There was book in my school library about the Franklin expedition. There was something haunting and fascinating about the old drawings/paintings of one of the ships locked in the ice, pictures of the incredibly well-preserved sailors, and the failed trek across the ice which ended in cannibalism. It is probably a relatively unknown story (at least in the US - this article suggests that resonates with Canadians), but there's something that draws you to it. Actually, the polar expeditions produced a lot of incredible stories. You've got Shackleton's legendary return to civilization, and what I think is one of the more heroic and tragic pieces of writing, Robert Falcon Scott's Message to the Public:<p>"We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last.<p>...<p>Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for."<p>It's rather strange that such a desolate environment could produce such interesting stories.
Unfortunately, Harper isn't really interested in finding a piece of Canada's history. Rather, he is looking for evidence of early arctic exploration to justify nationalistic sovereignty claims of the artic, so Canada is well positioned for northern trade routes and oil exploration once all that nasty ice melts.
Reminds me of the story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew getting stuck in Antarctic ice, then remarkably surviving. It was one of the greatest adventure books I've ever read:<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/078670621X" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfre...</a><p>It made me want to take one of those $5k guided trips to the artic on an old Russian ice breaker, sometime in the future.