Delgado is the author or editor of thirty books, including the international best sellers lost warships. Northwest passage trade route, north america britannica. The various islands of the archipelago are separated from one another and from the canadian mainland by a series of arctic waterways collectively known as the northwest passages or. The northwest passage is a sea corridor through canadas arctic archipelago and along the northern coast of north america. Strait of anian, a misconceived western terminus to the northwest passage from the 14th century, and ends with the zeno. The northwest passage nwp is the sea route to the pacific ocean through the arctic ocean, along the northern coast of north america via waterways through the canadian arctic archipelago.
Peel sound was the franklin expeditions route south. In these maps, the strait joins up with other waterways that stretch across north america, creating the mythical northwest passage. King arthur and the northern enchantment deep within the arctic circle lies the fabled northwest passage, the most dangerous place on earth to navigate a ship. European explorers searched in vain for the passage for 300 years, intent on finding a commercially viable western sea route between europe and asia. Find books like northwest passage from the worlds largest community of readers. Samuel bawlfs account of the secret voyage sir francis drake undertook from 1577 in order to disprove the theoretical strait of anian as predicted by the flemish geographer, abraham ortelius that provided a northern passage linking the atlantic and pacific oceans is a remarkable account of exploration by one of englands most revered heroes. As a result of their westward explorations and their settlement.
According to the later maps showing the strait of anian, this gulf was fairly extensive and opened in its northern extremity into the strait. The bering strait crossing is the epic story of the intercontinental divide. Northwest passage, historical sea passage of the north american continent. The power and myth of the northwest passage lewis and clark. A reassessment introduction throughout much of this century canada has sought to establish conclusively its sovereignty over the islands and waters which lie immediately north of continental canada.
Through the northwest passage august 31, 2017 ron thompson leave a comment apol has this week completed a solo transit of the northwest passage, becoming the first book in recorded history to complete the voyage aloneor so it announced at a bookstore in kugluktuk. Through the northwest passage ron thompson, author. By the passage, raleigh means both the northeast pathway through russia to china and the northwest route to eastern riches via the anyan strait in the pacific. Winner of the governor generals literary award for childrens illustration.
There was great hope that the newly found frobishers strait would turn out to be the mythical strait of anian, thought to provide a quicker way to the riches of cathay and a safe route for england to build its empire away from the spanish and portuguese spheres of influence. Irish northwest passage expedition a team of leading irish sailors and explorers retrace the famous northwest passage from the atlantic to the pacific ocean. Awardwinning artist matt james takes the iconic song northwest passage by legendary canadian songwriter and singer stan rogers and tells the dramatic story of the search for the elusive route through the arctic ocean to the pacific, which for hundreds of years and once again today, nations, explorers and commercial. For many americans, the northwest passage is a concept seemingly relegated to history books and grade school. The desire to establish such a route motivated much of the european exploration of. Northwest passage was the second book by roberts i read and this as well as all other works in roberts chronicles of arundel series sold me on the us. An archaeological tour of war at sea and across the top of. It is named after arctic explorer william edward parry, who got as far as melville island in 1819 before being blocked by ice at mcclure strait.
Revisiting an explorers northwest passage disappointment after nearly 230 years the 18thcentury fur trader alexander mackenzie thought he was a failure, but he was wrong. The northwest passage as a voyage to myth and adventure. Some thought it might be the west end of the northwest passage. I love books about cold places, and try to read one in the summer. This classic novel follows the career of major rogers, whose incredible exploits during the french and indian wars are told through langdon towne. The northwest passage is a sea route through the arctic ocean, along the northern coast of north america via waterways amidst the canadian arctic archipelago, connecting the atlantic and pacific oceans. They imagined the existence of a marine passage through that looming and rocky land blocking their way to the west north america. Three the strait of anian and other northwest passages. Before he made his famous trip up the northwest coast of north america, he sailed to china, the philippines, and mexico. Strait of anian, part of the legendary northwest passage linking the atlantic and pacific oceans, likely bering strait.
