Who Discovered the Northwest Passage?

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Author: Cavell, J. (Janice)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: John Franklin; John Rae; Northwest passage; Roald Amundsen; Robert Mcclure; Arctic; Northwest Passage; Rae; Arctic Archipelago
• Online Access: https://ir.library.carleton.ca/pub/20973; https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4733

In 1855 a parliamentary committee concluded that Robert McClure deserved to be rewarded as the discoverer of a Northwest Passage. Since then, various writers have put forward rival claims on behalf of Sir John Franklin, John Rae, and Roald Amundsen. This article examines the process of 19th-century European exploration in the Arctic Archipelago, the definition of discovering a passage that prevailed at the time, and the arguments for and against the various contenders. It concludes that while no one explorer was “the” discoverer, McClure’s achievement deserves reconsideration.