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F. Canada's Later Explorers
From HCO Jr
| Part 2. Explorers of Canada → A. Early Exploration → B. Contact and Conquest → C. First Explorers →D. Cartier & Champlain →E. The Fur Traders → E. Later Explorers |
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The North West Company
Contents |
French fur trading companies, based largely in Montreal, no longer existed. This did not last very long because there was still a havy demand for beaver fur to make hats. Soon Scottish suppliers to the British army began to set up their own fur trading companies. They were joined by American merchants from the English colonies (in what is today the United States). They hired back French voyageurs and fur traders to travel back to the north and west. Soon the old French fur trading posts were operating again. This time, however, they were owned by English-speaking merchants.
Some of these fur trading companies did not last very long. They were very small and could not compete against other Montreal fur trading companies and the HBC. Some small companies began to join together. In 1779, nine smaller companies joined together.
A much larger company was formed in 1784. This was the North West Company (NWC). Very soon the NWC became the largest fur trading company in Montreal. People who worked for the NWC were known as Norwesters. They soon became the biggest competitor to the HBC.
The owners of the NWC also decided to compete with the HBC by expanding west as quickly as possible. To do this the NWC needed to explore farther west into new trapping areas. It realized that knowledge of geography was an important part of the fur trade. Traders needed to know which rivers and lakes were best for travelling, and the fastest routes to get from one place to another. They also needed the help of the local First Nations people.
Both the NWC and the HBC had many battles before they agreed to join together in 1815. As they competed with the HBC, the Norwesters explored to the farthest ends of Canada, mapping and making the country that we live in today.
Alexander Mackenzie to the Beaufort Sea
Exploring the west became an important part of the NWC plans. Very soon after being formed it sent explorers into the west to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. One of these early explorers was Alexander Mackenzie.
Mackenzie was born in Scotland in 1764. His mother died when he was young. In the 1770s Alexander's father, Kenneth, left for New York with his family. Only a few years after arriving the American Revolution started, Kenneth Mackenzie joined the British army to fight against the revolution. In 1780 his father died.
Alexander was raised by his aunts. They sent him to Montreal to attend school. Mackenzie did not stay in school long. He was a young man, and there was a chance to make money in the fur trade. Many fur trading companies were in Montreal. Mackenzie signed up with one of the companies.
The Norwesters wanted to keep exploring north and west into areas that the HBC did not own. In 1787 Alexander Mackeznie arrived at Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca. A man named Peter Pond was in charge of the fort. Pond was one of the owners of the NWC. He was a violent man who was rumoured to have murdered two rival fur traders. By 1788, Pond was back in Montreal and Mackenzie was placed in charge of the Athabasca region.
Quickly the NWC ordered Mackenzie to explore west. Mackenzie wanted to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. This would allow the company to ship their furs to Asia. It would also allow the NWC to bring in trade goods from Asia and use them in the fur trade.
Mackenzie was a good choice. Historical records say he was a very strong and fit man. Mackenzie was tough, and did not mind the work and pain that came with exploration. On June 3, 1789, Mackenzie and a party of French-Canadian voyageurs set out from Fort Chipewyan down the Slave River.
The party soon reached Great Slave Lake, but they found it still frozen. At the end of June they were able to start paddling down what we now call the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is Canada's longest river.
Mackenzie and his party reached the flats and marshes of the Arctic Delta on July 10. Then they quickly turned back to paddle back up the river before freeze-up. On September 12, Mackenzie arrived back at Fort Chipewyan. The trip took a total of 102 days. Mackenzie and his party travelled 3000 miles during that time.
Mackenzie was not happy with his trip. He did not find the Pacific Ocean. Very soon he planned another trip. He took the same men with him. Although he pushed his men hard they respected him. It was common for people to die during long trips in the wilderness. Mackenzie looked after his men during the last trip. All of them returned alive to Fort Chipewyan.
Alexander Mackenzie Reaches the Pacific
On May 9, 1793, Mackenzie started his second trip in search of the Pacific Ocean. This time he canoed up the Peace River towards the mountains. Mackenzie hoped that another river would flow from the mountains towards the Pacific Ocean.