Northwest passage is a 12 x 9 hardcover childrens book that is illustrated by matt james. The eastern route along the arctic coasts of norway and siberia is accordingly called the northeast passage nep. I then proceeded to read everything else by roberts i could find. List of books and articles about northwest passage. Goodreads members who liked northwest passage also liked. Antonio zatta was an italian printer and publisher, active in venice. In no place does the tertia pars asiae show a strait of anian. The northwest passage and the arctic circle airlink. It represents centuries of effort to find a route westward from the atlantic ocean to the pacific ocean through the arctic archipelago of what became canada. The obvious route through the northwest passage, parry channel seldom provides a full transit because of ice. Revisiting an explorers northwest passage disappointment. Historically the northwest passage is known as strait of anian, which is a spanish name for the passage that in 16th century was believed to connect the pacific ocean with the north atlantic, which back then was the most desired shipping route of commerce.
Full text of the mythical straits of anian internet archive. Bering strait project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Search for more books and articles on the northwest passage. The true strait was discovered in 1728 and became known as the bering strait. Why do i still believe the books still stack up so well over time. This is where the 53mile wide strait, named for danish explorer vitus bering 16811741, separates four continents across the europeasia landmass and the americas. The elusive dream of locating the northwest passagean ocean route.
Towards the end of the 17th century, the strait of anian migrates south, closer to california. Gastaldi had been the first to formulate the concept of the strait of anian, probably named after the chinese province of ania that was mentioned in a 1559. Exploration, however, was incidental to drakes work as a privateer, a pirate with. Discover librarianselected research resources on northwest passage from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. According to nalan koc of the norwegian polar institute, this was the first time the passage has been clear since they began keeping records in 1972. The name probably originated with ania, a chinese province mentioned in a 1559 edition of marco polos book. Mingled with the apparent evidence of printed maps that revealed its location, legends of a northwest passage were plentiful in every exploring home port in the late 1700s. In the past, the northwest passage has been virtually impassable because it was covered by thick, yearround sea ice. The ancient waterway when the fog clears over the diomede islands is among the worlds most stunning vistas. Delgado is the author or editor of thirty books, including the international bestsellers lost warships. The northwest passage is a sea route connecting the northern atlantic and pacific oceans through the arctic ocean, along the northern coast of north america via waterways through the canadian arctic archipelago. However, the northwest passage has rapidly become an important aspect of geopolitics, particularly involving the arctic circle. The northwest passage is a sea route that connects the atlantic and pacific oceans through the canadian arctic archipelago. Early knowledge of the pacific northwest wikipedia.
On august 21, 2007, the northwest passage became open to ships without the need of an icebreaker. From about 1562 many european geographers thought there was a strait of anian, perhaps near the bering strait. This survey would prove that the mythical strait of anian, or northwest passage, did not exist, at least in the location traditionally given. It then worked its way up the west coast of america, surveying the coast in detail up to alaska. List of books and articles about northwest passage online. A fabled strait of anian across north america had been rumoured since the sixteenth century. The northwest passage is a famed sea route from the atlantic ocean to the pacific ocean through a group of sparsely populated canadian islands known as the. His backers expected him to sail through the strait of magellan into the pacific and seek the northwest passage, the allwater route connecting the two great oceans, a lodestone that lured mariners and trademinded politicians for more than four centuries. The northwest passage is the sea route from the north atlantic ocean through canadas arctic islands into the arctic ocean and then south into the north pacific ocean through the bering strait between alaska and russia. In the 21st century, the strait forms a global oceanic gateway with the northwest passage and the northern sea route. It is theoretically possible to sail a ship from the atlantic to the pacific via the northwest passage. James drew his inspiration for his book from the song northwest passage, written by canadian singer stan rogers. A labyrinth of islands and drifting ice where channels open without warning and close again just as fast.
Northwest passage is the story of revenge within the framework of the french and indian war, a. I read northwest passage for the first time when i was ten and my mom picked it up at a garage sale. Discover librarianselected research resources on northwest passage from the questia online. The strait was a short channel of water between northeastern asia and northwestern america. Jstor is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. Tales of men who had found the entrance to the northwest passage were printed in magazines and books. Within three centuries, on maps depicting polos travels in xanadu, the realm of the great khan of cathay, it was showing up as the strait of anian. His command of history and detail is immense and complex. Concept of the northwest passage osher map library. The english called the hypothetical route the northwest passage, while the spanish called it the strait of anian. The strait of anian was a semimythical strait, documented from around 1560, that was believed by early modern cartographers to mark the boundary between north america and asia and to permit access to a northwest passage from the arctic ocean to the pacific.