Herschel Island

Herschel Island, 101 km², lies in the Beaufort Sea off the north coast of the Yukon Territory. Named in 1826 by John FRANKLIN after the English astronomer Sir William Herschel, its geographical features were named in 1889 by Commander C.H. Stockton of USS Thetis. Beginning in 1889, the island was used as a wintering station by American WHALING ships. In response to complaints that the local Inuit were being abused, an Anglican missionary reached the island in 1893; a North-West Mounted Police detachment was set up in 1903. By 1914 the whaling industry was dead, but the Mounted Police remained to demonstrate Canadian sovereignty in the western Arctic. In February 1924 ALIKOMIAK AND TÀTIMAGANA were hanged at the island for murder, the first Inuit to be executed under Canadian law. By 1964 the island had no permanent population.

Author WILLIAM R. MORRISON

Links to Other Sites
Explore Herschel Island!
This Virtual Museum website about the Yukon’s Herschel Island features dramatic photographs of stark landscapes, images of ancient artifacts and wildlife, and historical anecdotes about the harsh lives of native hunters, European whalers, explorers, and other visitors to this remote region.

Yukon: Larger Than Life
An extensive visitors guide to all there is to see and do in the scenic and historic Yukon. Includes community profiles. From Tourism Yukon.

Northern People, Northern Knowledge
An exceptional collection of rare film clips, photographs and documents from the controversial Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913-1918, the first multi-disciplinary scientific expedition to the Canadian Arctic. From the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

The Muskox Patrol: High Arctic Sovereignty Revisited
A 2003 article about the role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the Canadian government’s quest to secure international recognition of its claims to sovereignty over the High Arctic islands. Includes photos of the ship “Beothic,” the Dundas Harbour RCMP Detachment, and more. From the Arctic Institute of North America.

Arctic Mission
The website for Arctic Mission, a scientific voyage through the Arctic’s fabled North-West Passage. Features interactive maps, videos, photos and written observations about the landscape, climate, and wildlife that inhabit this region. From the National Film Board.

State of the Arctic Coast 2010
A detailed, well-illustrated report that provides a comprehensive picture of the status and current and anticipated changes in the most sensitive Arctic coastal areas. Note: very large files.