Mackenzie's took nine French voyageurs with him on his trip. They all travelled in one large birch bark canoe. It was twenty-five feet long, could hold ten men and almost 2000 kilograms of supplies. It was light enough that two men could carry it on a portage of three or four miles.
On June 18, 1793, Mackenzie finally reached the Fraser River. During his trip he met First Nations people who helped him by providing directions and advice about the land ahead of him. On July 4 Mackeznie had to abandon his canoe. He and his men each carried 44 kg packs as they began to walk towards the Pacific coast of British Columbia.
On July 19 the party reached the Pacific Ocean at Dean Channel, but the local Heiltsuk people in war canoes prevented him from reaching the open ocean.
Mackenzie only spent a few days at the coast. The hostile Heiltsuk people forced Mackenzie to retreat. Before he left, Mackenzie inscribed his name on a large rock: Alex Mackenzie from Canada by land 22d July 1793, and painted it with some red vermilion mixed with melted bear grease. Many years later the rock was found, and Mackenzie's words were carved into the rock as a permanent historical marker.
Mackenzie started the return journey to Fort Chipewyan. He arrived on August 24, 1793. His total journey was almost 1500 kms. Once again he brought back all of his men. None had been seriously injured, and no one died on the voyage.
Mackenzie did find a route to the Pacific Ocean. It was too difficult, however, to be used as a trade route. He reported what he found to the NWC. Back in Montreal, the NWC decided the route was of no use for trading.
In 1801, Mackenzie published Voyages from Montreal through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans. The book made Alexander Mackenzie famous. He also entered politics in the colony of Lower Canada (Quebec). He did not like being a politcian. He moved to Scotland where he married and had several children. Queen Victoria knighted him for being first person to cross the North American continent by land. Alexander Mackenzie died in 1820.
Although Mackenzie's route was not useful he did accomplish great feats. Mackenzie did two remarkable journies at a young age. When he returned from his second voyage he was only 29 years old. In his book he described the area around the present-day city of Winnipeg. Many people think his description of rich farm land convinced Lord Selkirk (see the end of this chapter) to start a settlement there.
Exploring Canada's West Coast
Captain James Cook
At the same time that the HBC was exploring the west the British government wanted to explore Canada's Pacific coast. Even in the late 1700s the British still hoped to find a northwest passage that would link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They had found one around the tip of South America but violent storms made it very dangerous. The only route was to sail around Africa, past India and then on to Australia and New Zealand. It was a very long trip.
The British government wanted to send Royal Navy ships to the Canada's west coast. Perhaps they would find the mouths of rivers that would lead into the interior of Canada. This rivers could be used by fur traders and explorers to bring trade goods to the Pacific, and back again across Canada to Montreal.
James Cook was one of these explorers. He was born in 1728 to a working family. When he was 18 he started working on trading ships. A few years later, in 1755, he signed on with the British Royal Navy. He was an experienced sailor and became a junior officer very quickly. By age 29 he was given the command of his first ship.
Cook sailed along the coast of Newfoundland to map and chart the many bays on the coast. He also sailed around the world twice for the Royal Navy (called circumnavigation). These were long voyages. One lasted from 1768 to 1771, and the other from 1772 to 1775. During each voyage he explored new islands and lands that he found.
James Cook and British Columbia
In 1776 the British government announced a mission for someone to find a northwest passage. Cook accepted the challenge. He may have wanted to win the prize: £20,000 (millions of dollars in today's money). On July 11, 1776, Cook set sail with two ships: the HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery (HMS stands for "His/Her Majesty's Ship").
It took Cook over a year to reach the west coast of North America. In March, 1778, he spotted the coast of Oregon. On March 29, 1778, he arrived in Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. Cook thought that Vancouver Island was actually part of the Canadian mainland.
Cook anchored his ships in a small bay he named Ship Cove. Over 30 canoes full of First Nations people towards Cook's ships. They brought furs with them. Sea otter skins were an important trade item on the west coast.
