Full Description
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
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
