Boreal Ties: Photographs and Two Diaries of the 1901 Peary Relief Expedition

by Kim Fairley (Editor), Silas Hibbard Ayer III (Editor)

In 1899 Robert Peary, exploring northern Greenland in search of the North Pole, lost seven toes to frostbite but refused to cut his exploration short to seek treatment. When his wife learned of his condition, she and their seven-year-old daughter set off in July 1900 to find Peary and persuade him to come home. The 1901 expedition documented in this fascinating new book was organized to deliver supplies to Peary and to search for his wife and child. The book comprises the annotated diaries and photographs of two participants in the expedition, Clarence Wyckoff and Louis Bement, close friends from Ithaca, New York who paid $500 each to join the voyage.Wyckoff and Bement embarked looking forward to what twenty-first century travelers would call adventure tourism. They envisioned themselves hunting wild game, admiring and photographing magnificent scenery, and escaping the stresses of their lives as businessmen. The scenery did not disappoint, as the photographs assembled here testify, but the stress of sailing in polar seas was worse than the travelers imagined. They endured maggoty food, head lice, and hives. The ice and the incompetence of the shipas crew threatened their lives on more than one occasion. In addition to the drama of the journey and the magnificent Arctic scenery, this travelogue is a valuable record of the American explorersa encounters with Inuit people, many of whom are identified by name.

Genres: Nonfiction

248 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2002

Reviews

[Roxann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift from a friend, and I had no real interest in the topic, however, when I started reading the first few pages, I could not put it down. The journals of Clarence Wyckoff and Louis Bement, written during the Peary Relief Expedition in 1901, were incredibly interesting. I ended up reading the book in two days. While in many ways, the adventure seemed horrible, there was so much excitement in it as well. But, by far the best part of the book, for me, was the photographs that were taken during the journey. I am overwhelmed packing a camera, card reader and laptop for a three week vacation. It is impossible for me to imagine what these men took on this ship to take and develop these beautiful photos. It is amazing that they were taken over 100 years ago, in such challenging conditions. If you enjoy reading about traveling adventures at all, I would highly recommend this book....and, also for those who are interested in exploration of the literal frozen north.

[Fabiënne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book while learning more about Frederick Cook, and was delighted by the many previously unseen pictures of him in 'Boreal Ties'. The book offers an interesting view of Arctic travel and exploration around 1900. The magnificent pictures and transcribed journals are valuable sources. Would definitely recommend this book to anybody interested in the Arctic.

[Katherine Kirkpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used Boreal Ties by Kim Fairley Gillis (editor) to research two of my own books set in the Arctic. What an invaluable resource this book was to me, what a find! The journals contain intriguing references to Frederick Cook, Matthew Henson, Robert E. Peary, Josephine Peary (and most pertinent to my own research, Marie Peary, and the Inuk girl known as “Billy Bah”). Most importantly, the stories of these famed Arctic explorers, and the native people with whom they came in contact, are told photographically through unique, absolutely gorgeous, and technically outstanding photographs. The images in this book represent the absolute best of historic Arctic photography; in my opinion they are as excellent as Ernest Shackleton’s images taken in the Antarctic.

The photos and journals in Boreal Ties were created, remarkably, by two New York businessmen, Clarence Wyckoff and Louis Bement, who journeyed to the Arctic as what we would call today “adventure tourists.” Robert E. Peary’s ship Windward, carrying among other passenger’s Peary wife and daughter, did not return to America as expected in the summer of 1900. So the follow summer Peary’s financial backers in New York arranged for a relief party, journeying to the Arctic on the steamer Erik to investigate. Paying a fee of $500 each, Wyckoff, 25, one of Peary’s supporters and a manufacturer of typewriters, and a friend, Bement, 35, a salesman of hats and caps, joined the expedition.

The businessmen endured maggots in their soup, hives, and head lice. Three weeks into the journey all the meat on ship went rotten and had to be thrown overboard. More than once, the Erik’s incompetent crew almost steered the ship into mountain-sized icebergs.

The businessmen traveled with multiple cameras, the latest and best Eastman Kodak had to offer. Though not professional photographers, Wyckoff’s and Bement’s unique images far exceed Peary’s own photographs both in technical and artistic qualities. While the adventure tourists enjoyed nearly three months of intense sunshine, Peary often took his tripod and old glass plate cameras out in typically poor Arctic weather. After the voyage, the friends pasted copies of each other’s prints into their scrapbooks; in some cases they annotated who took the photograph, and in other cases not. These men left a fascinating legacy.

For anyone keenly interested in Arctic exploration, Boreal Ties is a must-read.

[Shelley Schanfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous book is fascinating for anyone with an interest in polar exploration. The authors are the great-granddaughter of Clarence Wyckoff and the grandson of Louis Bement, two explorers who went on what was certainly one of the first instances of Arctic "adventure tourism" and got more than they bargained for when they signed on to the crew of the Erik.

The book is essentially the diaries of Wyckoff and Bement, kept amid very harsh circumstances indeed, along with stunning photographs taken by the two men. The photographs document spectacular scenery as well as the Inuit peoples they encountered on their journey.

A book as beautiful to hold as it is informative of a different era of exploration, when the world was larger than it is today.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This elegant book is filled with century-old photographs of the Arctic coast of Greenland and life in the amazing world of ice floes and bergs. The descriptions and photographs are like a glimpse through a time tunnel.
The editors let the story tell itself through the journal entries of their ancestors, Clarence Wyckoff and Louis Bement. Toward the end, disputes heat up when a passenger wants to stay behind. I couldn't stop reading.

[Karen Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing photos and the diaries from the 1901 Peary Relief Expedition bring to life a neglected moment in our history. BOREAL TIES is a gorgeous publication--beautiful layout and quality.