Museum dives into Arctic mystery
It was supposed to be an expedition to chart the Northwest Passage. It ended up being one of the great Canadian naval mysteries.
Now, the story of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated journey to the Arctic is headed to the Niagara Falls History Museum Thursday. Echoes in the Ice — Finding Franklin’s Ship will include new photos and videos of Franklin’s recently discovered ship HMS Terror, which vanished along with the HMS Erebus during their 1845 voyage.
After numerous attempts to locate the two vessels, a Parks Canada team located the Erebus in 2014 near King William Island in Nunavut. Two years later, the Terror was found in Terror Bay, about 50 kilometres from the Erebus’ resting place.
The museum exhibition uses old and new technology, along with recent Parks Canada photos, to piece together what happened to the two vessels. It is a co-production of Gone West Productions and the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.
“The discoveries of the wrecks of the Franklin Expedition in the Canadian North are significant archaeological and historical achievements,” says Fern Prouix, interim president of Ingenium — Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation.
“The story of the Franklin Expedition has fascinated people for generations,” adds Niagara Falls Museums curator Suzanne Moase. “This is one of Canada’s epic tales of exploration and mystery.
“This show is a great opportunity for visitors to think about our Arctic legacy. It uses Franklin’s illfated 1845 journey as the catalyst to learn more about other explorers and also how Franklin’s 21st century counterparts operate today.”
It’s a story which still fascinates, 173 years after the two ships vanished. Setting out to traverse the only unnavigated section of the Northwest Passage, the ships became inbound in the Victoria Strait near King William Island. All 129 men on the expedition were reported lost. Subsequent trips to the area over the next several decades concluded the men likely died of pneumonia, scurvy, starvation and even cannibalism.
The expedition has inspired plays, paintings and music over the years. A fictionalized version of the story was the basis for Dan Simmons’ 2007 horror novel The Terror, in which the crew is stalked across the Arctic by a mythical creature after the ships are trapped in the ice.
The book has been adapted for a new 10-episode series to start airing on AMC in March.