Re-using the wood, he built several smaller, adjoining buildings, some of which still stand and are classified as Federal Heritage Buildings.Īs a scientific station, Fort Conger has been the site of many research projects from the early 'Pendulum Observations', to 'Research on the microbes attacking the historic woods at Fort Conger and the Peary huts on Ellesmere Island' conducted by the University of Minnesota. Peary found Fort Conger to be 'grotesque in its utter unfitness and unsuitableness for polar winter quarters' and eventually tore down the original building. This type of construction was found to be unsuitable for the Arctic as it was difficult to keep the building warm. The double-wall construction of the main building consisted of long, wooden boards, covered with tar paper. Lean-tos on either side of the building housed supplies. The original fort was built as a three-room building, 18 m (59 ft) long, 5 m (16 ft) wide, and 3 m (9.8 ft) high. In 1937, the MacGregor Arctic Expedition attempted to reoccupy Fort Conger. Other explorers used Fort Conger as a base from 1915 through 1935. Two additional Peary expedition parties returned to Fort Conger in 19.

Later they became an inscription on the monument over Peary's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Bedridden for weeks while recuperating, Peary wrote on a wall, Inveniam viam aut faciam ('I shall find a way or make one.'), the words Hannibal had allegedly said before crossing the Alps. ĭuring his 1899 expedition to reach the geographic North Pole, Robert Peary reached Fort Conger, only to have several toes snap off at the first joint because of frostbite. In 1991, some of the structures at Fort Conger were designated as Classified Federal Heritage Buildings. Now uninhabited, it is one of only a handful of previously staffed stations in the Queen Elizabeth Islands. The surroundings are rugged and boast high cliffs around the harbour. Though lacking in timber, the area is characterized by grasses and sedges. Bellot Island lies across from Fort Conger within Discovery Harbour. It was later occupied by Robert Peary during some of his Arctic expeditions.įort Conger is located on the northern shore of Lady Franklin Bay in Grinnell Land, northeastern Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park. It was established in 1881 as an Arctic exploration camp, notable as the site of the first major northern polar region scientific expedition, the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, led by Adolphus Greely as part of the United States government's contribution to the First International Polar Year.

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