The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881- 1884
In 1881, the United States joined an international effort to study the earth’s polar regions. The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881 to 1884 would become a dramatic fight for survival. It is history that deserves to be remembered.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Reminds me of the brilliant recent ten part TV series "The Terror" directed by Ridley-Scott about the doomed Sir John Franklin expedition.
Tragic story of an expedition plagued by arrogance and the false equating of the dry west with the grueling cold of the Arctic. Note, was that SGT JOSEPH Ellison, 10th INF or is that a typo, and it should have read SGT Joseph Ellison, 10th INF?
Gotta risk it for the biscuit. THE LAST BISCUIT 😳
It may be a mere conceit to assume that Global Climate Change can be arrested. In which instance, this and other bodies of Arctic research may prove invaluable.
Cannalbism is murder to eat. It is NOT eating the remains of someone who has died Love how well fed people sit in judgement of misery they could never understand.
have you done one about civelien workers on the front lines of w.w.2
Coconut Pie? eww
I remember seeing a documentary about exhuming the frozen preserved corpses of Officers John Hartnell and Torrington up from the ice. The on sight autopsy indicated that hypothermia may not have killed the entire ice locked crew of the Franklin expedition. After traces of toxic lead from low grade provision cans were found in their stomach, their bodies were re interred on the exact same spot. Their grave stones were carefully re installed back in the permafrost. Rescuers found them all dead with plenty of food and ample fire wood. Lead poisoning?
Another good story is Capt. Bob Bartlet of Brigus, Newfoundland who was the captain on Perry's Arctic expedition and the ill fated Karluk expedition where he saved the lives of the crew and those who decided to listen to him rather then wandering on open ice between Wrangel Island Siberia and Alaska in 1914.
Two days ago, I just finished listening to about a 13 hour audio book about this expedition: Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition By: Buddy Levy Narrated by: Will Damron This is a wonderful book and I recommend it, if you love history. : ) As far as major misconduct: Another member of the expedition, Dr. Pavey was accused of suggesting extra rations for a seriously frost bit man, then stealing and eating the extra rations from that man. He was also accused of withholding medicine from men...painkiller opiates...and using them on himself. But he was their only doctor, so there was a blind eye turned...so that accusations were as far as it went...rather than setting out to prove he did those things, such as what they did to the man they eventually executed for food theft. But, given everything they went through, it sounds like most of the men behaved as gentlemen, and they took care of each other. And it was said that Greely, more often than not, cradled the heads of those men who were dying...being there so they felt the comfort of a human touch before they passed away.
I wish you would do a segment on the USS Jeanette exposition. It is a fascinating true story the “deserves to be remembered”.
This story brought me to tears; usually only reserved for the retelling of heroism in battle.
The direful beetle positionally stare because bow invariably shrug beneath a womanly lycra. cooing, daily edger
Wow, reminds me of the Shackleton expedition
Man, they all look like Edgar A. Poe. Another interesting episode. Did anyone else see Kirk fighting the Gorn? The Franklin Expedition has fascinated me since I was a kid.
Most fittingly, one of the US Army's bases in Alaska is named in Greely's honor.
I guess an episode on the Franklin Expedition is due next? Unless I missed one you've already done.
so this expedition was the source material for "model of a modern major-general" song?
I didn't know this but Fort Greeley, Alaska (100 miles south of where I am at in Fairbanks) is named after Adolphus. The base is used for cold-weather testing and ballistic missile defense.
...A suggested topic...as a retired meteorologist, I'm always interested in how the weather played a part in many decisive points in history. Many of your fascinating stories include weather issues. It might be cool to put on your list..”weather's role in historical events” or some such wording. From the time before ww2 when it was mostly a guessing game, to the war itself which initiated major scientific and observing and communication systems, to today when the need for a meteorologist skills and knowledge is mostly gone because the numerical weather prediction models are so powerful. I was privileged to have seen the transformation from analogue to digital, from the earliest pc's and automated weather stations to the first supercomputer weather models. It was a blast. Thanks Mr & Mrs Guy. Never a dull story.
Wow I just noticed the B-9 Robot and Robbie the Robot behind you.
Two things God told me. Don’t ride a bull and don’t go somewhere that should not be explored, just yet. None of these egos will give you success
Last time I was this late, Walruses had opposable thumbs.
