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86-608: It forms the eastern end of the northernmost mountain range on Earth. The area of the range is barren and uninhabited. The mountain chain was named by Robert Peary after Judge Charles P. Daly , President of the American Geographical Society and member of the executive committee of the Peary Arctic Club in New York . In 1900 Peary saw the range from the coast and was the first to put it on

172-424: A black man working as a sales clerk. Learning that Henson had six years of seagoing experience as a cabin boy , Peary immediately hired him as a personal valet . On assignment in the jungles of Nicaragua, Peary told Henson of his dream of Arctic exploration. Henson accompanied Peary on every one of his subsequent Arctic expeditions, becoming his field assistant and "first man", a critical member of his team. In

258-571: A book about Minik, entitled Give Me My Father's Body . Convinced that the remains of Qisuk and the three adult Inuit should be returned to Greenland, he tried to persuade the Museum of Natural History to do this, as well as working through the "red tape" of the US and Canadian governments. In 1993, Harper succeeded in having the Inuit remains returned. In Qaanaaq , he witnessed the Inuit funeral ceremony for

344-444: A half-day return to Camp Bartlett – at which point his speed slowed drastically. Peary's account of a beeline journey to the pole and back—which would have assisted his claim of such speed—is contradicted by his companion Henson's account of tortured detours to avoid "pressure ridges" (ice floes' rough edges, often a few meters high) and "leads" (open water between those floes). In his official report, Peary claimed to have traveled

430-717: A key role in the Crocker Land Expedition of 1913–1917. At that time, Minik decided to return to the United States , and did so in 1916. In his application for United States citizenship in January 1917, filled out in New York, Mene Peary Wallace described himself as white, dark complexion, black hair, brown eyes, no other distinctive features , adding to the form that he was unmarried, and renounced his former citizenship of Denmark. After this return to

516-445: A man named Qisuk and his child Minik , to travel to America with him by promising they would be able to return with tools, weapons and gifts within the year. Peary left the people at the museum when he returned with the meteorite in 1897, where they were kept in damp, humid conditions unlike their homeland. Within a few months, four died of tuberculosis ; their remains were dissected and the bones of Qisuk were put on display after Minik

602-667: A new " Farthest North " record by reaching Greenland's northernmost point, Cape Morris Jesup . Peary made two more expeditions to the Arctic, in 1905–1906 and in 1908–1909. During the latter, he claimed to have reached the North Pole. Peary received several learned society awards during his lifetime, and, in 1911, received the Thanks of Congress and was promoted to rear admiral . He served two terms as president of The Explorers Club before retiring in 1911. Peary's claim to have reached

688-543: A one-off medal (created by sculptor Kathleen Scott , later widow of Robert Falcon Scott ), in 1910, despite internal council splits which only became known in the 1970s. The RGS based their decision on the belief that the NGS had performed a serious scrutiny of the "proofs", which was not the case. Neither the American Geographical Society nor any of the geographical societies of semi-Arctic Scandinavia has recognized Peary's North Pole claim. The party that accompanied Peary on

774-686: A relationship with Aleqasina ( Alakahsingwah ) when she was about 14 years old. They had at least two children, including a son called Kaala, Karree, or Kali. French explorer and ethnologist Jean Malaurie was the first to report on Peary's descendants after spending a year in Greenland in 1951–52. S. Allen Counter , a Harvard neuroscience professor interested in Henson's role in the Arctic expeditions, went to Greenland in 1986. He found Peary's son Kali and Henson's son Anaukaq, then octogenarians, and some of their descendants. Counter arranged to bring

860-496: A result of Peary's 1898–1902 expedition, he claimed an 1899 visual discovery of "Jesup Land" west of Ellesmere Island . He claimed that this sighting of Axel Heiberg Island was prior to its discovery by Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup 's expedition around the same time. This contention has been universally rejected by exploration societies and historians. However, the American Geographical Society and

946-457: A return to Greenland upon her death, and was given passage on the Windward on July 2 that same summer. The seven year old Minik, still impressed by the sights of America, was not returned home but instead was adopted by the same William Wallace who had prepared his father for exposition. While no proper adoption certificates remain, Wallace still cared for Minik like for his own son Willy, who

