Alfred Taylor's Response to the Media
Alfred Taylor, a prominent businessman, was very charming, intense, and adamant about keeping his successful image. After success in planning and construction of the Lions Gate Bridge, Taylor met Vilhjalmur Stefansson in 1913. Throughout his career, Taylor was very persuasive, convincing the Guinness family to invest in the land on the north shore of Burrard Inlet. He consistently ensured that if he was involved in a project, the public would approve of his decisions and investments. Due to his expertise, Taylor was elected as the Vice President of the Stefansson Arctic Exploration and Development Company. Throughout the Wrangel Island Fiasco from 1921-1923, Taylor sent countless letters to Stefansson, keeping a fond relationship and investing significant money into Steffanson's planned expedition.
Taylor knew that this expedition was risky, and frequently sent letters to Steffanson, trying to gain information to paint his investments in a positive light. In the letter, Taylor pleads “How much truth is there in the report of February 26th that you are going north in connection with oil leases?” trying to understand if the local reports are accurate and disprove any misconceptions about the expedition. Taylor, due to his financial investments, was very proactive in maintaining a positive image for the expedition, even as reports began to expose the horrific reality on Wrangel Island.
Throughout many of Taylor's letters, he is checking on reports from Ottawa, and trying to get further information from Steffanson to explain the expedition to the media. Steffanson, who made many emotionally-charged, detrimental decisions, made Taylor have to consistently ask him about details regarding the expedition. This created a very tense relationship throughout the expedition. Frequently, Taylor sent newspaper clippings from western newspapers to Steffanson, reminding him of the media’s interpretation of the expedition.
Towards the end of the expedition, the media’s attention shifted towards the one survivor, Ada Blackjack. Steffanson made very impulsive decisions regarding Blackjack, and frequently tried to exploit her story. Taylor confirmed that Steffanson utilized his funds ethically, and followed the media storm around Blackjack. Taylor ensured that the media was reporting accurately, and maintained a strong public image after the expedition failed by organizing and maintaining artifacts. Taylor played a background role in the expedition, yet proved to be a main financial and organizational aspect of the Wrangel Island failed expedition.
Works Cited:
FromThePage.com. “Stefansson-Wrangel-09-15-015-001.” FromThePage, 2024, fromthepage.com/dartmouthlibrary/wrangelisland/stefansson-wrangel-09-15-015/display/32404455?translation=false.
FromThePage.com. “Stefansson-Wrangel-09-15-049-001.” FromThePage, 2024, fromthepage.com/dartmouthlibrary/wrangelisland/stefansson-wrangel-09-15-049/display/32404559?translation=false.
FromThePage.com. “Taylor, A. J. T. (Alfred James Towle), 1887-1945.” FromThePage, 2022, fromthepage.com/stefansson-wrangel-09-15-003/wrangelisland/article/32010890.
MONOVA. “Building a Vancouver Icon: The Lions Gate Bridge - A.J. Taylor.” Museum and Archives of Northern Vancouver, 6 Aug. 2020, monova.ca/building-vancouver-icon-lions-gate-bridge-j-taylor/.