Actually, Lt. Kislingbury's name was Frederick Foster Kislingbury, not Frederick T. Kislingbury. He had been an Infantry Officer during the Great Planes Indian Wars, so I'm not not sure why he's called a Signal Corp's Officer here. He was my Great Grand Uncle. My Great Aunt Elizabeth Kislingbury had a slightly different story about why he requested to leave the expedition and according to letters the family got from some of the survivors (later) he was later reinstated as second in command. Greely, being a good-old-boys-club insider literally got a Washington white-wash over the entire event.. :-) Lt. Kislingbury had the largest public funeral, ever, in Rochester, NY.
Just looking at Lady Franklin bay on google maps begs the question, how did they think that that bay would always be open in the summer?
What a mess. History Guy: This story needs to be tightening up. Back reference to Sir John Franklin would have helped. Maybe I missed it.
Thank you 🤩
cool
From what I have been able to learn, after a cursory search, is that Canada must have approved this temporary American station ( and a German one on Baffin Island) although I didn't find anything specifically saying so. But what blows my mind is that, to my knowledge, no one in Canada ever protested the American attempt to establish a permanent American colony in the region.
0:55 angenehm
I NEVER miss any of your stories but this one was possibly the most powerful one yet. Keep up the great work!
Always the most informative and interesting videos as usual. Keep up the good work my friend. History can't be forgotten.
I really like your videos. You do a great job at presenting them. By far this channel is the best history channel on MNthe. Keep up the great work. Thank you for your time and effort.
This piece of history DESERVES to be remembered!
Sad part was. This wasn't only polar expedition disaster.
Is there a book I can read about this?
@Issuma You're welcome. Enjoy.
@LizJ Thanks Liz!
Hello, Issuma. I did a simple Google search (book on the lady franklin bay expedition), which resulted in over five books on this topic. Here is one that has been suggested by other commenters: Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy (2019).
Coldest I’ve ever been was at Ft. Greeley back in the 90s. It was -65 ambient temperature.
Here's a suggestion HG: Play some music when you end the video with a list of names. That way we can know if the video continues or has ended. In this video I stopped it before the list of casualties showed up. Luckily I was able to run it back. RIP the men of the expedition, true heroes.
I prefer the silence. Music affects each of us differently, and someone could think that the chosen piece isn't sufficiently respectful.
I can always count on you to bring me History That was not remembered to now, Remember! Thanks HG for information on this expedition I had never heard of and the men who survived the ordeal are now able to be remebered by a much wider audience.
Good one. Here's some ancillary information your viewers might like: 'Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition' by Buddy Levy; St. Martin's Press, 2019. Adventure Travel Award, Banff Mountain Book Festival 2020. (Award Commentary: “The expedition, led by Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely in 1881 began as a scientific and exploratory expedition that turned into a story of survival. But more than survival, the book is about the qualities of leadership and heroism in the face of extreme hardship. This book is so important because today the world needs heroes, young heroes. And this book has many - both struggling to survive and struggling to rescue.”) Also, check out the digital preservation of Fort Conger at the Virtual Museum of Canada: fortconger.org/index Also, 'Ghosts of Cape Sabine: The Harrowing True Story of the Greely Expedition' by Leonard Guttridge
Thank you for the llink to Fort Conger. The site is wide ranging in scope. My favorite part was playing the botanical specimens game.
well today been different Americans say r'out when we say root / and route when we say rout (spelling mistakes were on purpose) UK
Read “in the Kingdom of Ice” by Hampton Side about the USS Jeannette
As usual, well-researched and brilliantly delivered! I had heard of this debacle (or should I say farce?), but nothing I read had your deft emphasis on some very glaring failures in planning. No research to support assumptions? Apparently, the mild Summer of their arrival in Franklin Bay was more fluke, than common. Contingencies inadequately executed-- not just the usual "design by committee" failure, it was a "design by political committee" failure: Harding's death put paid to to any organized hope for those guys. Much more shameful than I had known. Thank you, History Guy!
Thank you for that summary. I have original copies of Greeley’s two volume record of that expedition and have read numerous other second hand accounts in an attempt to understand the complete story of their hardships at Cape Sabine and the decisions that led to their situation. It is altogether too easy to retroactively second guess decisions made by others but it is also very valuable to learn from others who have gone before us. Your presentation was very well done.
Wow. Thanks again.
Signal Soldiers are typically taught a cursory overview of "the Greely Expedition" as a part of US Army Signal Corps history. It's nice to hear "the rest of the story." Paul Harvey would be proud. :-)
Today in Alaska, Fort Greely is the Army and Air forces cold weather survival training center.
I just watched your episode "Inscription Rock". Have you done one on the "Jornada del Muerto" in New Mexico?
