author
John Rae
1813–1893
A tough, practical Arctic explorer and surgeon, he helped map vast stretches of northern Canada and uncovered the long-mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition. His writing brings together field experience, sharp observation, and a willingness to learn from Inuit knowledge.
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About the author
Born in Orkney, Scotland, in 1813, John Rae trained in medicine at the University of Edinburgh before joining the Hudson’s Bay Company as a surgeon. Years spent at Moose Factory in northern Canada made him an unusually skilled traveler in harsh conditions, and that experience shaped the expeditions that made his name.
Rae became one of the most effective explorers of the Canadian Arctic. He surveyed long stretches of previously unmapped coastline and was known for traveling light, moving efficiently, and adopting Inuit clothing, snowshoes, sledging methods, and survival practices rather than relying only on standard British expedition habits. In 1854, information he gathered from Inuit testimony and recovered objects helped reveal the fate of Franklin’s expedition.
He also wrote about his journeys, most notably in Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847. Although his achievements were sometimes overshadowed in his own time, he is now widely recognized as a major figure in Arctic exploration: a careful observer, a resilient traveler, and a man whose respect for local knowledge set him apart.