Lecture introduces rare map of Franklin Expedition searches
September 26, 2014
907-474-6997
9/26/2014
A rare 1896 map tracking 76 Arctic searches and expeditions, including the searches for the lost Franklin Expedition, will be on display during a lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Terrence Cole, a UAF history professor and northern studies faculty member, will discuss the Franklin Expedition and the recent discovery of a vessel from the ill-fated journey. Katherine Arndt, curator of rare books and rare maps at UAF's Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, will introduce the map. Only four other libraries in the world are known to have a copy.
“The Arctic Regions with the Tracks of Search Parties and the Progress of Discovery Compiled from the Latest Information,” published by the U.S. Department of the Navy's Bureau of Navigation, includes the tracks of 76 expeditions, from Sir John Franklin in 1845 through Robert Peary in 1895, and the routes of 48 coastal explorations, from two different Russian parties in 1734 through Robert Peary in 1892.
The purchase of the map in June was made possible by the Rasmuson Rare Books Endowment.
The lecture and exhibition will begin at 6 p.m. at the library. Parking is free to the public after 5 p.m. Once the lecture and viewing are over, the map, in fragile condition, will be returned to the library vault, and a full-size reproduction will be on permanent display.
CONTACT: Suzanne Bishop, development officer, UAF Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, 907-474-6997, sbishop@alaska.edu
ON THE WEB: http://www.library.uaf.edu
SB/9-26-14/065-14