In the Shadow of the Pole: An Early History of Arctic Expeditions, 1871-1912
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by S.L. Osborne
Dundurn Press, Toronto, 2013
304 pp., illus., $35 paperback
Most Canadians have not, nor will ever, visit our country’s Arctic — and, it seems, early governments of Canada weren’t too bothered by the region, either.
One of the first Canadian expeditions northwards, in 1884, was not for exploration but to determine the navigability of Hudson Strait for potential grain shipments from what is now Churchill, Manitoba. Lieutenant Andrew Gordon commanded the Neptune, a seal-hunting ship rented by the government, and a small crew through the isolated channel into Hudson Bay. Imagine his surprise when, from a conversation with local Inuit, he learned that American whalers had been hunting and trading in the region for years!
In the Shadow of the Pole is a detailed account of lesser-known treks to the North, by Canada and other nations, to conquer the hostile weather and seas of the Arctic and claim the ultimate prize — being the first to the North Pole. Author S.L. Osborne tells a story of Canada struggling to assert its sovereignty over the vast territories inherited from Britain. Failure to succeed was an open invitation for other countries to move in.
Northern exploration has been a fascination for Osborne since she completed her master’s thesis on Captain Joseph-Elzéar Bernier, the man who in 1909 claimed the Arctic Archipelago for Canada.
Osborne believes that the rich history of the region is yet to be fully documented, and in this book she does a great job of illustrating the monumental challenges faced by the ships and their crews. Despite some sections that provide detailed historical context, her descriptions of the hardships endured by these men will keep you turning the pages.
— Steve Ducharme (Read bio)
Steve Ducharme is a student at Algonquin College in Ottawa and recently completed an internship at Canada's History magazine.