Brave men all. Illuminating video on exploration and tough bastards, thanks.
I love your intro's and that tagline gets me juiced. Very choice.
I expected a different expedition based on the name Lady Franklin, but having not known of this expedition I'm grateful for the video :-)
If I die, and you're starving, start with my quadricept. Don't eat my face unless you really have to.
you can....only if you promise to clean your plate.
You know what awesome fact about human nature and life on Earth that this historical documentation proves and points out?? It points out that competition and the desire to be number one advances human culture and our scientific, mathematic, sports, language and anything you could name of, drives it forward at an astronomical pace and if it wasn't for competition We would be in the stone age. The reason why I point this out is because in schools nowadays if your last you still get a f****** award. Is that not scary?? Kids are taught now that competition is bad and mean and hurtful to people who try a little bit not hard enough to do anything or make a substantial Mark in there endeavors against their Pierce. Sad man
the more i learn about this time, the more i learn that the Garfield admin was... poor to say the least
Thank you for paying tribute to the men who lost their lives during the expedition. But to properly honor their memories and accomplishments, please ensure that their names are spelled correctly. I’ve never heard names such as ‘Edwrad’ and ‘Josehp’ and suspect they are misspellings. If my assumptions are incorrect, I offer my apologies in advance.
As usual, a very good dissertation, thanks !
Why not do a video on the tin can and the can opener was invented before the can true.
Yeah. Those guys were really let down by their support people. Still, the big problem, as with several other such expeditions - was that they had they technology to get themselves into trouble - but not to get them out of it. When things turned out to be different than they had planned ... they were in real trouble. Part of the problem was that you had people who had a lot more ambitious goals than they did experience. .
@Beth Hentges Yes. .
Right. Among so many ways these folks were unprepared, the emergency caches should have been created before the expedition rather than being planned to be used only as part of a failed resupply mission.
What about the expedition that no one survived the one they discovered 100 years later where they have died from tin poisoning and one of their descendants met their ancestors? creepy
I hope some of the survivors later found and beat the tar out of the captain of the S.S. Neptune for not leaving all the supplies he was supposed to.
this was a well told story and as a canuck im impressed you pronounced newfoundlad as the maritimers do newfunland
Wow, what a goat-rope that expedition was!
If you haven't already, please do an episode on "The Worst Journey In The World"!
Pretty sure I saw a movie of this and they succumbed to cannibalism on a few occasions, but it was fictionalized and included a type of snow monster that also killed some of the crew.
3:05 ...Harsh, but fair. Like a history teacher ought to be.
Just think. They were well aware of peoples that live in arctic conditions (for dozens of generations). Why not contact first them (by way of Canada perhaps?) and establish from pros how best to survive and travel in extreme winter conditions? We always re-invent the damn wheel - to our own demise.
I would like to see the battle of Oriskany
what map is shown at 1:25
Another great history lesson... have you done anything about Ernest Shackleton?
Very brave men
Thanks for the good show.
A fascinating story. Well worth telling.
I've been in -40F with wind chill, but only for an hour at a time. Overland travel on minimum rations in that environment would be torture. Tropical islands are where it's at. I'd find any reason to explore those after surviving an arctic expedition, and I'd never go back to the ice. On a palm tree covered island, there are no polar bears.
As a younger man, I also explored the Arctic. It's true! If you have a moment, allow me to regale you with my tale. Twenty years ago, after graduating from university, I accompanied my family on a two week trip around Alaska. When in Fairbanks, I borrowed a car and, with my trusty aunt in the passengers seat, set off on the Dalton Highway, north to the Arctic Circle. After a spell, we arrived at the Arctic Circle; it was easy to find as it was the only pull-off for many miles. After pictures in front of a large sign proclaiming our presence at the Circle and a leisurely lunch of sandwiches and Coke, we returned to the iron steed (a Saturn wagon) and turned for the exit. But instead of south, I turned north. My copilot inquired as to this change of plans, and after a moment, I filled her in. "We are now north of the Arctic Circle as according to the official sign. We are now officially in the Arctic. I don't know what's on this road, which makes this a trip into the unknown Arctic, and as I drive I see the unknown and explore it as we head further north. As I have never seen this before, this makes me an Arctic explorer. And you are now one too." We turned the car around after a mile and a half, having explored scenery I had never seen, all above the Arctic Circle. Pictures were taken, lunch was eaten, and a short jaunt into lands unknown north of the Circle meant that I and my travelling companion were true Explorers of the Arctic, adventurers for as long as we live. And that, dear reader, is my story and I'm sticking to it.
