Ernest de Koven Leffingwell
Encyclopedia
Ernest de Koven Leffingwell (1875-1971) was an arctic explorer, geologist and Spanish-American War veteran.
During the period from 1906 to 1914, Leffingwell spent 9 summers and 6 winters on the Arctic coast of Alaska, making 31 trips by dog sled and/or small boats. He created the first accurate map of a large part of the Alaskan arctic coastline. He was the first to scientifically describe permafrost and to pose theories about permafrost which have largely proven true. He accurately identified the oil potential of the North Slope region of Alaska.
to Charles
and Elizabeth (nee Francis) Leffingwell. He attended the grammar school at Racine College
, then attended Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut where he was captain of the track team his senior year, graduated with the AB degree in 1895 and was awarded a MA in 1900. He studied physics and geology at the University of Chicago
1896-98 (also playing on the football team) and 1900-1906. He was a doctoral candidate when he left for Alaska in 1906, but apparently did not complete the degree. He taught science at St Alban's school in Knoxville, Illinois 1895-6 and 1903-4, in the latter period also serving as Superintendent. During the Spanish-American War
he served as a Seaman on the US battleship Oregon
during its celebrated dash around Cape Horn
and in the Battle of Santiago
.
He led the science staff in the 1901 Baldwin-Ziegler Polar Expedition, which failed in its attempt to reach the North Pole
from Franz Josef Land
. On this expedition, he became friends with Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen
. Subsequently, the two raised funds for their own expedition. Leffingwell's father, who had become wealthy from his ownership of a fruit ranch in California, contributed $5000, and Mikkelson raised a comparable amount in England and New York. Their venture became the Anglo-American Polar Expedition of 1906-1908 which aimed to explore the Beaufort Sea
. At that time, many experts believed than an undiscovered land mass
lay in this region, since such a mass could account for observed patterns of arctic currents and tides. The underfunded expedition fared badly but achieved some positive results. No new land was discovered, but they delineated part of the continental shelf and Leffingwell began his mapping efforts. Their ship, the Dutchess of Bedford, was locked in pack ice and destroyed, but they salvaged the wood to build a cabin which Leffingwell used intermittently through 1914. Mikkelson returned to the US in 1907, but Leffingwell remained on the arctic coast for another year. He returned to the North Slope 1909-1912 and 1913-1914, working with one assistant to map 250 km of the arctic coast, and the Canning River
valley .
After spending a year and a half writing up his results at the United States Geological Survey
in Washington, Leffingwell retired to Whittier, California, listing his occupation in 1917 as citriculturist. He moved to Carmel, California about 20 years later. When he died in 1971, he was believed to have been the oldest surviving polar explorer.
located on a remote barrier island off Alaska, was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1978.
During the period from 1906 to 1914, Leffingwell spent 9 summers and 6 winters on the Arctic coast of Alaska, making 31 trips by dog sled and/or small boats. He created the first accurate map of a large part of the Alaskan arctic coastline. He was the first to scientifically describe permafrost and to pose theories about permafrost which have largely proven true. He accurately identified the oil potential of the North Slope region of Alaska.
Biography
Ernest de Koven Leffingwell was born January 13, 1875 in Knoxville, IllinoisKnoxville, Illinois
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,183 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Description:Knoxville is located just southeast of the City of Galesburg...
to Charles
Charles Wesley Leffingwell
Charles Wesley Leffingwell was an author, educator, and Episcopal priest born in Ellington, Connecticut. He was a descendant of Thomas Leffingwell, known as one of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut....
and Elizabeth (nee Francis) Leffingwell. He attended the grammar school at Racine College
Racine College
Racine College was an Episcopal college in Racine, Wisconsin, founded in 1852. The collegiate department closed in 1887, but the college continued to be used as a grammar school and a military school until it closed in 1933....
, then attended Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut where he was captain of the track team his senior year, graduated with the AB degree in 1895 and was awarded a MA in 1900. He studied physics and geology at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
1896-98 (also playing on the football team) and 1900-1906. He was a doctoral candidate when he left for Alaska in 1906, but apparently did not complete the degree. He taught science at St Alban's school in Knoxville, Illinois 1895-6 and 1903-4, in the latter period also serving as Superintendent. During the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
he served as a Seaman on the US battleship Oregon
USS Oregon (BB-3)
USS Oregon was a pre-Dreadnought of the United States Navy. Her construction was authorized on 30 June 1890, and the contract to build her was awarded to Union Iron Works of San Francisco, California on 19 November 1890. Her keel was laid exactly one year later...
during its celebrated dash around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
and in the Battle of Santiago
Battle of Santiago de Cuba
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba, fought between Spain and the United States on 3 July 1898, was the largest naval engagement of the Spanish-American War and resulted in the destruction of the Spanish Navy's Caribbean Squadron.-Spanish Fleet:...