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1032-466: A system of eight airmail routes, which became the genesis of the U.S. Postal Service's airmail system. In 1914, Peary bought the house at 1831 Wyoming Avenue NW in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. , where he lived until his death on February 20, 1920. He began renovating the house in 1920, shortly before his death, after which the renovation was taken over by Josephine. She sold

1118-433: A total of 304 nautical miles between April 2, 1909, (when he left Bartlett's last camp) and April 9 (when he returned there), 133 nmi (246 km; 153 mi) to the pole, the same distance back, and 38 nmi (70 km; 44 mi) in the vicinity of the pole. These distances are counted without detours due to drift, leads and difficult ice, i.e. the distance traveled must have been significantly higher to make good

1204-724: A young age, was raised in Cape Elizabeth, Maine . He attended Bowdoin College , then joined the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey as a draftsman. He enlisted in the navy in 1881 as a civil engineer. In 1885, he was made chief of surveying for the Nicaragua Canal , which was never built. He visited the Arctic for the first time in 1886, making an unsuccessful attempt to cross Greenland by dogsled . In

1290-401: Is speculated that this was to avoid any bad press surrounding his anticipated celebratory return after reaching the North Pole. In 1986, Kenn Harper wrote a book about Minik, entitled Give Me My Father's Body . Convinced that the remains of Qisuk and the three adult Inuit should be returned to Greenland, he tried to persuade the Museum of Natural History to do this, as well as working through

1376-603: The American Alpine Club made an attempt to climb the highest point up the Bertelsen Glacier to the base of the peak. This attempt, however, was thwarted by awful weather conditions and the mountain remained unclimbed until July 2003 when four alpinists led by Dennis Schmitt were able to reach the highest point of the range from the Moore Glacier. The Daly Range is the easternmost subrange of

1462-697: The Arctic in 1886, intending to cross Greenland by dog sled , taking the first of his own suggested paths. He was given six months' leave from the Navy, and he received $ 500 from his mother to book passage north and buy supplies. He sailed on a whaler to Greenland, arriving in Godhavn on June 6, 1886. Peary wanted to make a solo trek, but Christian Maigaard, a young Danish official, convinced him he would die if he went out alone. Maigaard and Peary set off together and traveled nearly 100 mi (160 km) due east before turning back because they were short on food. This

1548-551: The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences . Members of this expedition included Peary's aide Henson, Frederick A. Cook , who served as the group's surgeon; the expedition's ethnologist, Norwegian skier Eivind Astrup ; bird expert and marksman Langdon Gibson, and John M. Verhoeff, who was a weatherman and mineralogist. Peary also took his wife along as dietitian, though she had no formal training. Newspaper reports criticized Peary for bringing his wife. On June 6, 1891,

1634-785: The Hubbard Medal . No major professional geographical society followed suit. In 1914, Donald Baxter MacMillan and Fitzhugh Green's expedition found that Crocker Land did not exist. On July 6, 1908, the Roosevelt departed New York City with Peary's eighth Arctic expedition of 22 men. Besides Peary as expedition commander, it included master of the Roosevelt Robert Bartlett , surgeon Dr. J.W. Goodsell, along with Ross Gilmore Marvin , Donald Baxter MacMillan , George Borup, and Matthew Henson . After recruiting several Inuit and their families at Cape York (Greenland) ,

1720-672: The Peary expedition to Greenland of 1891–1892 , Peary took the second, more difficult route that he laid out in 1886: traveling farther north to find out whether Greenland was a larger landmass extending to the North Pole. He was financed by several groups, including the American Geographic Society , the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences (now the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University ), and

1806-502: The Peary expedition to Greenland of 1891–1892 , had experience of naval-type observations. On April 6, 1909, Peary established Camp Jesup within 3 mi (5 km) of the pole, according to his own readings. Peary estimated the latitude as 89°57', after making an observation at approximate local noon using the Columbia meridian. Peary used a sextant, with a mercury trough and glass roof for an artificial horizon, to make measurements of

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1892-487: The Peary expedition to Greenland of 1891–1892 , he was much better prepared, and by reaching Independence Fjord in what is now known as Peary Land , he proved conclusively that Greenland was an island. He was one of the first Arctic explorers to study Inuit survival techniques. During an expedition in 1894, he was the first Western explorer to reach the Cape York meteorite and its fragments, which were then taken from

