American Explorations and the Open Polar Sea Theory

Key Insight

Following British disinterest in the Northwest Passage, Arctic exploration shifted its focus towards two new, largely American-led objectives: discovering a reputedly ice-free polar sea and reaching the Geographic North Pole, with the channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island becoming known as 'the American Route.' The promise of renown and prestige spurred American shipping magnate Henry Grinnell, philanthropist George Peabody, and several scientific societies to sponsor Elisha Kent Kane in 1853. While officially part of the Franklin search, Kane, finding little evidence, felt justified in pursuing the search in an unconventional direction, up Smith Sound, aiming to find the open polar sea.

Kane, a diminutive, sickly but obsessive explorer, was described as 'one of the last of the race of brilliant and versatile amateurs.' He wintered at Rensselaer Harbor in northwest Greenland from 1853–55, with sledge parties pushing as far north as 80°N. His dramatic presence, brave bearing, and romantic vision captured the American public's imagination, leading to a funeral compared to Lincoln's upon his death at age 37. Kane's resourcefulness was evident in his survival tactics, such as making soup from rats, burning ship parts for heat, and rigging mirrors for scurvy patients. He also tactfully negotiated a food treaty with local Eskimo hunters after initial confrontations.

Kane's reiterated report of 'open water north of the ice' in Kane Basin, echoing an earlier 1852 observation, vigorously revived the centuries-old theory of an open polar sea. While this theory was largely 'sired by wishful commercial thinking and born to national ambition,' some legitimate, albeit sparse, evidence—like Russian explorer Hedenström's 1810 description of polynyas or the variable extent of annual sea ice in the Greenland Sea—fueled speculation. However, the scientific reasoning was considered poor even by contemporary standards. Despite its scientific weakness, the concept of polar adventure captivated American audiences between the Civil War and World War I, transforming figures like Kane, and later Robert Peary, into heroic symbols, though Peary's 'grasping and arrogant nature' eventually eroded public admiration.