Cook sailed into Ship Cove to repair his ships. Long sea voyages were very hard on wood ships. Cook's men had to cut down trees, create lumber, repair the ship's hull and the sails. He also needed fresh water and food for his men. The ship's doctor, Dr. Anderson, spent his time with the Nootka people. He created a small dictionary to translate Nootka into English.
Cook spent one month in the area around Ship Cove. He and some of his men travelled to other villages in large cedar canoes. At the villages he was welcomed, and the people traded with him. Finally, on April 26, 1778, Cook left and continued sailing north.
Cook sailed to the Bering Strait (which separates Alaska and Siberia). He hoped he would be able to sail through the Arctic Ocean because it was summer. He did not realise that the ice did not completely melt away. A massive wall of ice blocked Cook's ship. He turned around, and sailed for the Sandwich Islands near Hawaii to spend the winter.
While there Cook was killed in a battle with Hawaiian native people on February 14, 1779.
George Vancouver
George Vancouver was born in England in 1757. He entered the Royal Navy in 1771 at the age of 14. In one year Vancouver was serving with Captain James Cook. In 1776, at the age of 19, he was with Cook sailing to the coast of British Columbia.
Vancouver returned to England after the voyage with Cook. For the next nine years he served on British war ships in different battles in the Caribbean. When he returned to England from these battles he switched back to exploration.
Britain's government wanted to explore the west coast of Canada for two reasons. First, it wanted to start a fur trade on the west coast. Sea otter skins that Cook's men brought to China and Asia sold for a lot of money. Britain could make a lot of money by trading in otter skins.
There was also a need to explore Alaska further. Cook did not map Alaska's coast completely. Some people in Britain thought Alaska might be an island. Perhaps a passage could be found that would link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans: the North West Passage.
Vancouver received his official orders in March, 1791. His commanders told Vancouver to sail to the west coast and survey the coast between 30° and 60°N latitude. He was to make note of any water passageways that might serve as a northwest passage. Vancouver left with two ships: HMS Discovery and HMS Chatham. The Chatham was a smaller ship with a shallow draught (i.e.: it did not sit very deep in the water). This would allow it to sail further into shallow bays and inlets to map the coast without running aground (i.e.: hitting the bottom).
Vancouver Arrives at the West Coast
Vancouver's voyage took almost one year. On April 17. 1792, he spotted the west coast. Vancouver's men spent months mapping the west coast. There was always a chance that a bay or inlet might be the northwest passage. Vancouver did discover Vancouver's Island. Cook thought it was part of the mainland, but Vancouver sailed around it and found that it was only a very large island.
Vancouver also met some Spanish explorers who were also mapping the west coast. Vancouver was friendly with them, and had a good relationship with Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra. In fact, Vancouver named the island Quadra and Vancouver Island. Today the first part of the original name is no longer used.
He spent the winter in the Sandwich Islands, and returned in the spring of 1793 to finish his survey. He did not complete it, and had to spend the winter in the Sandwich Islands again. Vancouver finally finished the survey on August 19, 1794. Vancouver returned to England with his ships. He arrived on September 13, 1795. Vancouver was away for over four years. He and his men sailed a total of 120,000 kms.
During his survey Vancouver charted and named many locations on Canada's west coast: Juan de Fuca Strait, Puget Sound, Howe Sound, Jarvis Inlet, the Strait of Georgia, and Burrard's Channel. Today Burrard's Channel is the site of Vancouver Harbour.
Vancouver retired from the navy in 1795. He died shortly after that at the age of 40. He was almost finished writing a book about his travels. His brother finished the book for him.
David Thompson
Thompson was born to a poor family in England in 1770. At the age of seven he was taken from his family and put into the Grey Coat School for children. In 1784, at the age of 14, he took a job with the HBC as an apprentice (i.e.: someone who works for the HBC and is taught different skills to work in the fur trade by experienced traders).
Thompson started at Fort Churchill with Samuel Hearne. He spent one year at Fort Churchill. In 1786 he undertook his first overland journey (240 kms) with two First Nations men to York Fort. In 1786 Thompson was sent with a dozen other men to Cumberland House. From there they travelled further inland and built a new post called South Branch House (near the present day town of Batoche) on the Saskatchewan River.
