The Friendly Arctic

the long version

No such original and assertive explorer of the Arctic regions as Mr. Stefansson has appeared since Dr. Nansen startled the admirals by dispensing with a line of retreat. Mr. Stefansson’s views are however, far more upsetting than those of Dr. Nansen, for he denies practically every theory and many reputed facts regarding the North Polar area, and condemns almost all the long-established methods of Arctic travel. In 1905 he visited Iceland on an archaeological expedition and in 1906 did his first exploring, as an anthropologist with the [...] Polar Expedition. There he first tried out his theory of "living off the country." He separated from the expedition, and crossed the continent alone, living and traveling just like the Eskimos. On his second Arctic Expedition, 1908-1912, he reported the so-called "Blond Eskimos," and added many new features to the map of Canada, including the Horton River, 500 miles long. In his latest expedition, 1913-1918, he explored and mapped over 100,000 square miles of hitherto unknown polar territory