Death Wins in the Arctic: The Lost Winter Patrol of 1910

by Kerry Karram

Overview

A harrowing tale of human intelligence pitted against the forces of nature.

With prospectors, trappers, and whalers pouring into northwestern Canada, the North West Mounted Police were dispatched to the newest frontier to maintain patrols, protect indigenous peoples, and enforce laws in the North. In carrying out their duties, these intrepid men endured rigorous and dangerous conditions.

On December 21, 1910, a four-man patrol left Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, heading for Dawson City, Yukon, a distance of 670 kilometres. They never arrived. The harrowing drama of their 52-day struggle to survive is an account of courageous failure, one that will resonate strongly in its depiction of human intelligence pitted against the implacable forces of nature. Based on Fitzgerald’s daily journal records, Death Wins in the Arctic tells of their tremendous courage, their willingness to face unthinkable conditions, and their dedication to fulfill the oath they took. Throughout their ordeal, issues of conservation, law enforcement, Aboriginal peoples, and sovereignty emerge, all of which are global concerns today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459717534
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Publication date:	12/17/2013
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Kerry Karram uses the handwritten diary of Inspector F.J. Fitzgerald to chronicle the harrowing ordeal of four NWMP officers lost in the Yukon wilderness for 52 days during the winter of 1910–11. Death Wins in the Arctic reflects her deep interest in Canadian history and her love for the North. Her first book is Four Degrees Celsius. Kerry lives in North Vancouver.

Table of Contents

Foreword Corporal Sean Chiddenton, RCMP Depot Division 9

Acknowledgements 15

Introduction 19

Maps 23

Prologue 25

Part 1 Fitzgerald: The Winter Patrol of 1910 27

1 Tetl'it Zheh: The Story Begins 29

2 Evenings of Storytelling 40

3 Lost and Found 53

4 Esau George Guides the Patrol 62

5 A New Year 70

6 The Peel River Canyon 82

7 The "Wrath of Nature 91

8 Arctic Deep Freeze 98

9 Forrest Creek Turnoff 107

10 "My Last Hope Is Gone" 115

11 The Struggle Continues 122

12 Losing the Race 130

13 Duty to the Death 139

Part 2 Dempster: In Search of the Lost Patrol 147

14 Iron Man of the Trail 149

15 Ascending the Glaciers 157

16 The First Clue 166

17 Following the Trail 174

18 The Lost Patrol 182

19 The Little Crimson Manual 189

Epilogue 197

Appendix A Chronology of Francis Joseph Fitzgerald 205

Appendix B Chronology of W.J.D. "Jack" Dempster 207

Notes 209

Bibliography 219

Index 225

About the Author 231

Editorial Reviews

Karram weaves a colourful day-by-day account of the patrol, leading to its sad conclusions.

Yukon News

Aside from providing contextual tales of Royal Northwest Mounted Police history this is a useful narrative device and helps enliven a story which might otherwise have consisted of repetitions of the same daily round from the early morning rising to the noon hour stop the evening chores looking after the dogs having a meal and turning in while trying to keep as warm as possible.

Whitehorse Daily Star

Karram weaves a colourful day-by-day account of the patrol, leading to its sad conclusions.

Aside from providing contextual tales of Royal Northwest Mounted Police history this is a useful narrative device and helps enliven a story which might otherwise have consisted of repetitions of the same daily round from the early morning rising to the noon hour stop the evening chores looking after the dogs having a meal and turning in while trying to keep as warm as possible.

From the Publisher