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Description

Fantastic early map of Arctic Canada, showing Samuel Hearne's route to the sea along the Coppermine River in northernmost Canada where he became the first European to see the Arctic Ocean north of Canada. This map was first published in Hearne's A Journey from Prince of Wale's Fort in Hudson's Bay, to the Northern Ocean.

The map is fantastically detailed, showing the course of the river for roughly its last fifty miles before its mouth. Notes abound, starting with "Here I fell in with the River," then noting several falls, ponds, Eskimo encounters, a massacre, and more. The terrain is described as a "fine, level country" in bits, while mountains are shown in other regions.

Hearne's Journey was an important report that described the course of the Coppermine River, which he explored in the summer of 1771. While he overestimated the northernmost latitude of the river by over one hundred miles, his findings were important for showing that a northern ocean existed above Canada. The expedition happened shortly before Cook's final voyage to the northern Pacific, and together, these two expeditions revolutionized polar and North American mapping.

Condition Description
Minor vertical fold toning.