As a child I was very interested in arctic exploration and read books on all the Arctic and Antarctica explorers. As an adult I have been above the arctic circle and have gone to Antarctica achieving my dream to see both. Antarctica is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
A
If you aren't one then you should become a writer. You seem to have a gift for the written word.
It would be most welcome if you included source materiel links. What little I've found have had time limit access, asinine pay walls, or the extremely offensive 'cookie' notice. WTF! This is HISTORY! It should be OPEN ACCESS! These greedy assholes need to take a page from the outstanding Cornell managed pre-print service, arXiv. This, among a few others, informs the rest of us on bleeding edge scientific research that by rights of the effort involved, should be paid for. But to the extent so many repositories on historical events are essentially closed by copyright laws and greed angers me greatly. I guess that is my rant for the day. Stay safe. We need you.
It's not just the cold. It can be dark for nine months of the year. I suspect that has to add a bit of gloom to a tough situation.
Sgt. Brainard would go on to eventually become a general in the US Army and directed the rescue of survivors of the San Francisco earthquake. He started out as a private during the Civil War and is one of only a few men to start out as a private and end up as a general. The Grelly expedition's data has been recently used for climate change research.
Thanks for history. ..
I see government was inept as it is right now as it was back then.. Seems every endeavor was for glory and money. Things SURE haven't changed much. Time for another revolution?
Austerity kills, especially when growth is stifled by the greedy
I enjoy hearing about such tragedies and thinking that such a thing could never happen in our modern age again. And then I remember space exists.
Well done as always. Thanks History Guy
I noticed the UK Police helmet on your shelves. My guess is it's from the Greater Manchester force? I am sure you are aware that the different constabularies/forces tend to have slight differences in the design of the helmet, not just the badge on the front.
Hi HG! Another fabulous video! Can you do one that explains why the English pronounce the name of the City of Los Angeles so the final syllable rhymes with "trees"? I've never understood how that came about and it's a pet peeve of mine. :)
This story seemed familiar to me. Then I recalled that I recently read a book about this from my local public library. Searching around it was: "Labyrinth Of Ice The Triumphant And Tragic Greely Polar Expedition" by Buddy Levy.
Funny how it was in a place named after Lady Franklin. At least they actually looked for/found these guys before they all died.
random pictures is just some story.
WOW insanely brave , or jest insane ?
Thank you for another amazing piece of history. If history classes had been this informative in high school I might have learned something instead of daydreaming & looking out the windows. Thank you for listing all the names so that we to could remember & honor them.
Hello Sir, I have long enjoyed your site. Please research the story of Alferd Packer of Lake City (nice place to visit if you get the chance) I think it's right up your alley.
Another piece of history I never heard of. Bravo The History Guy! You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge. Thank you for expanding my knowledge of history.
These men were the best of the best. Risking their lives for simple exploration, wanting to know the unknown. True human beings.
Thank you Lance. I'd never heard of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition before but now I have, it just makes me very glad that I wasn't there! These were more than just brave, dedicated men: they were absolutely heroic. They were also, to a degree, scandalously abandoned by their home country. That anyone survived at all is quite remarkable, especially as some went on to make it to very advanced years. Perhaps all the mens' names should be recorded for posterity, as whether they survived or not, their sacrifice deserves to be honoured and remembered.
mnthe.info/bill/video/bbRy1Y7HomtloaI Great info that episode 🤓🧐🙃
An Arctic colony ?? There's an idea that didn't sound good from the start. Great video !! As usual.
The fact that polar ice changed from year to year perplexed Arctic explorers for far longer than it should have, and this expedition wasn't the first to meet a tragic end due to this. The Canadian Armed Forces maintains a base north of Lady Franklin Bay, called Alert. Obviously it's a listening, observation post for Soviet, now Russian incursions which are not uncommon. I don't think much is written about the base, for security reasons. Alert might almost be on the moon. Even with aircraft, it is not an easy place to get to, or leave.
Hero's of the past, Men among Men. Just such a horrible way to slowly die. And today we live there 24 7. Amazing.
the name Franklin just doesnt bode well for Polar expeditions
I love this stuff
Lance I invariably enjoy each unique intro graphic and look forward to the surprise that presents itself when I look at them with a "What did they do with it today." anticipation. A fun addition to your thoroughly enjoyable channel. Long subscribed, always a thumbs up. Your work is a welcome distraction from the cares and pressures surrounding us during these trying pandemic times. Thanks to both of you for your hard work. Cheers from Canada