A New Frontier at Fort Ross

We’ve been on the go so much the last few weeks, it’s been hard to take a moment and really reflect on what we’ve been experiencing let alone to have any thoughts about where we are going. Reading about all the bays and anchorages in our arctic guide books start to blur all together when you’re trying to interpret ice charts and upside down sideways satellite images on top of operating on minimal sleep. So much happened so quickly before we got to Fort Ross, I hadn’t even had a chance to read up on it yet. When we anchored and went ashore for an excursion, it all felt like a a great discovery for me. I didn’t know what to expect.

Fort Ross is an abandoned former trading post on Somerset Island. It sits just east of the Bellot Strait entrance and is a well known stop for folks waiting for weather and tides before entering the strait. When we anchored, Rusty showed me a group photo taken just the night before inside one of the abandoned buildings on shore. A group of eastbound and westbound boats had gathered and had a party in the cabin. It looked like a great time, and I had high hopes that we would be able to have a gathering of our own with Moli, Lumi, and Libertaire, who were just behind us.

When we came ashore, I noticed that the landscape was already different from what we’ve been seeing. More orange liken, big boulders, but much less vegetation. Careful to keep our heads on a swivel (polar bear lookout) at the advice of Graeme, we braved the high winds and heavy rain and walked towards the first abandoned building.

We found a cairn that was in memory of the man who found the wreckage of Franklin’s failed arctic 1845 expedition. A reminder of the people who have come before us trying to discover new frontiers.

We continued on and found the door of the first building wide open, boarded windows outside and abandoned furniture and appliances torn inside.

Then we wandered over to the other building. This must be the party building right?

I’ve never been much of a history buff, despite my love for all things vintage. But somewhere in the dark corners of my memory vault, Hudson’s Bay Company sticks out in mind. All I could remember was something about the fur trade, but I thought it was just a company that once was. Turns out, The Hudson’s Bay Company is still in existence today. It started as a fur trade company in 1670, but has transformed into a fashion retailer today that employs 30,000 people and generates $9.38 billion in retail sales (2018) in Canadian dollars.

This outpost at Fort Ross was established in 1937 and is the last trading post created by Hudson’s Bay Company and only operated for 11 years and was closed due to according to wikipedia: “severe ice conditions in the surrounding waters made the site hard to reach and economically unviable.” Yeah…I think anyone could have guessed that.

Nowadays, this building, which was formally the post manager’s house, is used used for shelter by Inuit caribou hunters from Taloyoak, and as a refuge for researchers and other NW Passage adventurers. The boards on the outside are to keep polar bears from getting in and as we pulled the pieces of wood out we noticed some rather large claw scratchings. So we know it works!

As you can see, the cabin is pretty well outfitted for being at the top of the world in the middle of nowhere. Six bunks with foam mattresses, even a pillow left behind, a stove, maps, cookware, non-perishable food, and even a library! A guestbook donated by a boat are signed by visitors, and graffitied on the wood are drawings and names of those who have come prior. We of course signed it to mark our moment!

I especially loved reading all the drawings and signatures from those who came before us. There were some rowers and kayakers! Makes me feel like such a lazy bum!

Soon it was time to close the shop back up, grab a crew photo!

Last but not least, more ice for whiskey!

I think it’s fitting to end with this reminder. A lot of gratitude for those who came before us, explored the unknown and some of the harshest elements on earth. Without it, we would not be able to just run back to our heated floating oasis.

It seems fitting too that this post is still used for modern day explorers and adventurers. We may not be as “hardcore” as the earlier explorers, but we are still facing the unknown and known dangers of this region. There is still much yet to be discovered around and within ourselves at the top of the world.