DOCSLIB.ORG

Reconnaissance in Northern Alaska

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Reconnaissance in Northern Alaska Phonal Paper No. 20 ' Senes DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DlRECTOlt A RECONNAISSANCE IN NORTHERN ALASKA ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ALONG KOYUKUK, JOHN, ANAKTUVUK, AND COLVILLE RIVERS, AND THE ARCTIC COAST TO CAPE LISBURNE, IN 1901 BY FRAISTK CHARLES SOHRADER WITH NOTES BY W. J. PETERS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1904 CONTENTS. Page. Letter of transmitted --__._.......-.-.......--..-..-........•.-............-..-..---........ 9 Introduction..............................................................:............... 11 Methods of work.......................................................................... 14 Dog sledding ............................................................. 14 Camping ...'..............•................................................ 15 Chronologic summary of operations ........................................ 15 Methods of scientific work................................................. 17 Itinerary and topographic methods, by W. J. Peters......................................... 18 Plan of operations................................................. ................... 18 White Horse to Bergman.............................................................. 19 Reconnaissance up Alatna River ....................................................... 20 Reconnaissance up John River......................................................... 20 Canoe trip from Settles to Point Barrow................................................ 21 Methods of topographic work ............................................................ 24 Previous explorations ..................................................................... 25 Historical sketch...................................................................... 25 Chronologic list of works .._.._.._......................................-......__...__.. 31 Population and conditions ................................................................. 33 On the Koyukuk....................................................................... 33 Natives................................................................... 33 Whites ..'.............................................•.................... 34 . Transportation and means of travel........................... .............. 34 The placers............................................................... 35 On the Arctic coast.............................................-------------.-.-...... 35 Natives. ............................................................ i..... 35 Whites..................................................:................ 36 Transportation and means of travel.......................................... 37 Table of distances ......................................................................... 37 Geography ................................................................................ 38 Location and general features .......................................................... 38 Mountain province.................................................................... 39 Endicott Mountains ............................................................... 40 General features .............................................................. 40 Ancient plateau feature o£ Endicott Mountains.................................. 42 Drainage ............................---..:---....--------------------.....--. 43 Koyukuk province.........................-----.............------....-..----....--.- 44 General features .............................................................. 44 Drainage .........-..'-....-----,.,.---...............^...................... 45 3 4 CONTENTS. Geography—Continued. Page. Arctic slope province .................................................................. 45 Anaktuvuk Plateau ............................................................... 45 Arctic Coastal Plain ............................................................... 46 Drainage ......................................................................... 46 Colville River................................................................. 46 Anaktuvuk River .............................................................. 48 Coast line......................................................................... 48 From Colville Kiver to Point Barrow ....................................... 48 From Point Barrow to Cape Lisburne and beyond........................... 49 Geology.................................................................................. 50 Geological map and sections ........................................................... 50 Outline of geologic history ............................................................. 52 Sedimentary rock formations .......................................................... 55 Paleozoic rocks ........-.............-..........................................'.. 55 Structure..................................................................... 55 Skajit formation (Upper Silurian)................................. ............ 56 Character and occurrence................ ................................. 56 Structure.........-................................'....................... 56 Age...................................................................... 57 Correlation............................................................... 58 Totsen series (Silurian)........................................................ 58 Character and occurrence.................................................. 58 Structure................................................................. 59 Age...................................................................... 59 1 Correlation ............................................................... 59 Stuver series (pre-Devonian)................................'.-................. 60 Character and occurrence.................................................. 60 Structure.........-.-----......--...........-.....-..--.-................. 61 Age •_....................................;................................ 62 Correlation............................................................... 62 Lisburne formation (Devonian) ................................................ 