1978-627: The Roosevelt departed for home. Upon returning, Peary learned that Dr. Frederick A. Cook , a surgeon and ethnographer on the Peary expedition to Greenland of 1891–1892 , claimed to have reached the North pole in 1908. Despite remaining doubts, a committee of the National Geographic Society, as well as the Naval Affairs Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives , credited Peary with reaching

2064-614: The Roosevelt Range . Its highest peak rises above the confluence of the Moore Glacier and the Bertelsen Glacier . It is a prominent 1,399 m (4,590 ft) high summit covered by an ice cap —Schmitt gives a height of 1,456 m (4,777 ft) that contradicts the height on maps. This mountain chain runs roughly from WNW to ESE at the eastern end of Johannes V. Jensen Land southeast of Bliss Bay in

2150-500: The Royal Geographical Society of London honored Peary for tenacity, mapping of previously uncharted areas, and his discovery in 1900 of Cape Morris Jesup at the north tip of Greenland. Peary also achieved a "farthest north" for the western hemisphere in 1902 north of Canada's Ellesmere Island . Peary was promoted to lieutenant commander in the Navy in 1901 and to commander in 1902. Peary's next expedition

2236-470: The South Pole , which—like Robert Falcon Scott 's a month later in 1912—was supported by the sextant, theodolite , and compass observations of several other navigators. Minik Wallace Minik Wallace (also called Minik or Mene ) ( c.  1890 – October 29, 1918) was an Inughuaq ( Inuk ) brought as a child in 1897 from Greenland to New York City with his father and others by

2322-650: The United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was long credited as being the discoverer of the geographic North Pole in April 1909, having led the first expedition to have claimed this achievement, although it is now considered unlikely that he actually reached the Pole. Peary was born in Cresson, Pennsylvania , but, following his father's death at

2408-517: The Wandel Sea , SW of Cape Bridgman and north of the mouth area of Frederick E. Hyde Fjord , rising steeply above the coastal plain. The H. H. Benedict Range (H. H. Benedict Bjerge) rises to the west and southwest, beyond the Moore Glacier. Robert Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. ( / ˈ p ɪər i / ; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in

2494-412: The "red tape" of the US and Canadian governments. In 1993, Harper succeeded in having the Inuit remains returned. In Qaanaaq , he witnessed the Inuit funeral ceremony for the remains of Qisuk and the three tribesmen [Shaman Atangana (ca. 1840–1898) with her husband, renowned hunter Nuktaq (ca. 1848–1898), their adoptive daughter Aviaq (ca. 1885–1898)] that had been taken to New York. Peary had employed

2580-549: The April 1906 record is the only missing diary of Peary's exploration career. He claimed the next day to have achieved a Farthest North world record at 87°06' and returned to 86°30' without camping. This implied a trip of at least 72 nautical miles (133 km; 83 mi) between sleeping, even assuming direct travel with no detours. After returning to Roosevelt in May, Peary began weeks of difficult travel in June heading west along

2666-583: The Greenlanders had been obtaining the iron they needed from whalers, the Cape York meteorite was the only source of iron for tools. Peary sold it for $ 40,000 in 1897. Working at the American Museum of Natural History , anthropologist Franz Boas had requested that Peary bring back an Inuit for study. During his expedition to retrieve the meteorite, Peary convinced six people, including

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2752-586: The Inughuit in his expeditions for more than a decade, paying them in firearms, ammunition and other Western goods on which they had come to rely, and leaving them in a dire situation in 1909. The demands of the American expeditions had also resulted in the caribou of North Greenland being hunted to near extinction. Peary's claim to have reached the North Pole has long been subject to doubt. Some polar historians believe that Peary honestly thought he had reached

2838-497: The Inuit group there, who politely shook many visitor's hands. By November 1, 1897, all Inuit had already contracted tuberculosis (TB), a widespread infectious disease in those years, which continues to impact Inuit communities to this day. Taken to the Bellevue Hospital Center , four of them died, starting with Minik's father Qisuk on February 17, 1898. Minik pleaded for a proper burial for his father, with

