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SUMMARY Sir John Ross,
with his controversial 1818 voyage to Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound, initiated modern exploration of the Candian Arctic. In addition, he reaffirmed the findings made by William Baffin and Robert Bylot in their 1616 voyage,
which after two centuries had remained largely forgotten. Ross's 1829-33 expedition was the first to employ steam power in polar exploration, even thought the 'Victory's' engine proved unreliable and was abandoned in Prince
Regent inlet before the end of the first winter. His landing on the Boothia Peninsula in 1829 marked the first time the North American mainland had been approached from the north. Ross's 1829-33 expedition also
indirectly led to the European discovery of one of the northern Canada's longest rivers – the Back River – by British naval officer Sir George Back, after he had participated in an overland search for Ross in 1833-34. back to Home |