62 Character and occurrence.................................................. 62 Structure................................................................. 64 Age....... .>.............................................................. 64 Correlation............................................................... 65 Distribution ............................................................... 67 Fickett series ................................................................. 67 Character and occurrence.................................................. 67 Structure................................................................. 69 Age.................................:.............-...-..-......... :..... 70 Correlation ............................................................... 71 Mesozoic rocks.................................................................... 72 Corwin series (Jura-Cretaceous)..........................................:.-... 72 Character and occurrence.................................................. 72 Structure. .............................................^......-.----.-.--. 73 CONTENTS. 5 Geology—Continued. Page. Sedimentary rock formations—Continued. Mesozoic rocks—Continued. Corwin series (Jura-Cretaceous)—Continued. Age _....___.;........-.--.--_.-.--.---....-.--....-.-.---......--..-.-.-. 74 Correlation ...;........................................................... 74 Anaktuvuk series (Lower Cretaceous) .......................................... 74 Character and occurrence .................................................. 74 Structure......................-.-.....--..-.;.-.-....-..---.....--...-... 75 Age ...................................................................... 76 Correlation.......:........................................-.....-...-.... 76 Koyukuk series (Lower Cretaceous)............................................ 77 Character and occurrence.. ................................................. 77 Structure .................................................................. 77 Age...........-.......---.-.--. .......................................... 77 Correlation ................................................................ 77 Bergman series (Cretaceous?) ----...------.-.,..-.--..-.-..--.................. 77 Character and occurrence".................................................. 77 Structure..............-....--......-.--..-...----.-..--.................. 78 Age....-..,.-.----..--.-------.-----.-..--.---.-----------..-..---------. 78 Nanushuk series (Upper Cretaceous) .....-..-..__............................__ . 79 Character and occurrence.................................................. 79 Structure..............-............-....................:................ 80 Age...................................................................... 80 Correlation...-.....,------..---------.-.-.---.........-.....-..-......... 80 Tertiary rocks.....-.-......--------------..-------.-.----;------------....-...... 81 Colville series (Oligocene and Pliocene) ........................................ 81 Character and occurrence.................................................. 81 Structure............................................ .................... 82 Lower Colville (Oligocene)................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FY09 Annual Report
    university of alaska museum of the north FY09 annual report • 7.2008–6.2009 The University of Alaska Museum of the North, located on the Fairbanks campus, is the only museum in the state with a tripartite mission of research, teaching, and collecting. The museum’s botanical, geological, zoological, and cultural collections, primarily from Alaska and the Circumpolar North, form the basis for understanding the local as well as the global past, present, and future. Through collection-based research, teaching, and public programs, the Museum shares its knowledge and collections with local, national, and international audiences of all ages and backgrounds. museum Professional staff Carol Diebel, Museum Director Earth Sciences Exhibition & Design Mammalogy Patrick Druckenmiller, Curator* Steve Bouta, Chief Preparator Link Olson, Curator* Administration Amanda Hanson, Curatorial Assistant Tamara Martz, Production Assistant Brandy Jacobsen, Collection Manager Barbara Ellanna, Fiscal Professional Dusty McDonald, Programmer Andrew Quainton, Education Genomic Resources Assistant to the Director Laura Conner, Director Aren Gunderson, Coordinator Operations Linda Sheldon, Fiscal Technician Jennifer Arseneau, Kevin May, Manager Fine Arts Education Program Leader Advancement & Marketing Mareca Guthrie, Collection Manager Ornithology Peggy Hetman, Lloyd Huskey, Director Kevin Winker, Curator* Public Liaison Herbarium Alaska Center for Documentary Film Roger Topp, New Media Producer Steffi Ickert-Bond, Curator* Jack Withrow, Collection Manager Leonard
    [Show full text]
  • State of Colorado 2016 Wetland Plant List
    5/12/16 State of Colorado 2016 Wetland Plant List Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X http://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/ Aquilegia caerulea James (Colorado Blue Columbine) Photo: William Gray List Counts: Wetland AW GP WMVC Total UPL 83 120 101 304 FACU 440 393 430 1263 FAC 333 292 355 980 FACW 342 329 333 1004 OBL 279 285 285 849 Rating 1477 1419 1504 1511 User Notes: 1) Plant species not listed are considered UPL for wetland delineation purposes. 2) A few UPL species are listed because they are rated FACU or wetter in at least one Corps Region. 3) Some state boundaries lie within two or more Corps Regions. If a species occurs in one region but not the other, its rating will be shown in one column and the other column will be BLANK. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 1/22 5/12/16 Scientific Name Authorship AW GP WMVC Common Name Abies bifolia A. Murr. FACU FACU Rocky Mountain Alpine Fir Abutilon theophrasti Medik. UPL UPL FACU Velvetleaf Acalypha rhomboidea Raf. FACU FACU Common Three-Seed-Mercury Acer glabrum Torr. FAC FAC FACU Rocky Mountain Maple Acer grandidentatum Nutt. FACU FAC FACU Canyon Maple Acer negundo L. FACW FAC FAC Ash-Leaf Maple Acer platanoides L. UPL UPL FACU Norw ay Maple Acer saccharinum L. FAC FAC FAC Silver Maple Achillea millefolium L. FACU FACU FACU Common Yarrow Achillea ptarmica L.