2924-482: The Inuit, including fathering children with Aleqasina. Renée Hulan and Lyle Dick have both reported that Peary and his crew sexually exploited Inuit women on his 1908–1909 expedition. Peary has also been harshly criticized for bringing back a group of Inughuit Greenlandic Inuit to the United States along with the Cape York meteorite . The meteorite was of significant local economic importance: Although

3010-571: The National Aerial Coast Patrol Commission, a private organization created by the Aero Club of America . It advocated the use of aircraft to detect warships and submarines off the U.S. coast. Peary used his celebrity to promote the use of military and naval aviation, which led directly to the formation of United States Navy Reserve aerial coastal patrol units during World War I . After the war, Peary proposed

3096-465: The Natural Museum. There, he had a workshop for processing the skeletons of specimens. Qisuk's remains were de-fleshed, and the skeleton was eventually mounted on an armature and returned to the museum for display. Wallace did not tell Minik about this nor of his own part in it. In March and April, two more Inuk died. Aviaq succumbed last, on May 24. Uisaakassak, her surviving fiancé, demanded

3182-660: The North Pole was widely debated along with a competing claim made by Frederick Cook , but eventually won widespread acceptance. In 1989, British explorer Wally Herbert concluded Peary did not reach the pole, although he may have come within 60 mi (97 km). Robert Edwin Peary was born on May 6, 1856, in Cresson, Pennsylvania , to Charles N. and Mary P. Peary. After his father died in 1859, Peary and his mother moved to Portland, Maine . Peary attended Portland High School (Maine) where he graduated in 1873. Peary made his way to Bowdoin College , some 36 mi (58 km) to

3268-488: The North Pole. A reassessment of Peary's notebook in 1988 by polar explorer Wally Herbert found it "lacking in essential data", thus renewing doubts about Peary's discovery. Peary was promoted to the rank of captain in the Navy in October 1910. By his lobbying, Peary headed off a move among some U.S. Congressmen to have his claim to the pole evaluated by other explorers. Eventually recognized by Congress for "reaching"

3354-506: The Sun. Peary claims, "I had now taken in all thirteen single, or six and one-half double, altitudes of the sun, at two different stations, in three different directions, at four different times." Peary states some of these observations were "beyond the Pole," and "...at some moment during these marches and counter-marches, I had passed over or very near the point where north and south and east and west blend into one." Henson scouted ahead to what

3440-684: The US, Minik worked at a variety of jobs; eventually he found work in a lumber camp in North Stratford, New Hampshire . His employer, Afton Hall, invited him to live with the Hall family, who treated him much like a son. Along with many of Hall's family and workers, Minik died during the 1918 flu pandemic , on 29 October 1918. He was buried in the Indian Stream Cemetery in Pittsburg, New Hampshire . In 1986, Kenn Harper wrote

3526-465: The United States a few years later, where he remained and worked until dying of influenza in the 1918 pandemic . Minik, son of the renowned hunter Qisuk (ca. 1858–1898) and his wife Mannik, spent his early childhood in northern Greenland among his people, the Inughuit , the northernmost band of Greenlandic Inuit. His mother died from an epidemic shortly before 1897. His father met Robert Peary when

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3612-593: The distance claimed. Peary and his party arrived back in Cape Columbia on the morning of April 23, 1909, only about two and a half days after Capt Bartlett, yet Peary claimed he had traveled a minimum of 304 nmi (563 km; 350 mi) more than Bartlett (to the Pole and vicinity). The conflicting and unverified claims of Cook and Peary prompted Roald Amundsen to take extensive precautions in navigation during Amundsen's South Pole expedition so as to leave no room for doubt concerning his 1911 attainment of

3698-459: The expedition wintered near Cape Sheridan on Ellesmere Island . The expedition used the "Peary system" for the sledge journey, with Bartlett and the Inuit, Poodloonah, "Harrigan," and Ooqueah, composing the pioneer division. Borup, with three Inuit, Keshunghaw, Seegloo, and Karko, composed the advance supporting party. On February 15, Bartlett's pioneer division departed the Roosevelt for Cape Columbia , followed by 5 advance divisions. Peary, with

3784-471: The explorer Robert Peary . The six Inuit were studied by staff of the American Museum of Natural History , which had custody. The adults and one child died soon of tuberculosis (TB), and one young man was returned to Greenland. After deceiving Minik with a staged burial, the museum put the skeleton of his father on exhibit. Minik was adopted by William Wallace, the museum's building superintendent, and did not return to Greenland until after 1910. He returned to