This was an important time for Thompson. He learned a lot about the fur trade, and he learned how to speak Cree. Learning a First Nation's language (and sometimes even more than one) was very important for fur traders and explorers. More importantly he met an HBC surveyor named Philip Turnor. Turnor taught Thompson mathematics, astronomy and surveying. These were all important skills for explorers. They needed to know these subjects to create accurate maps.
In 1790, when Thompson was near the end of his apprenticeship, he wrote to the HBC directors in London. He asked them to send him surveyor's tools. Although he was not yet a surveyor he said he would use these tools to survey the coast of Hudson Bay around York Fort, and the route between Cumberland House and York Fort. Thompson received the equipment, and began his survey on his own time.
When he was done he sent his maps to the HBC head office in London. The owners were very impressed by Thompson's work. Two years later he was sent on his first official survey trip. It was very important for the HBC to know different river routes. These routes were important for the fur trade since they were how people travelled in the west.
Thompson Joins the NWC
Thompson undertook his greatest exploration with the NWC. He explored and surveyed a large portion of southern Saskatchewan and Alberta. He also set up fur trading posts for the NWC. In 1798 he married the daughter of another fur trader. Charlotte Small was Metis. He remained married to her his entire life, and had seven sons and six daughters with her.
In 1806 Thompson started exploring west of the Rocky Mountains. He had been in the Rocky Mountains before (in 1800 and 1801). Now the NWC wanted him to explore and find a water route to the Pacific Ocean that could be used for trade. American explorers had located the Columbia River. The NWC wanted to know if the Columbia River could be used as a trade route to the west coast.
This exploration lasted for a long time, over a number of years. It was not until July 15, 1811 that Thompson finally arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.
This was the end of Thompson's exploring. He retired for the NWC. During his career he mapped 1/5 of North America. He spent the first years creating a large and very detailed map of Canada from Lake Superior to the Pacific Ocean. For many years this map was kept at Fort William. Today it hangs in the Archives of Ontario in the front foyer. It is kept behind protective glass, and a large curtain so the sun does not fade it.
Thompson's life after the NWC was very sad. He did well for a while. His surveying skills allowed him to make money. He also had a pension from the NWC. However, he invested a large part of his savings and lost it. At the age of 63 he had to start surveying again to support his wife. When he was very old he and his wife lived with their daughter and her husband in Montreal.
Thompson died in 1857. He did not have enough money for a tombstone. In 1927 a monument was put on his grave site to celebrate one of Canada's greatest explorers
The year 2007 marks the 200th anniversary of Thompson's first crossing of the Rockies.
Simon Fraser Reaches the Pacific
Historians do not know very much about Simon Fraser's early years with the NWC. He must have done a very good job. In 1801 he was made a partner in the NWC at the age of 25. This allowed him to have some of the profits made by all the NWC posts. In 1805 the North West Company put Fraser in charge of all its trading operations west of the Rocky Mountains.
Fraser's job was to open new trading posts in British Columbia. In 1805 he established Rocky Mountain Portage House on the Peace River. This new trading post would help expand the fur trade. Fraser would also use the new post as a base to explore British Columbia. The NWC also wanted Fraser to look for new canoe routes to the Pacific Ocean.
It was not long before Fraser travelled even further west. He followed the Peace River and the Pack River until he arrived at Trout Lake (today called McLeod Lake). Fraser met the Sekani First Nation. They were friendly, and allowed Fraser to build another fur tradign post called Trout Lake Post (later called Fort McLeod). This was the first fur trading post west of the Rocky Mountains. In August of 1806, Fraser sent the very first shipment of furs from Trout Lake Post.
Fraser continued his exploration west into British Columbia. He built two more posts further west: Fort St. James and Fort Fraser. He wanted to explore further but ran low on supplies. Fraser waited at Fort Fraser until the autumn of 1807. By that time it was too late to leave. Travelling during the winter was too dangerous. Fraser waited until the spring of 1808 to continue his journey to the Pacific Ocean.