    [Show full text]
  • Northwest Passage Trail
    Nunavut Parks & Special Places – Editorial Series January, 2008 NorThwesT Passage Trail The small Nunavut community of Gjoa Haven Back in the late eighteenth and nineteenth is located on King William Island, right on the centuries, a huge effort was put forth by historic Northwest Passage and home to the Europeans to locate a passage across northern Northwest Passage Trail which meanders within North America to connect the European nations the community, all within easy walking distance with the riches of the Orient. From the east, many from the hotel. A series of signs, a printed guide, ships entered Hudson Bay and Lancaster Sound, and a display of artifacts in the hamlet office mapping the routes and seeking a way through interpret the local Inuit culture, exploration of the ice-choked waters and narrow channels to the the Northwest Passage, and the story of the Gjoa Pacific Ocean and straight sailing to the oriental and Roald Amundsen. It is quite an experience lands and profitable trading. The only other to walk the shores of history here, learning of routes were perilous – rounding Cape Horn at the exploration of the North, and the lives of the the southern tip of South America or the Cape of people who helped the explorers. Good Hope at the southern end of Africa. As a result, many expeditions were launched to seek a passage through the arctic archipelago. Aussi disponible en français xgw8Ns7uJ5 wk5tg5 Pilaaktut Inuinaqtut ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᖅ k a t j a q n a a q listen to the land aliannaktuk en osmose avec la terre Through the efforts of the Royal Navy, and WANDER THROUGH HISTORY Lady Jane Franklin, John Franklin’s wife, At the Northwest Passage Trail in the at least 29 expeditions were launched to community of Gjoa Haven, visitors can, seek Franklin and his men, or evidence of through illustrations and text on interpretive their fate.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Status, Distribution, and Trends of Mixedwoods in the Northern United States1 Lance A
    881 ARTICLE Contemporary status, distribution, and trends of mixedwoods in the northern United States1 Lance A. Vickers, Benjamin O. Knapp, John M. Kabrick, Laura S. Kenefic, Anthony W. D’Amato, Christel C. Kern, David A. MacLean, Patricia Raymond, Kenneth L. Clark, Daniel C. Dey, and Nicole S. Rogers Abstract: As interest in managing and maintaining mixedwood forests in the northern United States (US) grows, so does the importance of understanding their abundance and distribution. We analyzed Forest Inventory and Analysis data for insights into mixedwood forests spanning 24 northern US states from Maine south to Maryland and westward to Kansas and North Dakota. Mixedwoods, i.e., forests with both hardwoods and softwoods present but neither exceeding 75%–80% of composition, comprise more than 19 million hectares and more than one-quarter of the northern US forest. They are most common in the Adirondack – New England, Laurentian, and Northeast ecological provinces but also occur elsewhere in hardwood-dominated ecological provinces. These mixtures are common even within forest types nominally categorized as either hardwood or softwood. The most common hardwoods within those mixtures were species of Quercus and Acer,and the most common softwoods were species of Pinus, Tsuga,andJuniperus. Although mixedwoods exhibited stability in total area during our analysis period, hardwood saplings were prominent, suggesting widespread potential for eventual shifts to hardwood dominance in the absence of disturbances that favor regeneration of the softwood component. Our analyses sug- gest that while most mixedwood plots remained mixedwoods, harvesting commonly shifts mixedwoods to either hard- wood- or softwood-dominated cover types, but more specific information is needed to understand the causes of these shifts.
