The First Landing on Wrangel Island: With Some Remarks on the Northern Inhabitants

In Short

This book serves as both a gripping maritime travelogue and an expansive ethnographic report. It follows the U.S. Revenue steamer Corwin on its 1881 Arctic mission to locate missing whalers and explore the mythical Wrangel Island. Blending tales of perilous ice navigation with extensive scientific observations—ranging from craniometry and linguistics to dietary habits—the author captures a moment when the Arctic was shifting from a blank space on the map to an object of rigorous, if sometimes misguided, Victorian-era inquiry. It remains a fascinating relic of early polar exploration.

The Story

The narrative begins in the spring of 1881 as the Corwin departs San Francisco, tasked with a dual purpose: fulfilling revenue duties and searching for the Jeannette exploring party. The early stages of the voyage are defined by the sharp contrast between the serene, blue-tinted calm of the open Pacific and the sudden, violent shifts of the north, where blinding snowstorms and drifting ice turn simple navigation into a grueling test of endurance.

As the steamer presses into higher latitudes, the focus shifts to the persistent mystery of Wrangel Island. Long considered a "problematical northern land," its very existence had been debated by explorers from Admiral Wrangel to the crews of various British and American vessels. For the author, the island represents the ultimate challenge—a "standing challenge of Nature" that beckons to the ambitious. The narrative detail here is vivid; the crew grapples with the physical reality of the Arctic, describing the "awesome feeling" of passing over glacier-milled ice tunnels and the visceral exertion of cutting steps into snowbanks with axes to reach the summit.

The climax of the journey occurs on August 12, 1881. After a night of restless anticipation, the Corwin navigates a labyrinthine path through heavy ice packs, steaming full-tilt against massive floes until a clear passage opens. The landing itself is a triumph of sheer persistence. Once ashore, the crew erects a flag and leaves a record in a tin cylinder, a symbolic act that the author views with "pardonable pride" as a testament to American maritime skill.

The second half of the book transitions from the excitement of exploration to the scholarly "Remarks on the Northern Inhabitants." The author moves through a series of observations regarding the Eskimo populations of Alaska and Siberia. He discusses their physical characteristics, their aptitude for languages, and their complex dietary habits, often using these topics to challenge the prevailing stereotypes of the day. The narrative concludes with a look toward the future of the region, weighing the potential impacts of civilization on these "gay, lively, curious" peoples. Throughout, the tone remains that of a physician-observer, balancing the cold, empirical data of magnetic needle dips and cranial measurements with a lingering, philosophical fascination for the people living under the midnight sun.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The Corwin leaves San Francisco in May 1881, initially enjoying calm weather before encountering the brutal storms and ice-strewn seas of the high Arctic. The crew’s focus quickly narrows to the daunting task of navigating through shifting ice packs to find missing explorers.

The quest for the island After previous years of failed attempts to reach Wrangel Island, the ship makes a final, determined push. The crew experiences the physical trial of climbing the island’s jagged peaks, eventually reaching the summit to survey the desolate, sun-drenched landscape.

The historic landing On August 12, the Corwin finds a rare opening in the ice, allowing for a successful landing. The men mark their achievement with a salute and the placement of a cairn to claim the territory in the name of their country.

Ethnographic study The final movement of the book shifts to the people of the region. The author details his observations on the appearance, language, and customs of the Eskimo, frequently comparing his findings to the broader scientific and philosophical debates of the late nineteenth century.

The People

The author, Dr. Irving C. Rosse, acts as the primary lens through which the reader views the Arctic. He is a man of intellectual curiosity, driven by a desire to categorize and understand the "primitive" world through a Victorian scientific framework. While his perspectives are shaped by the prejudices of his time, he remains deeply observant and occasionally sympathetic toward the endurance of the local inhabitants.

Lieutenant Reynolds and Engineer Owen appear as the author’s primary companions during the landing. They represent the practical, "muscular" side of the expedition, willing to endure the physical danger of the ice for the sake of discovery. They are the ones who share the restlessness of the night before the landing and the shared relief when the ship finally breaks through to the shore.

The Eskimo people are described collectively as a subject of intense study. The author engages with individuals like the native woman he meets who attributes her physical health to a winter-long diet of whale. He also observes the "Japanese boys" serving on the Corwin, who serve as a point of contrast and comparison—though the author finds no linguistic overlap between them and the native populations, he uses their mutual curiosity to highlight the strangeness of the encounter.

In Its Own Voice

"This 'problematical northern land,' the existence of which the Russian Admiral Wrangel reported from accounts of Siberian natives, and which he tried unsuccessfully to find... was actually seen."

The author describes the profound sense of discovery upon finally encountering the island that many had previously dismissed as a myth.

"The view revealed from the top of the island was a veritable apocalypse."

This line captures the author’s awe as he surveys the vast, ice-covered, and previously uncharted horizon from the summit of the island.

"Perhaps the constant fight with cold and hunger is a compensation which must account for the absence of such unmitigated evils as war, taxes, complex social organization and hierarchy."

Reflecting on the social structure of the northern tribes, the author contrasts their life with the perceived burdens of civilized society.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an exploration of the limits of human knowledge and the drive to define the "unknown." The author is preoccupied with the tension between the "civilized" world and the "primitive" north, constantly trying to reconcile his scientific observations—such as cranial measurements or linguistic roots—with the shared humanity of the people he encounters. It is a work about the colonial impulse to claim, name, and categorize the natural world. Beneath the logistical details of the cruise, the book asks whether the harshness of the environment dictates the character of those who inhabit it, and whether human happiness is indeed a constant, regardless of a culture’s technological or social development.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the history of exploration or the early development of Arctic ethnography will find this account invaluable. It captures the raw, physical reality of the late-nineteenth-century North, where the difference between a successful expedition and a disaster often came down to a few hundred yards of shifting ice. The writing is precise, earnest, and occasionally quite vivid, particularly when the author describes the "desolate grandeur" of the landscape.

However, a modern reader must be prepared for the author’s Victorian-era perspectives. His approach to the native populations is deeply colored by the scientific racism and phrenological assumptions of his time; he treats the indigenous peoples as a collection of curiosities to be analyzed, measured, and compared against European standards. While these attitudes are jarring to a contemporary audience, they are also historically significant, serving as a clear record of how the western world viewed the Arctic at the turn of the century. If you can navigate these dated viewpoints, you will find a book that preserves the grit and the curiosity of a bygone era of exploration. The technical appendices regarding temperature and magnetic dips add a layer of authenticity, grounding the narrative in the genuine, cold-hard facts of the expedition.