Overland Relief Expedition

Overland Relief Expedition

The Overland Relief Expedition, also called the Alaska Relief Expedition or Point Barrow-Overland Relief Expedition, was an expedition in the winter of 1897-1898 by officers of the United States Revenue Cutter Service to save the lives of 265 whalers trapped in the Arctic Ocean by ice around their ships near Point Barrow, Alaska.

Contents

Background

In 1892, the government began a project of importing reindeer from Siberia to Alaska, and teach the natives how to raise the animals in order to have a steady and dependable food supply. The reindeer were obtained by Captain Michael Healy, who was known and trusted by the Siberian natives. Sheldon Jackson, the General Superintendent of Alaska, used his influence in the United States Congress to raise funds to purchase and care for the animals, and was placed in overall charge of training the herders.

The project started with 17 reindeer. From 1892 to 1906, cutters would cruise up the Siberian coast and barter with Chukchi for reindeer, which were then transported to a station at Port Clarence, near Nome, Alaska. In 1897, eight whaling ships were trapped in an Arctic ice field surrounding Point Barrow, the northernmost point of Alaska. The owners of the ships were concerned that the 265 men of the boats' crews would starve during the winter. They appealed to president William McKinley to send a relief expedition. McKinley asked the United States Treasury Department to organize an expedition, and they sent the USRC Bear, returned from Bering Sea Patrol, to undertake the expedition.

Expedition

In November 1897, the Bear led by Captain Francis Tuttle sailed from Port Townsend, Washington. It was too late in the year for the cutter to push through the ice, so it was decided the party must go overland, enlisting the help of natives, stopping by a reindeer station to purchase a herd of reindeer.

The overland trek left from Cape Vancouver, Alaska on December 16, 1897. The expedition was led by Lieutenant David H. Jarvis and second-in-command was Lieutenant Ellsworth P. Bertholf. They were accompanied by Surgeon Samuel Call and for part of the way the enlisted man F. Koltchoff. They were also assisted by William Thomas Lopp, the Superintendent of the Teller Reindeer Station, and Charlie Artiserlook, a native reindeer herder. They traveled and carried the provisions using dog sleds, sleds pulled by reindeer, snowshoes, and skis.

After 1,500 miles, the group reached Point Barrow on March 29, 1898. The expedition brought 382 reindeer to the whalers, having lost only 66. The following summer, the Bear reached Point Barrow and the expedition officers could rejoin their ship.

Recognition

McKinley recognized the achievements of the rescue in a letter dated January 17, 1899 to the United States Congress, in which he asked Congress to award the three officers Congressional Gold Medals of Honor "commemorative of their heroic struggles in aid of suffering fellow-men." He also recommended $2,500 to be disbursed by the United States Secretary of the Treasury to W.T. Lopp, Artisarlock, and the native herders who helped.[1]

In recognition of their work, Bertholf, Call, and Jarvis received a Congressional Gold Medal in 1902 (public law 32 Stat. 492).

References

Notes

Further reading

  • John Taliaferro. In a Far Country: The True Story of a Mission, a Marriage, a Murder,and the Remarkable Reindeer Rescue of 1898. PublicAffairs, 2006. ISBN 1586482211

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Emin Pasha Relief Expedition — The Emin Pasha Relief Expedition of 1886 to 1889 was one of the last major European expedition into the interior of Africa in the nineteenth century, ostensibly to the relief of Emin Pasha, General Charles Gordon s besieged governor of Equatoria …   Wikipedia

  • Overland Expedition — The Overland Expedition, also called the Overland Relief Expedition or Point Barrow Overland Relief Expedition, was an expedition in the winter of 1897 1898 by officers of the United States Revenue Cutter Service to save the lives of 265 whalers… …   Wikipedia

  • McClure Arctic Expedition — Map drawn by Robert McClure detailing the Northwest Passage, including the 1851 route of the Investigator. The McClure Arctic Expedition of 1850, among numerous British search efforts to determine the fate of the Franklin s lost expedition, is… …   Wikipedia

  • United States Exploring Expedition — The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean ( the Southern Seas ) conducted by the United States Navy from 1838–1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap… …   Wikipedia

  • Dominguez-Escalante Expedition — Painting of Dominguez Escalante Expedition found in the Utah State Capitol building The Dominguez Escalante Expedition was conducted in 1776 to find an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Spanish missions in California. Francisco Atanasio …   Wikipedia

  • Sicilian Expedition — Infobox Military Conflict conflict = Sicilian Expedition partof = the Peloponnesian War caption = date = 415 413 BC place = Sicily territory = result = Athenian defeat, complete destruction of the Athenian expeditionary force status = combatant1 …   Wikipedia

  • Penobscot Expedition — The Penobscot Expedition was the largest rebel American naval expedition of the American Revolutionary War and the United States worst naval defeat until Pearl Harbor. [Bicheno p.149] The principal fighting took place on both land and on sea, in… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Khe Sanh — For the song by Cold Chisel, see Khe Sanh (song). Battle of Khe Sanh Part of the Vietnam War …   Wikipedia

  • Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 — This article is about Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. For the Mississippi Flood of 1993, see Great Flood of 1993. Mississippi River Flood of 1927 showing flooded areas and relief operations The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most… …   Wikipedia

  • United States Armed Forces — United States Joint Service Color Guard on parade at Fort Myer, Virginia. Service branches …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”