    [Show full text]
  • Mountain-Prairie Region 6 Overview of the Service’S Mountain-Prairie Region
    U.S. U.S.Fish Fish & Wildlife & Wildlife Service Service Mountain-Prairie Region 6 Overview of the Service’s Mountain-Prairie Region Widgeon Pond at Red Rocks Lake National Wildlife Refuge / USFWS The Mountain-Prairie Region consists of federal agencies such as the Department Regional Demographics 8 states in the heart of the American of Defense. Energy development, ■ Land area: 737,884 square miles west including Colorado, Kansas, agricultural trends and urbanization all (468,573,000 acres) Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, exert influences on the Region’s ■ Population: 15,403,172 (Roughly 2.5 to South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The landscapes. 1 urban to rural ratio) region is defined by three distinct ■ Members of Congress: 37 landscapes. In the east lie the central Resource Facts and Figures ■ Federally Recognized Indian Tribes: 40 and northern Great Plains, primarily the ■ Approximately 5,751,358 acres ■ Public land: 137,024,000 acres (federal vast mixed- and short-grass prairies. To protected by the National Wildlife and state) the west rise the Rocky Mountains and Refuge System (NWRS), including ■ Wildlife-dependent recreation: the intermountain areas beyond the both fee title and easement lands. This 7,275,000 people* (hunting, fishing, and Continental Divide, including parts of includes 124 national wildlife refuges, wildlife watching) the sprawling Colorado Plateau and the 18 coordination areas, and numerous * USDA Economic Research Service Great Basin. The northeastern part of waterfowl production areas in 120 **FY 2011 National Survey of Fishing, the Region contains millions of shallow counties through Fiscal Year 2012. Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated wetlands known as the “prairie ■ 2,576,476 visitors to NWRS lands in Recreation potholes,” which produce a large portion Fiscal Year 2012.
    [Show full text]
  • Botanical Survey at Reed River Hot Springs, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR)
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Botanical Survey at Reed River Hot Springs, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) Natural Resource Report NPS/GAAR/NRR—2016/1136 ON THIS PAGE Photograph of two hot water outlets in the uppermost part of the A field. The hot springs are surrounded by azonal, lush fern vegetation. The central part of the A field consisted mainly of broken sinter material and very sparse vegetation. Photograph courtesy of Lisa Strecker ON THE COVER Photograph of A field of the Reed River Hot Springs and the Reed River as seen from the slope above the hot springs. The bright green vegetation of the hot springs area contrasts starkly with plant cover on the other side of the Reed River which is characteristic for the area. Photograph courtesy of Lisa Strecker Botanical Survey at Reed River Hot Springs, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) Natural Resource Report NPS/GAAR/NRR—2016/1136 Lisa Strecker Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve 4175 Geist Road Fairbanks, AK 99709 February 2016 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Lakes Shipping Study
    UNCLASSIFIED Great Lakes Shipping Study This page intentionally left blank. National Protection and Programs Directorate Integrated Analysis Task Force Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center January 13, 2014 UNCLASSIFIED Executive Summary The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS) system is a vast, interconnected series of navigable waterways, with intersecting modes of transportation and landscapes. The enormity and importance of the GLSLS system cannot be overstated as the region is critically dependent upon it; therefore, it is vital to understand the nature of the system, the industries that rely upon it, its economic impact, and major commodities that flow through the GLSLS. This study provides an overview of the GLSLS system, focusing on geography, system infrastructure, economic and employment data derived from the GLSLS, and detailed analysis of three key commodities: iron ore, steel, and refined petroleum products. The GLSLS, which borders eight states and spans 2,300 miles, comprises Lake Superior, Lakes Michigan and Huron, Lake Erie, Montreal-Lake Ontario, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway, as well as the channels that connect these navigable sections. U.S. and Canadian companies and industries rely on the GLSLS for low-cost, long-distance transportation of raw materials and finished goods. In 2010, U.S. and Canadian companies that depend on the GLSLS for moving cargo reported revenues of over $30 billion, more than half of which was generated in the United States. The GLSLS is also responsible for the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, providing direct employment for mariners, many types of port employees, and support positions within the companies, as well as creating indirect jobs that result from the spending power of the previously mentioned workers.