3870-549: The explorer employed men of their band during several Arctic expeditions. In 1896, ethnologist Franz Boas requested from Robert Peary to invite an Inuit person from Northern Greenland to the American Museum of Natural History, where Boas was curator at that time. Boas had previously worked with other indigenous people from North America, interviewing them, and hoped to disprove cultural evolution theories. In September 1897, Robert Peary brought instead six Inuit back to

3956-461: The final stage of the journey did not include anyone trained in navigation who could either confirm or contradict Peary's own navigational work. This was further exacerbated by Peary's failure to produce records of observed data for steering, for the direction (" variation ") of the compass, for his longitudinal position at any time, or for zeroing-in on the pole either latitudinally or transversely beyond Bartlett Camp. The last five marches when Peary

4042-443: The funds to raise Minik, but was refused and had to struggle on. Minik, by now about eleven years old, no longer had a carefree life growing up, but remained with Wallace. About 1906, New York papers published a story that stated Qisuk's skeleton was displayed in the museum. Minik was shocked to learn of this through classmates' comments as the story circulated. Wallace supported Minik in requesting that Qisuk's remains be returned to

4128-442: The group became the objects of study, together with the Cape York meteorite which Peary had brought. Franz Boas and the museum staff, at most expecting a single person for interviews to be conducted during the winter, had not made plans for the care of the group, nor for their return. As a result, room was made in the museum's basement to house them. Similar to ethnological expositions at the time, 20,000 people paid entrance to see

4214-556: The house in 1927, receiving a $ 12,000 promissory note. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Matthew Henson was honored by being re-interred nearby on April 6, 1988. On August 11, 1888, Peary married Josephine Diebitsch , a business school valedictorian who thought that women should be more than just mothers. Diebitsch had started working at the Smithsonian Institution when she

4300-557: The ice between himself and land, he made the best possible dash and barely escaped with his life from the melting ice. On April 20, he was no farther north than 86°30' latitude. This latitude was never published by Peary. It is in a typescript of his April 1906 diary, discovered by Wally Herbert in his assessment commissioned by the National Geographic Society . The typescript suddenly stopped there, one day before Peary's April 21 purported "farthest". The original of

4386-546: The intended trek with Henson, Gibson, Cook, and Astrup. After 150 mi (240 km), Peary continued on with Astrup. They found the 3,300 ft (1,000 m) high view from Navy Cliff, saw Independence Fjord , and concluded that Greenland was an island. They trekked back to Red Cliff and arrived on August 6, having traveled a total of 1,250 mi (2,010 km). In 1896, Peary, a Master Mason , received his degrees in Kane Lodge No. 454, New York City . As

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4472-584: The map. The Daly Range was further surveyed in 1907 by Johan Peter Koch , Aage Bertelsen and Tobias Gabrielsen , the northern team of the ill-fated Denmark expedition , when they reached their northernmost point, Cape Bridgman . Aerial surveys by Lauge Koch in 1930 during the Three-year Expedition to East Greenland mapped the area with higher precision. Still, the Daly Range remained very little explored until July 2000, when members of

4558-511: The men and their families to the United States to meet their American relatives and see their fathers' gravesites. In 1991, Counter wrote about the episode in his book, North Pole Legacy: Black, White, and Eskimo (1991). He also gained national recognition of Henson's role in the expeditions. A documentary by the same name was also released. Wally Herbert also noted the relationship and children in his book The Noose of Laurels , published in 1989. Peary has received criticism for his treatment of

4644-567: The museum: Aside from widower Qisuk and his son Minik, the arrivals included the shaman Atangana (ca. 1840–1898) with her husband, renowned hunter Nuktaq (ca. 1848–1898), their adoptive daughter Aviaq (ca. 1885–1898) and the young adult Uisaakassak, the fiancé of Aviaq. Although Peary had invited the adults on the trip, it is unlikely they were clearly informed as to its purpose. Some agreed to travel to see new places; others did not want to be parted from relatives. Peary had promised that they would be able to return to Greenland. Soon after their arrival,

