Equally poignant are the graves of three of the 129 sailors who died during Sir John Franklin’s attempt to sail through the Northwest Passage from 1845 to 1848. They passed away while overwintering at Beechey Island, just off the southwest coast of Devon Island. Fromour landing spot on the uninhabited island, we trudged over gravel to the desolate burial site. Next to the three mariners’ wooden grave markers is a fourth one, belonging to a crew member of the 1850 McClure Arctic Expedition − one of several British search efforts to determine the fate of Franklin’s quest. Bronze plaques on the grave markers identify the men and their ages – all in their 20s and 30s. Devon Island also preserves remnants of human history. On-board archaeologist Latonia Hartery helped us identify collapsed Thule qarmat homes, constructed with rocks, bowhead whale skulls, jaws and ribs. “Thule ancestors of today’s Inuit first appeared about 800 years ago, spreading out across the Canadian Arctic and Greenland,” she explained. “Their qarmats had semi-subterranean bases with partial stone walls and sod roofs. Thule people often covered the whalebone frames of their qarmats with layers of animal skins.” At nearby Dundas Harbour, we discovered more recent history at an abandoned 1920s Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost. Inside, we found an old sewing machine, a Coleman oil-burning heater, metal beds, paperback books, a jar of peanut butter and rusted tins of tomatoes on the shelves. As we viewed the small cemetery outside, we pondered the loneliness of the two RCMP officers stationed here for two years at a time. Surrounded by a white picket fence, it encloses the graves of two RCMP constables. The place – now part of the Beechey Island Sites National Historic Site of Canada – had a haunting, but sacred feel to it. Other than the crunching of our feet on the gravel, the only sounds came from the wind and occasional screeching of gulls. We walked for two kilometres, past a few cairns and memorial monuments, to the ruins of Northumberland House. Members of the 1852 to 1854 Belcher Expedition built it as a supply depot for Franklin’s crew, in case they returned to Beechey Island. Weathered boards, rusted tin cans and barrel staves are all that remain today. Bringing history to life Beechey Island discoveries 20 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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