Race to the End of the Earth

Scott’s party at the South Pole, 17 January 1912.
(Wikimedia Commons)

From 17 May to 24 October 2013, the Royal BC Museum is presenting the special exhibition Race to the End of the Earth, which “recounts one of the most stirring tales of Antarctic exploration, the contest to reach the South Pole.” In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum is also presenting the giant-screen film Shackleton‘s Antarctic Adventure, about the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. (Shackleton’s later efforts to raise money for another expedition brought him into the story told in Acts of Occupation. In Chapter 4 of the book, we talk about the plans for a proposed arctic expedition by Shackleton, to be sponsored in part by the Eaton family.)

A Journey to the End of the World: Tracing Polar Explorer Shackleton’s Footsteps a Century Later

Posted by actsofoccupation

Medusa Kelp in Hercules Bay, South Georgia (Rachel Sussman)

Explorer Ernest Shackleton is one of the people who puts in an appearance in Acts of Occupation. At one point there was the prospect of his leading a Canadian government expedition to the high Arctic, but these plans fell through. Instead, Shackleton headed south again, and died in South Georgia. Rachel Sussman’s article describes her recent visit there, and you can read more about her Antarctic trip in her blog, The Oldest Living Things in the World.

Sir Ernest Shackleton and Sir John and Lady Eaton

Posted by actsofoccupation

In Chapter 4 of the book, we talk about the ultimately unrealized plans for the Eatons to help sponsor a proposed Arctic expedition by Shackleton. Whether by luck or by planning, Shackleton and Lady Eaton were fellow passengers on the Aquitania during one of its trips from New York City to Europe. This photograph was likely taken in New York City shortly before Aquitania‘s departure, and shows Shackleton (right) and the Eatons (centre). We discovered it after the book had gone to press, so we’re sharing it with people online.

(Library of Congress, George Grantham Bain Collection, LC-DIG-ggbain-31995.)