Glacier County chief., 1939-03-31
ADVENTUROUS
AMERICANS
By
Elmo Scott Watson
Unlucky North Pole Seeker
Elmo Scott Watson

Unlucky North Pole Seeker
ON OCTOBER Is, 1883, an auto
~ mobile in Washington, D. c.,
struck down and killed q 7l-year-old
man who. for 20 years, had defied
the numerous pitfalls Of death in
the frozen North and who once Just
missed sharing in the honors or of
discovering the North pole. He was
Evelyn B. Baldwin.
Baldwin first went, beyond the
Arctic circle in 1893 as meteorolo-
gist with Capt. Robert Peary's Sec
ond expedition to Greenland. On a
previous expedition. Perry found
what he thought was a "royal road
to the pole. via Independence bay.
Baldwin suggested that a better
route lay through Kane basin. But
Peary decided otherwise. Ironical-
ly enough, when Peary did make his
successful dash to the pole, several
years later 1t was by the very route
which Baldwin had suggested.
In 1897 Baldwin was en- route to
accompany the famous Andree bal
loon expedition to find the pole when
Andree, suddenly favored by good
weather, decided to start, without
waiting the arrival of Baldwin's
ship next day. On July IL, the ILL
fated Andree sailed away, never to
be heard Of again until 1880 when a
party of Norwegian explorers found
his skeleton.
But this narrow escape from
death did not daunt Baldwin. In
1893 he was second in command of
the Wellman expedition which
reached the then "farthest north"
Of 81 degrees and 80 seconds be-
fore turning back. Baldwin then set
OH with several companions and dis
covered new land, named Graham
Bell land.
In 1901 he made his supreme at
tempt to reach the pole with the
Baldwin-Ziegler expedition. 1t failed
because his supply ship did not ar
rive in time and only good luck pre-
vented the entire party from perish
ing. Before he could finance an
other expedition Peary discovered
the pole and Baldwin's career as an
explorer ended. -
Tenderfoot Triumph
If EVER Americans deserved the
title "tenderfeet," it was the
band Of emigrants, led by John Bid
well, which left Missouri in May,
1841, for the West. They had heard
Of the riches of California but knew
nothing about the country they must
cross to gain their promised land.
Once they reached the Great Salt
lake, they believed they could float
down rivers that were supposed to
flow to the Pacific. So they took a
big supply of tools to build boats
when needed.
Guided by Thomas Fitzpatrick,
the fur trader, and Father De
Smedt, the missionary, they reached
South pass in Wyoming safely.
Then, despite warnings against try
ing to cross the desert of the Cen
trail basin, they turned off from the
Oregon trail and headed SOUTH
west.
SoOn they were IN peW1lder1ng
country of salt plains. Food and
water supplies ran low. Cruel mi
RACES lured them on. But some
how they managed to survive and
reach the Humboldt river in Me
vada. They followed it to the Hum
boldt Sink and turned south to the
Carson river. BY the time they
reached the Walker river they were
forced TO kill the last of their oxen.
Six weary months after leaving
Missouri they reached the rich San
Joaquin valley. Theirs had been an
epic journey. For the success of
the Bidwell' expedition pointed the
way for the first thin trickle Of
emigration to California that began
soon afterwards and reached its
high tide in the Golden Days of ~.
Bad Boy of the Mayhower
A MONG the Pilgrim Fathers who
came over on the Mayfiower
was John Ellington. accompanied
by his wife and two sons, Francis
and John Jr. Early in that historic
voyage young John disgraced him.