Just like Alexander Mackenzie, Fraser could not travel by canoe. The rivers that flowed into the Pacific Ocean were too dangerous and fast flowing. Just like Mackenzie, Fraser and his group had to travel by foot over difficult terrain.
Fraser tried to make allies with all of the First Nations people he met. He encountered many different nations. If any of them became angry they could easily attack and kill Fraser and his men since they were many days away from their fort.
Finally, on July 2, 1808, Fraser reached the Pacific Ocean. Fraser thought he had travelled along the Columbia River. He was wrong, but he did reach the Pacific Ocean by using what is called today the Fraser River.
Fraser thought his journey was a failure. The river he found was not useful as a trade route.
Fraser retired from the North West Company shortly after this voyage. He moved to Upper Canada. He tried to farm and start some businesses, but did not do very well. Fraser married, and have five sons and three daughters.
Simon Fraser died on August 18, 1862. In 1921 the HBC placed a marker on his grave to honour one of Canada's great explorers.
Lord Selkirk and the Red River Colony
Thomas Douglas was the seventh son of the Earl of Selkirk in Scotland. He was born in 1771. Over time all six of his brothers died so that he inherited his father's money and large estate in Scotland. He was now known as Lord Selkirk.
Lord Selkirk was very worried about the poor situation that many people in Scotland and Ireland lived in. Many people lived in extreme poverty. They had very little land to farm, or worked for low wages. Selkirk came up with an idea to start settlements in Upper Canada and other British colonies for these people.
He started two settlements in 1803-1804: one in Prince Edward Island and the other in Upper Canada. The first settlement did well, but the one in Upper Canada was a failure. Lord Selkirk then had an idea to start a new settlement in western Canada. He knew the fur trade was expanding in the west, and that there was a lot of fertile land for people to farm on.
Using his money, and help from some friends, Selkirk began to buy shares in the Hudson's Bay Company. A share is a part of a company. People buy them and invest in the company. Eventually Selkirk and his partners owned more shares in the HBC than anyone else. Once they controlled the HBC they had the company give them over 300,000 kms of land where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet (called the forks). Selkirk received a piece of land that was 5x the size of Scotland!
Selkirk was to pay the HBC 10 shillings a year rent on the land. He called the land Assiniboia, and agreed to supply 200 able-bodied men each year for 10 years.
The Selkirk Settlement
When Selkirk arrived at the settlement he ordered a fort be built, Fort Douglas. It was built very close to the NWC fort, Fort Gibraltar. The NWC thought this fort might be used if a battle started between rival fur traders. Lord Selkirk had the fort built in case the settlers needed somewhere safe to hide if conflict started between them and the Metis or First Nations.
Macdonnell did not make the Metis very happy with his proclamation. They did not think Macdonnell could tell them who they could or could not sell pemmican too. In 1814 the NWC asked some young Metis men to harass the Red River settlment. In 1815 they burned crops, stole farm animals and equipment, and burned down some settlers' homes.
In the winter of 1816 the Metis captured the HBC's pemmican supplies at its fort, Brandon House. Eventually a group of men from the Red River settlement, led by Robert Semple. Semple was the new governor of the settlement. He arrived at Red River in 1815 with another 80 settlers.
When the two groups met up the men each formed a line on horseback facing each other. The Metis, led by a man named Cuthbert Grant, would not back down nor would Semple. Grant sent one of his men to talk to Semple. He told Semple either to leave or the Metis would fire at that them. Semple grabbed the man's horse and rifle. The Metis fired at Semple's men. Within a few minutes many of them were dead or wounded. Twenty-one of Semple'e men died, and one of the Metis was killed.
Many settlers left Red River. Shortly afterwards Lord Selkirk returned with more settlers and ninety mercenaries (private soldiers you can hire). He took over a NWC fort, and arrested several NWC fur traders. Selkirk found letters and other evidence that proved the NWC pushed the Metis to attack the HBC pemmican supply.
