Stefansson on Polar Ice

Even today, the Canadian North can appear remote and forbidding. The last four explorers in the Exploration stamp series traversed lands and waters where few now dare to venture. Stefansson, an anthropologist, not only studied the native peoples, but also charted unknown lands. His Arctic explorations between 1906 and 1918 led to the development of the "friendly Arctic" theory, which maintained that adopting the native way of life made the Arctic a hospitable place. He found the last undiscovered land in Canada - hitherto unknown islands in the Arctic Archipelago. Frederick Hagan of Newmarket, Ontario, created these four stamps, the last in the series on the Exploration of Canada. Maps of the voyages of exploration are highlighted and some of the salient features of the expeditions are shown to give a feeling for the harshness of the conditions endured by the explorers.