Weird and Tragic Shores

A Cincinnati businessman named Charles Francis Hall set out for the Arctic in 1860 to search for members of Sir John Franklin's expedition, missing for 15 years. An amateur explorer without scientific training, Hall was extraordinary in his determination, independence and energy. Drawing on surviving letters and journals, this study reconstructs Hall's forays into the Arctic. His last trip, in 1871, brought him closer to the Pole than any other Westerner had ever been, and ended with his death under mysterious circumstances. 97 years later, the author headed an expedition to Hall's grave in Greenland. The results of the autopsy on his frozen remains suggested that a naval board of inquiry long ago had nervously side-stepped rumours of Hall's murder.