Red River settlement was re-started. Selkirk signed a treaty with the Anishinabe people in the area in 1817. This helped to create better relations between the settlers and the First Nations. Today the City of Winnipeg stands on the same spot as the original Red River settlement.
John Franklin and the Northwest Passage
British mariners had been trying for 300 years to explore and sail through the islands of Canada's Arctic Archipelago. Each time they were stopped by sea ice or land barriers. In the early 1800s, they determined to make another try.
John Franklin was a British naval captain and explorer who had already made two trips to Canada's Arctic. Franklin was born in 1786 in England. He had a long career in the Royal Navy before he began his trips to the Arctic. Franklin retired from the Navy in 1815, but re-joined in 1818 when the Royal Navy started exploring the Arctic.
In 1818 Franklin commanded a ship (the Trent) to explore the Arctic. This voyage was a failure as his ship could not get through the hard pack-ice that covered the ocean.
Franklin was then ordered to lead an expedition overland along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Ice made it very difficult for ships to sail in the area. The Royal Navy hoped that he and his men would find a northwest passage on foot.
This was a very dangerous journey. No HBC or NWC trader or explorer had been that far north before. The HBC and NWC agreed to supply Franklin with food and equipment. Franklin started at York Fort in August, 1819. By October he was at Cumberland House. He and his men walked to Fort Chipewyan (a NWC post) in January, 1820. They stayed there until July when they set out for the NWC's most northern trading post, Fort Providence on Great Slave Lake.
Franklin's expedition set out from Fort Providence in July, 1821. By August, 1821, Franklin decided to turn back. He had very little food or supplies left. Soon their canoes were too damaged to use. The men travelled by foot. When they ran out of food the ate lichen they scrapped from the rocks, and cut leather from their back packs and boots to eat. Nine men died on this trip.
Franklin and eight men were rescued by a group of Dene. He spent one month recovering at Fort Providence before he returned to England. He arrived back in England in the autumn of 1822.
On the second trip in 1825, Franklin and a party of voyageurs canoed down the Mackenzie River. He made very good maps of 800 km of coast, including the western part of the Northwest Passage.
Again Franklin had to be rescued from starving. Chief Akaitcho (Big Foot) of the Copper (Dogrib) Indians gave the party food and led them to Fort Providence. When he found they could not pay him back for the food, he said,
- "I do not regret having supplied you with provisions, for a Copper Indian can never permit white men to suffer from want of food on his lands, without flying to their aid."
Now there was less than 500 km of unexplored Arctic mainland coast left to map.
The Final Franklin Expedition
In 1845, the British government asked Franklin to try and get through the eastern part of the Northwest Passage. This was the most well-equipped expedition ever undertaken. Franklin was given two ships, the Erebus and the Terror. These were not regular navy ships. Each was specially prepared for the expedition.
Each ship had a steam engine. These engines allowed the ships to be powered by steam if there was no wind for the sails. The bow (front) of each ship had extra sheets of metal attached. This was to help the ships get through the thick Arctic ice. Also there was danger that the ice might crush the ships. The metal would help prevent this.
The men in the expedition travelled in much better conditions than earlier expeditions. Hot water from the steam engines ran through pipes in sleep quarters of the ship. This would allow the men to stay warm. Each ship had a library of 1000 books and a teacher on board. This was to give the men something to do, and to keep their minds active if they did become stuck in ice for a few weeks (or months). In addition each ship carried 8000 cans of food. Canned food was a new invention in 1845. There was enough food to last the expedition three years.
Franklin thought he could make the passage in two to three years. But the temperature had grown colder in the 1840s. Franklin's ships were last seen by a whaling ship near Baffin Island on July 26, 1845. After that the Franklin expedition disappeared. It became a great mystery. Today we know that the ships got locked in the ice near King William Island, about half way through the passage.
Franklin tried to get his ships out of the ice but failed. Franklin eventually died on June 11, 1847. Eventually the men abandoned the ships. They tried to travel by land to a HBC post on Great Slave Lake. None of them made it. All the men in the Franklin expedition were dead by 1848.