    [Show full text]
  • Memorandum (W&SRS)
    OI'TIONAL FORM NO. 10 MAY 1M2 O:DITION GSA FPMR (~1 Cl'l<) 101•11.1 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum (W&SRS) TO Assistant Director Eastman DATE: May 30, 1973 FROM Alaska Task Force Leader ./ su~EcT: Tinayguk Wild and Scenic River Report. Enclo~ed are two copies of a ·prelimi ary draft of Chapters IV and V of the subj~ct report. opy of this report has been provided to NWRO and BLM, · SF&W NPS and FS planriirig t~ams in Anchorage. Chapter IV w1 1 be distributed to study team participants. ~ · ·It is emphasized that the conclusions and recommendations are based upon a single ·aerial examination of June 14, 1972, and upon office review of available information. On-site field examination is scheduled for this summer. Following field work, the preliminary draft will be revised as appropriate and the remaining portions of the report completed. Tileston / 2 Enclosures cc: WASO/Fred Strack ARLIS Alaska Resources .,.ft.~- . Library & Information SerVices · Anchorage Alaska Buy U.S. SfWings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan IOIO•lot ,JINAYGUK RIVER, ALASKA --- A Wild and Scenic Rj.ver Analysis • THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED PURSUANT TO PUBLIC LAW 90-542, THE WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT. PUBLICATION OF THE FINDINGS AND RECOM- MENDATIONS HEREIN SHOULD NOT, -BE CONSTRUED AS REPRESENTING EITHER THE APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR. THE PURPOSE OF THE REPORT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND ALTERNA­ TIVES FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION BY THE BUREAU OF OUTDOOR RECREATION, THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. Bureau of Outdoor Recreati6n Alaska Task Force PRELIMINARY DRAFT--­ NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRI~ BUTION DR PUBLIC USE ---SUBJECT TO REVISION v.
    [Show full text]
  • Bent's Fort Teacher Resource Guide-Secondary
    Annotated Resource Set (ARS) Bent’s Fort Teacher Resource Guide-Secondary Title / Content Area: Bent’s Fort-US History Developed by: Kelly Jones-Wagy Grade Level: 9-12 Contextual Paragraph Bent’s Fort in southeastern Colorado, built in 1833 by trader and rancher William Bent, was an important trading settlement in the 1830s. Located on the border of Mexico and US territory and in the heart of Native American country, Bent’s Fort was a hub of globalism, international trade, and international relations. Although Bent mysteriously destroyed it in 1852, the fort was rebuilt in 1976 and is now a National Historic Landmark. Bent’s Fort does not typically align with high school curriculum; however, it is an excellent introduction to the Sand Creek Massacre and Manifest Destiny. The Sand Creek Massacre took place on November 29, 1864, in southeastern Colorado. Colonel John Chivington (the hero of the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass) attacked an American Indian encampment made up largely of women and children from the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. About 200 people were killed in the attack, and Chivington paraded body parts of the dead along the streets of Denver. In 1865 Congress led an investigation into the massacre, but Chivington never faced charges for his role. In addition to its connections to the events at Sand Creek, Bent’s Fort helped open up the American western frontier to settlement. It helped America bring forward the concept of Manifest Destiny. 1 Resource Set Title Primary Source Lesson Map of the upper Great The Dawes Act Johnson's new Ft.
