Charles Francis Hall

Igloos

The Polaris and Congress at Godhaven, Disco Island

Charles Francis Hall (1821 – November 8, 1871) was an American explorer of the Arctic. Born in Rochester, New Hampshire, Hall was originally a blacksmith by trade but later became fascinated with the Arctic and devoted much of his life to exploring it. He is best known for his attempts to find the Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Ocean, and for his efforts to determine the fate of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition.

Early Life

Little is known about Hall's early life. He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in his youth, where he worked as a blacksmith and later became a publisher of a newspaper. His interest in the Arctic was sparked by reading accounts of the lost Franklin expedition, which disappeared in the Arctic in 1845 while searching for the Northwest Passage.

Arctic Expeditions

Hall's first Arctic expedition took place in 1860, when he traveled to Baffin Island in search of survivors of Franklin's expedition. Although he did not find any survivors, he gathered valuable information from the Inuit about the region and Franklin's crew. This trip marked the beginning of Hall's belief in the importance of learning survival techniques from the Inuit, a practice that was not widely adopted by explorers at that time.

In 1864, Hall embarked on a second expedition, this time to the Repulse Bay area, where he spent two years. He conducted further searches for Franklin's expedition and explored parts of the Melville Peninsula.

Hall's most notable expedition was the Polaris expedition of 1871, aimed at reaching the North Pole. The expedition was plagued by difficulties, including leadership disputes and a tragic accident that resulted in the ship, the USS Polaris, being caught in the ice. Hall died under mysterious circumstances during this expedition, with symptoms suggesting he might have been poisoned. His death remains a subject of controversy and speculation.

Legacy

Charles Francis Hall's contributions to Arctic exploration were significant, particularly his emphasis on learning from the Inuit people. His expeditions added to the geographical and ethnological knowledge of the Arctic regions. Despite the controversies and the tragic end of his final expedition, Hall is remembered as a pioneering figure in the exploration of the Arctic.

Death and Controversy

The circumstances surrounding Hall's death on November 8, 1871, during the Polaris expedition, have led to much speculation. After falling ill, Hall accused some of his crew of poisoning him, a claim that has never been conclusively proven. An autopsy at the time suggested he might have died from apoplexy, but later examinations of tissue samples suggested possible arsenic poisoning.

See Also

• Northwest Passage
• Sir John Franklin
• Arctic exploration
• Polaris expedition