The Search for Franklin
When the Franklin Expedition failed to return or send messages after two years, Franklin's wife, Jane Griffin (Lady Franklin), urged the British Royal Navy to send a search party. Since the Franklin Expedition had enough food and supplies to last it three years the Navy waited another year before beginning the search. It offered a £20,000 reward - a huge sum of money for the time.
Several search parties set out to find him. In all, about 40 ships and over 2000 men joined in the search for Franklin and his crew between 1848 and 1859. They found traces of the expedition, including skeletons in a boat.
From 1850 to 1854, Commander Robert McClure and his crew in HMS Investigator crossed the Passage from west to east partly by ship and partly by sledge, but they nearly starved as well. They found no trace of Franklin's ships.
In 1854, Dr. John Rae of the HBC talked to some Inuit who had seen about 40 white men hauling a sledge south. Rae bought silver spoons and other artifacts that the Inuit claimed they found.
On March 31, 1854, the British Navy officially declared the Franklin Expedition was "deceased in service". All Navy ships were recalled and no further rescue efforts were made.
Lady Franklin did not give up finding her husband. When the Navy refused money for another search, she put up the funds herself and got donors to help. In 1856, Francis McClintock volunteered to continue the search. He left England on the Fox, a 177-ton steam yacht with a crew of 24.
McClintock's crew found a large boat, too heavy to be hauled overland, filled with unnecessary items: 5 watches, slippers, towels, hankerchiefs, soap, a sponge, a toothbrush, nails, saws and files.
On May 6, 1859, they found a small cairn (a pile of stones) on the north-west coast of King William Island. It contained the following note signed by Franklin officers Fitzjames and Crozier, dated April 25, 1848, telling the story of Franklin's death and the tragic end of the Expedition:
- 28 May 1847 H.M. ships Erebus and Terror wintered in the ice in lat. 70deg 05min N. long. 98deg 23min W. Having wintered, in 1846-7, at Beechey Island, in lat. 74deg 43min 28sec N., long.91deg 39min 15sec. W., after having ascended Wellington Channel to lat. 77deg., and returned by the westside of Corwallis Island,
- All well.
- Party consisting of two officers and six men left the ships on Monday24 May 1847.
- Gm. Gore, Lieut.
- Chas. F. Des Voeux, Mate
Around the margin another hand had written the following words:-
- April 25th 1848 - H.M. ships Terror and Erebus were deserted on the 22nd April, 5 leagues N.N.W. of this having been beset since 12 September 1846. The officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under the command of Captain F.R.M. Crozier, landed here in lat. 69deg. 98min. 41sec. W. Sir John Franklin died on 11 June 1847; and the total loss by deaths in the expedition has been, to this date, nine officers and fifteen men.
- F.R.M. Crozier, Captain and Senior Officer.
- James Fitzjames, Captain of H.M.S.Erebus
- And start to-morrow, 26th, for
- Back's Fish River.
They mystery of the Franklin Expedition was solved.
Mapping the Arctic
Many explorers were killed trying to find the Northwest Passage, and more trying to find the lost Franklin Expedition. But theose who survived achieved a dream - finally mapping the coasts and islands of Canada's Arctic.
The first person to make the Passage by sea was Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. He made a a three-year voyage in 1906 in a converted 47-ton fishing boat called Gjøa. In 1944, Canadian RCMP officer Henry Larsen crossed the passage in one season in the schooner St. Roch. Larsen then went through the Panama Canal back to Halifax. This made him the first person to sail around North America.
In 1981, Dr. Owen Beattie from the University of Alberta found the mummified bodies of three of Franklin's sailors in the permafrost of Beechey Island. Lab tests showed that high amounts of lead from the tin cans poisoned the men. Today we no longer seal tin cans with lead. It can damage the brain and make a person unable to think clearly.
| Canada's Later Explorers - Gallery | Stories & Texts | Web Links | Vocab | Student Activities | Class Projects |
| Part 2. Explorers of Canada → A. Early Exploration → B. Contact and Conquest → C. First Explorers →D. Cartier & Champlain →E. The Fur Traders → E. Later Explorers |
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