Letter from [John Muir] to [Louie Strentzel Muir], 1881 Jun 14.

• Main Author: Muir, John
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1881
• Subjects: Environmentalist; naturalist; travel; conservation; national parks; John Muir; history; correspondence; letters; Arctic; Anadyr; Anadyr’; Plover Bay; Anadyr'; ice pack; Siberia
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/653; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/muir-correspondence/article/1652/viewcontent/muir04_0611_md_1.pdf

[1][Plover?] Bay Siberia. June 14, 1881.My beloved wife, The Whaler Tom Pope came in to the bay I anchored to the edge of the ice alongside of us yesterday, much to our surprise. She has already taken in a full cargo of oil & is going to leave tomorrow or next day for San Francisco thus giving us a chance we little expected to send letters, & so must make haste to tell you the main points of interest in our cruise thus far. After leaving St Paul Island we steered for St Mathews Island noted for polar bears, but next day we came up to the edge of the ice-pack & were compelled to steer far to the Westward along the edge of the pack& so near the Siberian Coast that we sighted land after crossing Anadyr Gulph. While yet 70 miles [word deleted]2 [3][rudder?]. It was snowing at the time & the thickness of the weather was the cause of the difficulty, However we promptly constructed a jury rudder out of some long spars by wh we steered without any great danger out into open water & made haste back out of the Arctic towards this good harbor to repair damages. [deleted: We were stopped] not however before we had landed our search party with the dogs opposite [Kolinchin?] Island. When within 25 miles of this harbor which is the best hereabouts we were again stopped by the Behring Sea pack & compelled to turn N. again & put into St Laurence bay. In two days afterward we made another attempt to get into Plover Bay & were again baffled by the ice, when we steered for St Laurence Island where we lay at anchor two days & then tried yet again & were successful. [Page 2]01011 [2]from the shore I was delighted to discover clear traces of glaciation upon a beautiful group of mtns near where we are at present. We first anchored at the NW end of St Laurence Island & traded with the natives of whom I have a thousand things to tell you, Then we pushed on North through Behring Strait calling at the two Diomedes on the way & buying some 20 dogs to draw the sleds for the land party to be ...