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For information on the Harriman Retraced Expedition e-mail: harriman2001@science.smith.edu |
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There are many theories as to why Edward Harriman
chose to organize an Alaskan voyage turned expedition. Some claim he planned
to build a railway across the territory, or perhaps that he originally
just wanted to hunt the great grizzly. During the voyage he clearly showed
an interest in Alaska's mineral resources. Others say it was because the
scholarly expedition appealed to his philanthropic goals, and desire to
be recognized for his good works. Harriman enlisted C. Hart Merriam's
help in identifying scholars, and in few short months they were organized
for the voyage. He refitted the steamer, the George W. Elder, plotted
the itinerary, and arranged for travel to the port city of Seattle. The
expedition that carried his name set sail on May 31, 1899. Edward
H. Harriman (1848-1909).
In 1881, he bought his first rail company outright,
thirty-four miles of track in upstate New York, and his name
soon became synonymous with "railroad." Prof.
William H. Brewer (1828 -1910).
He was a founding member of The Arctic Club. Thus, in 1899, he was the
ideal Harriman scientist -- experienced, respected, and enchanted with
the Arctic. Brewer was seventy-one, and one of the oldest passengers on
the Elder. Even so, he held his own, competing with Muir as a story-teller,
tramping about all day on glacier fields.
John
Burroughs (1837-1921).
He had published hundreds of articles on birds, flowers, and
natural wonders of all sorts -- his 27 books had sold over
two million copies. He was the most famous nature writer of
the day. His fame made him a natural choice for the Harriman
trip.
Frederick
V. Coville (1867-1937)
At 32, he was one of the younger men on board. He took
advantage of every opportunity to hike, camp, and explore
Alaska's coast. He stayed for three days on Columbia Glacier
with Palache and Gilbert. He also spent a good deal of time
talking with the more seasoned scientists, particularly
Fernow.
William
Healey Dall (1845-1927).
Aboard the Elder, Dall was officially the
"paleontologist, geographer, etc.," and he was certainly the
undisputed expert on Alaska. His shipmates were often
surprised by his wealth of knowledge, both in biology and in
respect to the Native cultures of Alaska.
Bernhard
E. Fernow (1851-1923). Fernow
was a pioneer in the American forestry movement. In 1882, he organized
the American Forestry Congress and called for laws to protect National
Forest preserves. By 1899, when Harriman tapped him for the expedition,
Fernow was chief of the Division of Forestry at the United States Department
of Agriculture, and a founder of the School of Forestry at Cornell.
G.
K. Gilbert (1843 - 1918).
Gilbert was the top field geologist of his day, and an
obvious choice for the scientific team on the Harriman
Expedition. Gilbert used his time on the Elder to
consider the physics of glacial geology and geomorphology.
He camped out with John Muir, took many photographs, and set
out to build a reliable set of data about Alaskan glaciers
that would be useful in his own time and for years to come.
George
Bird Grinnell (1849-1938).
Grinnell was editor of Forest and Stream, the leading
natural history magazine in North America, the founder of
the Audubon Society and the Boone and Crockett Club, and an
advisor to Theodore Roosevelt. Glacier National Park came
about largely through his efforts.
Charles
Augustus Keeler (1871-1937).
Keeler was the director of the Natural History Museum at the
California Academy of Sciences. On the Harriman Expedition,
Keeler served as poet and bird-watcher. He contributed the
descriptive essay on birds that was later published. Like
Muir, he was disturbed by the killing of animals for
specimens.
Trevor
Kincaid (1872 - 1970).
As an insect specialist, he assumed that the icy Alaskan
coast would yield but few discoveries, but he learned that
"the presence of a glacier does not necessarily mean the
absence of life." One species he collected and described was
the "glacier worm," familiar to Alaskan Natives, but largely
unknown to the scientific community.
C.
Hart Merriam (1855-1942).
It was little wonder that, when Edward Harriman needed help
with his proposed Alaska Expedition, he turned first to C.
Hart Merriam. Merriam was able to bring together an eminent
staff of professionals in a very short time, a feat all the
more impressive when one remembers that the telephone had
yet to be invented.
John
Muir (1838-1914). Muir had traveled
to Alaska on extended expeditions in 1879-1880, and in 1890. He was a
recognized authority on glaciers there; in Glacier Bay, one of the largest
glaciers was already named for him. It was this expertise in glaciology,
along with his broad background in nature study, that prompted Harriman
to invite him to join the expedition.
Charles
Palache (1869 - 1954).
Working with the other researchers of the Elder, he
took many of the camping trips, including a three-day stay
at Pacific Glacier with John Muir, and a ten-day stay on
Popof Island. He collected specimens and made notes that
would eventually be incorporated into the published reports
of the trip.
William
E. Ritter (1856 - 1944).
He studied sea and coastal creatures in California, becoming
one of the few experts in this relatively unstudied branch
of zoology. It was this expertise that led Merriam to invite
Ritter on the Harriman Expedition. Aboard ship, Ritter was
known as one of the "worm men," for his dogged method of
collecting marine invertebrates.
William
Trelease (1857 - 1945). While
on the Elder, he worked with the others involved in botany and collecting
specimens, but tended to play second fiddle to Muir, Gilbert and the other,
more talkative scientists. He was first and foremost a scientist, not
a story-teller.
Edward
Curtis (1868 - 1952).
Curtis went to Alaska thrilled with the prospect of making
pictures in such a grand landscape. On the trip, he captured
thousands of images, working with the cumbersome equipment
of the day. He went to great lengths to get his pictures; at
one time, he nearly capsized in a small boat that floated
too near a calving glacier. He took over 5000 photographs on
the expedition.
Frederick
S. Dellenbaugh (1853 - 1935).
Though Dellenbaugh was a seasoned traveler when he joined the Harriman
Expedition in 1899, his journals and letters show that he was truly excited
to be setting out on this trip. Several of his paintings from the trip
were used as illustrations for the first two volumes published after the
Harriman Expedition.
Louis
Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927). On
the expedition, Fuertes went to great lengths to collect as many types
of birds as he could. He sketched constantly, chasing through woods and
across glaciers to catch sight of rare species. He made quick images of
birds on the wing, and retained memories of their calls. He shot and skinned
hundreds of birds, and took copious notes on what he was seeing and learning.
He simply couldn't get enough of Alaska.
R.
Swain Gifford (1840 - 1905).
Gifford was a logical choice for Harriman. His paintings had
been used in the two-volume Picturesque America, and he had
illustrated works about Europe and Northern Africa as well.
His style showed nature in an intimate way, the human
figures as small details, the colors muted greens and grays.
The works from the trip clearly convey the remote beauty of
landscape in the high latitudes.
For information on the Harriman Retraced Expedition e-mail: harriman2001@science.smith.edu
Expedition Leader
The Participants, a Selected List
(Biographies for Devereux, Elliot, Emerson, Gannett, Kearney, Ridgeway,
and Saunders are not included in the following list)The Artists on the
Elder
(top)
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