4730-422: The native Inuit population who had relied on it for creating tools. During that expedition, Peary deceived six indigenous individuals, including Minik Wallace , into traveling to America with him by promising they would be able to return with tools, weapons and gifts within the year. This promise was unfulfilled and four of the six Inuit died of illnesses within a few months. On his 1898–1902 expedition, Peary set

4816-615: The north, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Phi Beta Kappa honor society . He was also part of the rowing team. He graduated in 1877 with a civil engineering degree. From 1878 to 1879, Peary lived in Fryeburg , Maine . During that time, he made a profile survey from the top of Fryeburg's Jockey Cap Rock. The 360-degree survey names the larger hills and mountains visible from

4902-439: The other three Inuit. Minik was never able to reclaim his father's bones. Minik tried to get Peary to return him to Greenland, but was refused in 1907. Through contacts to a scientist, Minik was able to get a college scholarship despite having dropped out from school earlier, but his third bout of severe pneumonia, result of his earlier tuberculosis, made him abandon those plans. After suicide threats and an escape to Canada, Minik

4988-429: The party left Brooklyn, New York, in the seal hunting ship SS Kite . In July, as Kite was ramming through sheets of surface ice, the ship's iron tiller suddenly spun around and broke Peary's lower leg; both bones snapped between the knee and ankle. Peary was unloaded with the rest of the supplies at a camp they called Red Cliff, at the mouth of MacCormick Fjord at the north west end of Inglefield Gulf . A dwelling

5074-487: The people and kept a journal of her experiences. In September 1891, Peary's men and dog sled teams pushed inland onto the ice sheet to lay caches of supplies. They did not go farther than 30 mi (48 km) from Red Cliff. In 1891, Peary shattered his leg in a shipyard accident but it healed by February 1892. By April 1892, he made some short trips with Josephine and an Inuit dog sled driver to native villages to purchase supplies. On May 3, 1892, Peary finally set out on

5160-471: The pole across the rough sea ice of the Arctic Ocean started from the north tip of Ellesmere at 83° north latitude. The parties made well under 10 mi (16 km) a day until they became separated by a storm. As a result, Peary was without a companion sufficiently trained in navigation to verify his account from that point northward. With insufficient food, and uncertainty whether he could negotiate

5246-783: The pole, Peary was given the Thanks of Congress by a special act in March 1911. By the same Act of Congress, Peary was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps, retroactive to April 6, 1909. He retired from the Navy the same day, to Eagle Island on the coast of Maine , in the town of Harpswell. His home there has been designated a Maine State Historic Site. After retiring, Peary received many honors from scientific societies for his Arctic explorations and discoveries. He served twice as president of The Explorers Club , from 1909 to 1911, and from 1913 to 1916. In early 1916, Peary became chairman of

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5332-446: The pole. Others have suggested that he was guilty of deliberately exaggerating his accomplishments. Peary's account has been newly criticized by Pierre Berton (2001) and Bruce Henderson (2005). Peary did not submit his evidence for review to neutral national or international parties or to other explorers. Peary's claim was certified by the National Geographic Society (NGS) in 1909 after a cursory examination of Peary's records, as NGS

5418-505: The ship, after Bartlett estimated a latitude of 87°46'49". Peary, with two Inuit, Egingwah and Seeglo, and Henson, with two Inuit, Ootah and Ooqueah, using 5 sledges and 40 dogs, planned 5 marches over the estimated 130 nautical miles to the pole. On 2 April, Peary led the way north. On the final stage of the journey toward the North Pole, Peary told Bartlett to stay behind. He continued with five others: Henson, Ootah, Egigingwah, Seegloo, and Ooqueah. No one except Henson, who had served on

5504-407: The ship. Peary states this was at a latitude of 84°29'. On March 20, Borup's third supporting party, with three Inuit, started back to the ship. Peary states this was at a latitude of 85°23'. On March 26, Marvin, with Kudlooktoo and Harrigan, headed back to the ship, from a latitude estimated by Marvin as 86°38'. Marvin died on this return trip south. On 1 April, Bartlett's party started their return to