.
He led the science staff in the 1901 Baldwin-Ziegler Polar Expedition, which failed in its attempt to reach the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
from Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land, or Francis Joseph's Land is an archipelago located in the far north of Russia. It is found in the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard, and is administered by Arkhangelsk Oblast. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a...
. On this expedition, he became friends with Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen
Ejnar Mikkelsen
Ejnar Mikkelsen , was a Danish polar explorer and author, born in Jutland. He served in the Georg Carl Amdrup expedition to Christian IX Land, East Greenland , and in the Baldwin-Ziegler expedition to Franz Joseph Land .With Ernest de Koven Leffingwell he organized the Anglo-American polar...
. Subsequently, the two raised funds for their own expedition. Leffingwell's father, who had become wealthy from his ownership of a fruit ranch in California, contributed $5000, and Mikkelson raised a comparable amount in England and New York. Their venture became the Anglo-American Polar Expedition of 1906-1908 which aimed to explore the Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
. At that time, many experts believed than an undiscovered land mass
Keenan Land
Keenan Land was the name given to a mass of land in the Beaufort Sea about 300 miles north of Point Barrow, Alaska. It was allegedly discovered in the 1870s by American whaler John Keenan....
lay in this region, since such a mass could account for observed patterns of arctic currents and tides. The underfunded expedition fared badly but achieved some positive results. No new land was discovered, but they delineated part of the continental shelf and Leffingwell began his mapping efforts. Their ship, the Dutchess of Bedford, was locked in pack ice and destroyed, but they salvaged the wood to build a cabin which Leffingwell used intermittently through 1914. Mikkelson returned to the US in 1907, but Leffingwell remained on the arctic coast for another year. He returned to the North Slope 1909-1912 and 1913-1914, working with one assistant to map 250 km of the arctic coast, and the Canning River
Canning River (Alaska)
The Canning River is a river on Alaska's North Slope.-See also:*List of Alaska rivers...
valley .
After spending a year and a half writing up his results at the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
in Washington, Leffingwell retired to Whittier, California, listing his occupation in 1917 as citriculturist. He moved to Carmel, California about 20 years later. When he died in 1971, he was believed to have been the oldest surviving polar explorer.
Leffingwell camp Site
The Leffingwell Camp SiteLeffingwell Camp Site
The Leffingwell Camp Site, located on a barrier island of the Arctic coast of Alaska, was used by polar explorer and geologist Ernest de Koven Leffingwell in the Anglo-American Polar Expedition of 1906–1908, which aimed to explore the Beaufort Sea...
located on a remote barrier island off Alaska, was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1978.
Honors
Leffingwell was awarded the Patron's Medal by the Royal Geographical Society and the Charles P. Daly Medal by the American Geographical Society, both in 1922. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Trinity College in 1923. Leffingwell Fork, a stream on Alaska's North Slope, Leffingwell Crags in Canada's Northwest Territories, and Leffingwell Nunatak in Greenland are named for him.Publications
- SR Capps and EDK Leffingwell (1904) "Pleistocene Geology of the Sawatch Range near Leadville Colo" The Journal of Geology 12, Nov-Dec pp 698-706.
- Ernest de Koven Leffingwell (1908) "Flaxman Island a glacial remnant" Journal of Geology 16 (1) pp. 56-63
- Ernest de Koven Leffingwell (1915a) "A communication from Leffingwell" University of Chicago Magazine 7 (3) January 1915, pp 76-79. Leffingwell's short popular account, written for the alumni magazine. See also page 69.
- Ernest de K. Leffingwell (1915b) "Ground-ice wedges, the dominant form of ground-ice on the north coast of Alaska" Journal of Geology 23 pp 635-654.
- Ernest de K. Leffingwell (1919) The Canning River region, northern Alaska Professional paper 109, United States Geological Survey, Govt. print. off., Washington
- Ernest de Koven Leffingwell (1961) "My Polar Explorations, 1901-1914", Explorers Journal 39 2-14
Further reading
- Ejnar Mikkelsen (1909) Conquering the Arctic Ice W. Heinemann, London (bears US copyright notice)
- Vilhjalmr Stefansson "The Anglo American Polar Expedition" Harper's monthly magazine v 116 February 1908 pp 327-343
External links
- "Retracing Leffingwell: A 5-Month Journey in the Alaskan Arctic by Dog Sled", by Joe Henderson
- "Ernest Leffingwell: Scientist with a fan club" Alaska Science Forum, Article #1945, February 4, 2009 by Ned Rozell.
- Andrew Burke Ernest de Koven Leffingwell in the Arctic andrewburke.ca, posted 2010-11-12. Burke is Leffingwell's great grandson; this blog post has, among other things, some family information about Leffingwell's Navy service and his life in California, including a picture of him working on a hot rod at age 83.