The Beginning of Crawford's Journey to Wrangel Island
What was Crawford's headspace as him and the crew leave for Wrangel Island? What was Crawford excited and anxious about?
As the crew departs from Nome on the Silver Wave, Crawford expresses his nervous excitement and anticipation for their voyage. As the official captain of the trip, he is hopeful that things will go well. As a shareholder in “The Arctic Exploration and Development Company” Crawford was ready to make a name for himself and to successfully inhabit Wrangel Island. The picture on the left is the Silver Wave which took them from Nome Alaska to Wrangel Island. This small boat was able to successfully get Crawford to the island but not without some difficulty. The Silver Wave was ill equipped for the harsh conditions of the Arctic which signifies that poor planning and lack of resources for this expedition. As the leader, this is important for Crawford because it is an example of how the lack of proper resources will continue to plague them.
“I am the only one on the part not effected by seasickness on our travels which has made the prospects of the winter seems easier. Have an abundance of supplies and the island seems quite inviting.
Letter from Allan R. Crawford to Helen Crawford, 15 September 1921
In a letter between Crawford and Stefansson, Crawford reveals his concern of Russians coming to the island. The Russian's do not pay them a visit, but this sheds light on the reality of their expedition. Wrangel Island was unclaimed therefore multiple countries could try to seize this land from Crawford's crew. At the time, the narrative of the Arctic was beginning to shift from an almost mythical place to one for commerce to thrive. Given this context, Crawford wanted to be apart of this new opportunity to profit off of this new region. Crawford's excitement for the profitability of Wrangel Island possibly skewed his perception of what he was getting himself into. At just 20 years old, he is leading the expedition partly because of his Canadian citizenship. This is because either Canada or the United States can then lay claim on Wrangel Island. This hints at the profitability aspect of this expedition, which is to ultimately show that Wrangel Island is profitable and inhabitable. Nevertheless, he is confident that the trip will be a success and is blissfully unaware of what is to come. He describes Wrangel Island as "inviting" and expresses his anxiousness to get started.
“Have been very quiet about our business here since it appears the Russians think they own the island and their Siberian Patorl is liable to pay us an unwelcome visit"
Letter from Allan R. Crawford to Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 15 September 1921
Sources:
Letter from Allan R. Crawford to Helen Crawford, 15 September 1921
Letter from Allan R. Crawford to Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 15 September 1921