Site of the Day for Thursday, April 27, 2017
The Northwest Passage: Navigating Old Beliefs and New Realities
Today's site, from the Osher Map Library at the University of Southern Maine,
offers one of its notable exhibits focused on the famed Northwest Passage.
Gentle Subscribers will discover an informative exhibition documenting through
maps the quest to find the elusive sea route from North America to the Far East.
"One of the greatest stories of exploration and discovery is the quest for the
Northwest Passage, an oceanic shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific across
the top of North America. Tempted with the prospect of wealth and glory,
countless seafarers gambled -- and occasionally lost -- their lives in pursuit
of a route through the frozen bays and rivers at the farthest reaches of Arctic
North America." - from the website
This well-designed exhibition utilizes the impressive holdings of the
cartographic library to illuminate the stirring history to find a shorter way
to the riches of far Cathay. Since the exhibit originates from an institute
dedicated exclusively to maps, clear reproduction and easy accessibility of
fine details have been made priorities. Divided into eight sections, the
exhibit zeros in on the early explorers such as Samuel de Champlain and Willem
Barents and the frequently forgotten cartographers who produced the maps they
followed -- Frederick de Wit and Willem Blaeu, for example. Historical accounts
of the quest for the North Pole and the maps generated by the speculation
surrounding it are also included. Naturally, however, it is the maps themselves
which form both the anchor and the highlight of the presentation, often with an
undeniable element of whimsy in the original drawings.
Journey to the site to examine, through cartographic records, the efforts of
early explorers to find the Northwest Passage at:
http://oshermaps.org/exhibitions/arctic-exploration
A.M. Holm
Comments? Suggestions? amholm@xxxxxxxxxxx
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