Who Discovered the Northwest Passage?

Authors

  • Janice Cavell

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4733

Keywords:

Northwest Passage, John Franklin, Robert McClure, John Rae, Roald Amundsen

Abstract

 

In 1855 a parliamentary committee concluded that Robert McClure deserved to be rewarded as the discoverer of a Northwest Passage. Since then, various writers have put forward rival claims on behalf of Sir John Franklin, John Rae, and Roald Amundsen. This article examines the process of 19th-century European exploration in the Arctic Archipelago, the definition of discovering a passage that prevailed at the time, and the arguments for and against the various contenders. It concludes that while no one explorer was “the” discoverer, McClure’s achievement deserves reconsideration.


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Published

2018-09-17