The Cruise of the Corwin: Journal of the Arctic Expedition of 1881 in search of De Long and the Jeannette

by John Muir, Richard F. Fleck (Foreword by)

Overview

John Muir agreed in 1881 to sail aboard the Corwin, whose fruitless mission it was to search for the missing scientific research vessel Jeannette, which itself became icebound while exploring the distant and mysterious Wrangell Land in the higher latitudes of the Arctic. This cruise would afford Muir the opportunity to examine evidence of glaciation along the arctic coastlines of Siberia and Alaska and the harmonious lifestyle of Inuits and Chukchis, which was in the midst of disruption from the intrusions of the civilized South. “John Muir was certainly as concerned for the potential loss of marvelous arctic cultures as he was for our continent’s vanishing wilderness. In this sense, THE CRUISE OF THE CORWIN truly deserves our attention, especially in light of all that is happening in the Arctic today.” –Richard Fleck

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941821114
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	09/01/2014
Series:	The Literary Naturalist Series
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. Richard F. Fleck is author of Desert Rims to Mountains High, and also foreword writer for the WestWinds Press: Literary Naturalist Series which includes Alaska Days with John Muir and The Maine Woods. He is editor of A Colorado River Reader. At age seventy-five he remains active by climbing mountains and guiding Sierra Club hikes in Colorado and Utah. He is married to Maura and has three children and seven grandchildren. He teaches occasional classes for Colorado Heights Universityin retirement.

Read an Excerpt

Here he describes a polar sunset at midnight: “At midnight the sun is still above the horizon two diameters; purple to west and east, gradually fading to dark slate color in the south with a few banks of cloud. A bar of gold in the path of the sun lay on the water and across the pack, the large blocks [of ice] in the line burning like huge coals of fire.”

Table of Contents

Introduction I. Unalaska and the Aleuts II. Among the Islands of Bering Sea III. Siberian Adventures IV. In Peril from the Pack V. A Chukchi Orator VI. Eskimos and Walrus VII. At Plover Bay and St. Michael VIII. Return of the Search Party IX. Villages of the Dead X. Glimpses of Alaskan Tundra XI. Caribou and a Native Fair XII. Zigzags among the Polar Pack XIII. First Ascent of Herald Island XIV. Approaching a Mysterious Land XV. The Land of the White Bear XVI. Tragedies of the Whaling Fleet XVII. Meeting the Point Barrow Expedition XVIII. A Siberian Reindeer Herd XIX. Turned back by Storms and Ice XX. Homeward-Bound APPENDIX I. The Glaciation of the Arctic and Subarctic Regions visited during the Cruise II. Botanical Notes

Editorial Reviews

In the spring of 1881, the steamship began a daring voyage of 15,000 nautical miles into treacherous Arctic seas to search for Captain G. W. De Long and his ship The ship was never found, but Muir's account of the expedition captures the magic and mystery of the farthest reaches of the northern frontier. First published in 1917 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Muir, one of the most influential conservationists and nature writers in American history, founded the Sierra Club and was father to the national park system. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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