stefansson-wrangel-09-01-004-001

C O P Y

October 30th, 1920.

Sir:

Sir James Lougheed asked me to prepare for your consideration
the following memorandum:

October 28th I saw Sir James with the object of getting him
personally interested in the case of Wrangel Island. I had previously
put the situation before the Prime Minister who is, I believe, inter-
ested and who may intend to take some action.

Wrangel Island was discovered by Captain Kellett of the
British Navy in 1849. We made no landing. For many years thereafter
the land he discovered bore the name Kellett Land.

When the American whaling industry developed in this part of
the ocean, the island was sighted by Captain Long, an American whaler.
Captain Long did not know that the island had been discovered by Kellett
and already placed upon the maps. Supposing it a discovery of his own,
he announced it as such and suggested that the island should be called
Wrangel Island in honor of Baron Wrangel, a Russian officer of Swedish
blood who on behalf of the Russian Government had been conducting ex-
plorations by sledge northward over the ocean from the mouth of the
Kolyms River about the year 1825. Baron Wrangel had heard rumors of
land to the north but had failed to discover any. Captain Long now
suggested that this might be the land which Wrangel had been in search
of and that it would, therefore, be appropriate to name it in his honor.

For no valid reason but apparently merely because no one
thought the land of any value, our geographers and mapmakers followed
those of other countries in gradually dropping the name Kellett Land in
favor of Wrangel Land.

The first landing on Wrangel Island was made by the American
Revenue Cutter "Corwin" in 1881. Members of the crew spent only a few
hours ashore.

The second landing on Wrangel Island was made a few weeks
later (summer 1881) by United States Revenue Cutter "Rodgers." The
ship was anchored in what is now called Rodgers Harbor and the crew
remained on or near the island for more than a week, exploring it very
roughly and making the map which is now in use. This map is very