5590-456: The shore of Ellesmere. He discovered Cape Colgate, from whose summit he claimed in his 1907 book that he had seen a previously undiscovered far-north " Crocker Land " to the northwest on June 24, 1906. A later review of his diary for this time and place found that he had written, "No land visible." On December 15, 1906, the National Geographic Society of the United States, certified Peary's 1905–1906 expedition and "Farthest" with its highest honor,

5676-406: The son for traditional burial. The museum director, Hermon Carey Bumpus , evaded their requests as well as tried to avoid investigation of the Inuit exhibits in general. Franz Boas, by now teaching at Columbia University , admitted the deception a decade previously, but remained largely uninterested in the matter. Meanwhile, Bumpus refused to admit the museum had Qisuk's skeleton, or the remains of

5762-497: The strongest hunters and the wisest heads for our tribe, to go with him to America. Our people were afraid to let them go, but Peary promised them that they should have Natooka and my father back within a year, and that with them would come a great stock of guns and ammunition, and wood and metal and presents for the women and children … We were crowded into the hold of the vessel and treated like dogs. Peary seldom came near us. Peary eventually helped Minik travel home in 1909, though it

5848-505: The summit. After Peary's death, his boyhood friend, Alfred E. Burton, suggested that the profile survey be made into a monument. It was cast in bronze and set atop a granite cylinder and erected to his memory by the Peary family in 1938. After college, Peary worked as a draftsman making technical drawings at the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey office in Washington, D.C. He joined the United States Navy and on October 26, 1881,

5934-552: The traditional rites which only the Inuk could provide. The curatorial staff wanted to preserve Qisuk's body for study, research that would be impossible if his remains were buried. They staged a fake burial for Minik's benefit: filling a coffin with stones for weight, and placing a stuffed "body" covered with a cloth on top. They performed the burial by lantern light, with Minik attending. The staff sent Qisuk's body to William Wallace's estate, chief curator and superintendent of buildings at

6020-445: The two Inuit, Arco and Kudlooktoo, departed on February 22, bringing to the total effort 7 expedition members, 19 Inuit, 140 dogs, and 28 sledges. On February 28, Bartlett, with three Inuit, Ooqueah, Pooadloonah, and Harrigan, accompanied by Borup, with three Inuit, Karko, Seegloo, and Keshungwah, headed North. On March 14, the first supporting party, composed of Dr. Goodsell and the two Inuit, Arco and Wesharkoupsi, turned back towards

6106-678: The two women. Josephine told Peary that his mother should return to live in Maine. They had two children together, Marie Ahnighito (born 1893) and Robert Peary, Jr. His daughter wrote several books, including The Red Caboose (1932) a children's book about the Arctic adventures published by William Morrow and Company . As an explorer, Peary was frequently gone for years at a time. In their first 23 years of marriage, he spent only three with his wife and family. Peary and his aide, Henson, both had relationships with Inuit women outside of marriage and fathered children with them. Peary appears to have started

6192-406: The women’s crying and the men’s questioning he answered that he was taking our dead friends to a warm and pleasant land to bury them. Our sole supply of flint for lighting and iron for hunting and cooking implements was furnished by a huge meteorite. This Peary put aboard his steamer and took from my poor people, who needed it so much. After this he coaxed my father and that brave man Natooka, who were

6278-550: Was 19 or 20 years old, replacing her father after he became ill and filling his position as a linguist . In 1886, she resigned from the Smithsonian upon becoming engaged to Peary. The newlyweds honeymooned in Atlantic City, New Jersey , then moved to Philadelphia , where Peary was assigned. Peary's mother accompanied them on their honeymoon, and she moved into their Philadelphia apartment, which caused friction between

6364-651: Was a major sponsor of his expedition. This was a few weeks before Cook's Pole claim was rejected by a Danish panel of explorers and navigational experts. The National Geographic Society limited access to Peary's records. At the time, his proofs were not made available for scrutiny by other professionals, as had been done by the Danish panel. Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor persuaded the United States National Academy of Sciences not to get involved. The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) of London gave Peary

6450-545: Was able to dispense with the extra weight of tents and sleeping bags when on the march. Peary also relied on the Inuit as hunters and dog-drivers on his expeditions. He pioneered the system of using support teams and establishing supply caches for Arctic travel, which he called the "Peary system". The Inuit were curious about the Americans and came to visit Red Cliff. Josephine was bothered by the Inuit body odor from not bathing, their flea infestations, and their food. She studied