    [Show full text]
  • Arctic Grayling
    Arctic Grayling For most anglers in America, the Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus (Pallus)) is a rare freshwater game fish symbolic of the clear, cold streams of the northern wilderness. Grayling occur throughout the arctic as far west as the Kara River in Russia and east to the western shores of Hudson Bay in Canada. Once as common as far south as Michigan and Montana, the Arctic grayling has almost disappeared from the northern United States because of overfishing, competition from introduced species, and habitat loss. General description: The Arctic grayling is an elegantly formed cousin of the trout. With its sail-like dorsal fin dotted with large iridescent red or purple spots, the grayling is one of the most unusual and beautiful fish of Alaska. Grayling are generally dark on the back and have iridescent gray sides. They have varying numbers of black spots scattered along the anterior portion of both sides. The adipose, caudal (tail), pectoral, and anal fins are gray and the pelvic fins are often marked with pink to orange stripes. Life history: Grayling have evolved many strategies to meet the needs of life in what are often harsh and uncertain environments. Grayling can be highly migratory, using different streams for spawning, juvenile rearing, summer feeding, and overwintering. Or, in other areas, they can complete their entire life without leaving a short section of stream or lake. Winter generally finds grayling in lakes or the deeper pools of medium-sized rivers such as the Chena and Gulkana, or in large glacial rivers like the Tanana, Susitna, and Yukon.
    [Show full text]
  • Chugach State Park Management Plan
    CHUGACH STATE PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN Adopted February 2016 CHUGACH STATE PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN Adopted February 2016 Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation Cover photos courtesy of: Bull Moose Fight by: Donna Dewhurst Northern Lights Rainbow by: Larry Anderson Falls Creek- Turnagain by: Stephen Nickel Bird Ridge by: Wayne Todd Lupine At Chugach and Eklutna Lake by: Jeff Nelson Evening Beaver Ponds by: Jim Wood Credits and Acknowledgements Planning Team Monica Alvarez, Project Manager/Planner, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water Amanda Hults, Planner, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water Thomas Harrison, Chugach State Park Superintendent, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation Matthew Wedeking, Chugach State Park Chief Ranger, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation Ruth Booth, Publisher, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water Plan Contributors Acknowledgements are gratefully due to the following Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation staff for their help in the planning process and contributions to the plan: Thomas Crockett, Kurt Hensel, Preston Kroes, Ian Thomas, and Keith Wilson- Former and Present Chugach State Park Rangers; Blaine Smith- Chugach State Park Specialist; Bill Evans- Former Landscape Architect; Lucille Baranko- Landscape Specialist; Claire Leclair- Chief of Field Operations; Ben Ellis- Director;
    [Show full text]
  • The Final Days of the Franklin Expedition: New Skeletal Evidence ANNE KEENLEYSIDE,1 MARGARET BERTULLI2 and HENRY C
    ARCTIC VOL. 50, NO. 1 (MARCH 1997) P. 36–46 The Final Days of the Franklin Expedition: New Skeletal Evidence ANNE KEENLEYSIDE,1 MARGARET BERTULLI2 and HENRY C. FRICKE3 (Received 19 June 1996; accepted in revised form 21 October 1996) ABSTRACT. In 1992, a previously unrecorded site of Sir John Franklin’s last expedition (1845–1848) was discovered on King William Island in the central Canadian Arctic. Artifacts recovered from the site included iron and copper nails, glass, a clay pipe fragment, pieces of fabric and shoe leather, buttons, and a scatter of wood fragments, possibly representing the remains of a lifeboat or sledge. Nearly 400 human bones and bone fragments, representing a minimum of 11 men, were also found at the site. A combination of artifactual and oxygen isotope evidence indicated a European origin for at least two of these individuals. Skeletal pathology included periostitis, osteoarthritis, dental caries, abscesses, antemortem tooth loss, and periodontal disease. Mass spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence revealed elevated lead levels consistent with previous measurements, further supporting the conclusion that lead poisoning contributed to the demise of the expedition. Cut marks on approximately one-quarter of the remains support 19th-century Inuit accounts of cannibalism among Franklin’s crew. Key words: Franklin Expedition, skeletal remains, oxygen isotope analysis, lead poisoning, cannibalism RÉSUMÉ. En 1992, on a découvert un site non mentionné auparavant, relié à la dernière expédition de sir John Franklin (1845- 1848) dans l’île du Roi-Guillaume, située au centre de l’océan Arctique canadien. Les artefacts récupérés sur ce site comprenaient des clous en fer et en cuivre, du verre, un fragment de pipe en terre, des morceaux de tissu et de cuir de chaussure, des boutons et de multiples fragments de bois éparpillés, qui pourraient venir d’un canot de sauvetage ou d’un traîneau.
    [Show full text]