IDNO

P.86536.PAT

Description

Kentra Bay from the shoreline with the snow covered hills of the opposite shore in the distance.

Place

N America; Arctic; Canada; Nunavut; Baffin Island; Royal Society Fiord; Kentra Bay [North West Territories]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

None

Collector / Expedition

Paterson, Thomas Thompson

Date

3 September 1937

Collection Name

Paterson Collection

Source

Paterson, Erik T.

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Related Image: Same image mounted in James Wordie’s 1937 album with the number and caption:
“Royal Society Fjord [anchor sign] Sept. 3”
“772. Kentra Bay No --”
See Related Documents File. [Jocelyne Dudding 6/3/2008]

Bibliographical Reference: J. M. Wordie; H. Carmichael; E. G. Dymond; T. C. Lethbridge, ‘An Expedition to North West Greenland and the Canadian Arctic in 1937’ in The Geographical Journal, Vol. 92, No. 5. (Nov., 1938), pp. 385-418.
Text on p.406 includes:
“We left Tromso Fjord on the 3rd, and soon discovered a third fjord. This was long and straight, and with steep walls on which jointing was again prominent; it was dark and gloomy compared with those already visited, but in contrast as we steamed up was the sight of the sun shining on a snow-domed mountain far up the valley at the end, and as we neared the head we saw two strings of snow geese flying south-west, their white wings emphasized against the background of dark fjord wall. The river entering at the head was much the biggest seen and suggests a valley about 20 miles in length. There was very little in the way of Eskimo remains, but these perhaps occur in the neighbouring and more open Kentra Bay, which we had no time to enter. I have named this, the longest of the three fjords south of Maud Harbour, after the Royal Society; and of the three it is the only one which follows a direct line with steep cliffs almost throughout its length. The other two follow a more zigzag course, and this is explained by their being partly located in the more open moorland type of country. There was nothing however about the head region of any of these fjords which suggested an overland route to Foxe Basin, such as was reputed to be the case at "Anaularealing." The large river at the head of Royal Society Fjord suggests a long valley, but the absence of Eskimo remains is against its being a frequented through route, and in this respect our search so far was unsuccessful.
Leaf Bay was tried for a passage on the 4th, but found closed, and, knowing by then that Maud Harbour was not on an island as we had been led to believe, we took a course to round the headland on which the harbour is situated and so returned to the first big gulf seen in the afternoon on August 28.” [JD 5/7/2007]

P.86084.PAT to P.86583.PAT were found wrapped in the card now numbered C446/1/.

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 7/2/2007]