6536-410: Was accompanied by a navigator (Capt. Bob Bartlett) averaged no better than 13 mi (21 km) marching north. But once the last support party turned back at "Camp Bartlett", where Bartlett was ordered southward, at least 133 nmi (246 km; 153 mi) from the pole, Peary's claimed speeds immediately doubled for the five marches to Camp Jesup. The recorded speeds quadrupled during the two and

6622-489: Was built for his recuperation during the next six months. Josephine Peary stayed with Peary. Gibson, Cook, Verhoeff, and Astrup hunted game by boat and became familiar with the area and the Inuit . Unlike most previous explorers, Peary had studied Inuit survival techniques; he built igloos during the expedition and dressed in practical furs in the native fashion. By wearing furs to preserve body heat and building igloos, he

6708-680: Was commissioned in the Civil Engineer Corps , with the relative rank of lieutenant. From 1884 to 1885, he was an assistant engineer on the surveys for the Nicaragua Canal and later became the engineer in charge. As reflected in a diary entry he made in 1885, during his time in the Navy, he resolved to be the first man to reach the North Pole . In April 1886, he wrote a paper for the National Academy of Sciences proposing two methods for crossing Greenland's ice cap. One

6794-460: Was difficult. The elderly angakkuq Soqqaq took him in and the Inuit taught him the adult skills he needed. Minik became a fine hunter, but also brought with him knowledge of life in America. His stories were found to be wildly embellished, as Minik stylized himself as a former urban gangster. He was briefly and unhappily married. He eventually acted as a guide and translator for visitors, playing

6880-427: Was of a similar age. Since January 1899, Minik attended Mount Hope School and was reportedly a bright student. Sometimes, journalists still took interest in the boy, reporting on his cultural change from a bewildered “savage”. In 1901, William Wallace fell on hard times after the curator was fired from the Natural Museum of History over a case of financial irregularities and accusations of impropriety. He pleaded for

6966-468: Was sent to Greenland on a supply ship for Peary. Although Peary's supporters told the press they had sent Minik back "laden with gifts", the Canadian author Kenn Harper found documentation that the Inuit was returned to Greenland with little more than "the clothes on his back." By that time, Minik had forgotten Inuktun , his first language, and much of Inuit culture and skills; his life in Greenland

7052-475: Was shown a fake burial. Speaking as a teenager to the San Francisco Examiner about Peary, Minik said: At the start, Peary was kind enough to my people. He made them presents of ornaments, a few knives and guns for hunting and wood to build sledges. But as soon as he was ready to start home his other work began. Before our eyes he packed up the bones of our dead friends and ancestors. To

7138-412: Was supported by fundraising through the Peary Arctic Club , with gifts of $ 50,000 from George Crocker, the youngest son of banker Charles Crocker , and $ 25,000 from Morris K. Jesup , to buy Peary a new ship. The SS  Roosevelt navigated through the ice between Greenland and Ellesmere Island , establishing an American hemisphere "farthest north by ship". The 1906 "Peary System" dogsled drive for

7224-541: Was the second-farthest penetration of Greenland's ice sheet at the time. Peary returned home knowing more of what was required for long-distance ice trekking. Back in Washington attending with the US Navy, in November 1887 Peary was ordered to survey likely routes for a proposed Nicaragua Canal. To complete his tropical outfit he needed a sun hat. He went to a men's clothing store where he met 21-year-old Matthew Henson ,

7310-461: Was thought to be the North Pole site; he returned with the greeting, "I think I'm the first man to sit on top of the world," much to Peary's chagrin. On April 7, 1909, Peary's group started their return journey, reaching Cape Columbia on April 23, and the Roosevelt on April 26. MacMillan and the doctor's party had reached the ship earlier, on March 21, Borup's party on April 11, Marvin's Inuit on April 17, and Bartlett's party on April 24. On July 18,

7396-514: Was to start from the west coast and trek about 400 mi (640 km) to the east coast. The second, more difficult path, was to start from Whale Sound at the top of the known portion of Baffin Bay and travel north to determine whether Greenland was an island or if it extended all the way across the Arctic. Peary was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander on January 5, 1901, and to commander on April 6, 1902. Peary made his first expedition to

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