. From left to right: Harrison J. Hunt, Maurice C. Tanquary, W. Elmer Ekblaw, Donald B. MacMillan, Fitzhugh Green, and J. L. Allen.
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The expedition attempted to head for home, but the weather turned against them and they were stranded in the region for the next four months.
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The existence or non-existence of Crocker Land became important following the controversial events of the autumn of 1909, when both Peary and
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As MacMillan later said, "Hills, valleys, snow-capped peaks extending through at least one hundred and twenty degrees of the horizon.”
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311:. MacMillan blamed the collision on the captain, who was drunk at the time. The expedition transferred to another ship, the
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As well as confirming and mapping the position of Crocker Land, the declared purpose of the expedition was to investigate "
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The party turned around and was able to reach solid land—with no time to spare, for the sea ice broke up the next day.
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One by one, the other members of the party gave up and turned back. By the time the expedition reached the edge of the
992:
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After making a number of preliminary trips to place supply caches along the route, MacMillan, Green, Ekblaw and seven
663:"Dr. M.C. Tanquary, Entomologist, 62. Minnesota Professor, Pioneer in Modern Beekeeping, Dies. Served With MacMillan"
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Hundreds of photos of the expedition and over 200 artifacts are displayed in the University of Illinois'
436:. The vessel never reached the expedition. It ended up trapped in ice and did not return for two years.
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In newspapers of the time, MacMillan described Crocker Land as "the world’s last geographical problem".
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341:, which took them three days to climb. The temperature dropped dramatically and Ekblaw suffered severe
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reported in his book that he had sighted distant land from the heights of the northwestern shore of
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Piugaattoq, an Inuit hunter with 20 years of experience of the area, explained that it was just an
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474:. There is also a permanent exhibit at the Peary–MacMillan Arctic Museum on the grounds of
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432:, a three-masted schooner completely unsuitable for Arctic waters, was sent, captained by
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as a child by Robert Peary in 1897, was the guide and translator for the expedition.
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564:"Doom, death and drama infuse a University of Illinois expedition to the Arctic"
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In June 1906, Commander Peary, from the summit of Cape Thomas Hubbard, at about
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A Wretched and Precarious Situation: In Search of the Last Arctic Frontier
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in 1906. It is now believed that Peary fraudulently invented the island.
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921:"Arctic Museum Receives Grant to Digitize Hundred-Year-Old Collection"
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The rest of the expedition was eventually rescued in 1917 by the ship
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Word reached the American Museum of Natural History. That summer, the
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and most deplorable tragedies in the annals of Arctic exploration."
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took place in 1913. Its purpose was to investigate the existence of
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George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives
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Eventually, the party reached the 4,700-foot-high (1,400 m)
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on 2 July 1913. Two weeks later, at midnight on 16 July, the
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Maurice Tanquary taught entomology for several years at
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MacMillan, Donald Baxter; Ekblaw, Walter Elmer (1918).
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Following his 1906 expedition that failed to reach the
345:. He was evacuated back to Etah by some of the Inuit.
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reliable radio communications with the outside world.
595:"Dr. Ekblaw, Once Arctic Explorer For U. of I., Dies"
792:"The women in Peary's life Aleqasina and Josephine"
479:Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation in November 2015.
66:, a huge island supposedly sighted by the explorer
876:"Bowdoin College Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum"
820:. ucalgary.ca. pp. 294–295. Archived from
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42:Alleged locations of Crocker Land, sighted by
8:
569:University of Illinois Alumni Association
178:, of the University of Illinois, was the
844:Four Years in the White North. Bartlett
741:. Harper & Brothers. pp. 87–88
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508:
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307:struck rocks while trying to avoid an
760:The Province Town Banner (7 Feb 2008)
7:
947:A Crocker Land Expedition Who’s Who
773:"Mirage & Murder in the Arctic"
998:Expeditions from the United States
127:American Museum of Natural History
94:. He named it Crocker Land, after
25:
972:—journals from expedition members
647:Kansas State Agricultural College
965:Rare film clip of the expedition
323:, on the second week of August.
121:The expedition was organized by
771:Schmidt, Kim (April 21, 2017).
156:of the University of Illinois.
603:. June 7, 1949. Archived from
1:
738:Four Years in the White North
387:Four Years in the White North
137:' Museum of Natural History.
131:American Geographical Society
790:Harper, Kenn (May 7, 2009).
315:, and eventually arrived at
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1003:20th century in the Arctic
855:"Spurlock Museum, U of I"
779:. University of Illinois.
397:The killing of Piugaattoq
711:"University of Illinois"
630:Texas A&M University
204:famously brought to the
193:Minik Wallace as a child
988:Crocker Land Expedition
952:Crocker Land Expedition
446:, commanded by Captain
375:Later MacMillan wrote:
280:longitude 100 degrees W
123:Donald Baxter MacMillan
60:Crocker Land Expedition
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135:University of Illinois
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626:"Maurice C. Tanquary"
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276:latitude 83 degrees N
229:terrestrial magnetism
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176:Maurice Cole Tanquary
125:and sponsored by the
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33:
515:David Welky (2016).
295:The expedition left
233:electrical phenomena
956:Library of Congress
925:Atlantic NationTalk
901:library.bowdoin.edu
857:. Spurlock.uiuc.edu
607:on October 21, 2012
299:aboard the steamer
154:Walter Elmer Ekblaw
27:Research expedition
993:Arctic expeditions
809:Ross, W. Gillies.
697:2008-08-27 at the
671:. October 26, 1944
668:The New York Times
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297:Brooklyn Navy Yard
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542:Rawlins, Dennis.
528:978-0-393-25442-6
339:Beitstadt Glacier
104:financial backers
16:(Redirected from
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430:George B. Cluett
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92:Ellesmere Island
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249:invertebrate
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72:Cape Colgate
68:Robert Peary
64:Crocker Land
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48:Bradley Land
44:Robert Peary
18:Crocker Land
265:archaeology
225:meteorology
982:Categories
930:2019-03-11
906:2016-11-16
882:2017-05-12
861:2017-05-12
831:2008-03-30
721:2008-02-07
675:2009-07-24
640:2009-07-24
611:2009-07-23
580:2009-07-23
549:2012-12-18
500:References
245:vertebrate
237:seismology
221:glaciology
166:served as
84:North Pole
78:Background
954:from the
454:Aftermath
403:snow cave
343:frostbite
321:Greenland
284:Polar Sea
261:ethnology
217:geography
180:zoologist
172:physicist
142:geologist
745:25 March
695:Archived
483:See also
383:—
358:illusion
168:engineer
150:botanist
133:and the
777:Storied
444:Neptune
362:poo-jok
309:iceberg
241:zoology
213:geology
98:banker
960:Flickr
525:
425:1915.
263:, and
253:botany
243:(both
200:, the
182:, and
161:Ensign
129:, the
46:, and
825:(PDF)
814:(PDF)
650:1944.
385:from
332:Inuit
305:Diana
301:Diana
747:2018
523:ISBN
366:mist
317:Etah
313:Erik
247:and
202:Inuk
170:and
158:Navy
152:was
148:and
58:The
958:at
372:.)
267:".
251:),
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