Leonidas Hubbard
Encyclopedia
Leonidas Hubbard was a journalist and adventurer.
He was born in Michigan
and studied at the University of Michigan
(1893–97), choosing journalism
as a career. In 1901 he married Mina Adelaine Benson, a woman two years senior and at the time an assistant superintendent of a Staten Island
hospital
. They met at the hospital when Hubbard was ill with typhoid fever
. He became an assistant editor of Outing
magazine and in 1903 led an expedition
to canoe
the system Naskaupi River - Lake Michikamau
in Labrador
and George River in Quebec
. His companions on this journey were his friend, New York
lawyer
Dillon Wallace
and an Indian
guide
from Missannabie
, George Elson.
. Hubbard died of exhaustion and starvation
on either same or next day. Wallace got lost in the snowstorm, while Elson, after a week of bushwhacking, building raft
to cross swollen rivers (with no ax), reached the nearest occupied cabin
. A search party found Wallace alive on October 30, 1903.
After Wallace was nursed back to health (he suffered gangrene
in his foot), the two men accompanied Hubbard's body back to New York for burial
in May 1904.
In 1905, Mina Hubbard and Dillon Wallace led two competitive expeditions from North West River to the Hudson's Bay Company
post at the mouth of George River
. Both were successful. George Elson accompanied Mina Hubbard.
In 1913, Wallace returned with Judge William Malone and Gilbert Blake to place a memorial plaque where his friend perished (53°45′58.96"N 61°28′21.98"W). Their canoe
overturned on Beaver River and the plaque was lost. Wallace then created a memorial using white paint and a brush made from Gilbert's hair. In July 1977, with the assistance of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
, Dillon Wallace III, the son of Hubbard's companion, and Rudy Mauro placed a replica of the lost plaque on the inscribed stone at Hubbard's last camp. The inscription reads:
The 1903 and 1905 expeditions were the subject of a 2008 Canadian docudrama The Last Explorer, directed by Elson's great nephew, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond
.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and studied at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1893–97), choosing journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
as a career. In 1901 he married Mina Adelaine Benson, a woman two years senior and at the time an assistant superintendent of a Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. They met at the hospital when Hubbard was ill with typhoid fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
. He became an assistant editor of Outing
Outing (magazine)
Outing was a late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as the Wheelman and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923....
magazine and in 1903 led an expedition
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
to canoe
Canoe camping
Canoe camping is a combination of canoeing and camping. It is similar to backpacking, but canoe campers travel by canoes or kayaks...
the system Naskaupi River - Lake Michikamau
Smallwood Reservoir
The Smallwood Reservoir is a large reservoir located in the western part of Labrador in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The reservoir is the source of the Churchill River. Unlike other reservoirs, water is contained not by a single large dam, but by a series of 88 dikes that...
in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
and George River in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. His companions on this journey were his friend, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Dillon Wallace
Dillon Wallace
Dillon Wallace was an American lawyer, outdoorsman, author of non-fiction, fiction and magazine articles. His first book, The Lure of the Labrador Wild was a best-seller, as were many of his later books.-Biography:...
and an Indian
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
guide
Guide
A guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country. This includes a guide of the real world , as well as a person who leads someone to more abstract places .-Guide - meanings related to travel and recreational pursuits:There are many variants of...
from Missannabie
Missanabie, Ontario
Missanabie is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District at the northern terminus of Highway 651, just outside the boundaries of the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve....
, George Elson.
Ill-fated expedition
From the start (departing North West River on July 15), the expedition was beset with mistakes and problems. Instead of ascending the Naskaupi River, by mistake they followed the shallow Susan Brook. After hard long portaging and almost reaching Lake Michikamau, with food supplies running out, on September 15 at Windbound lake, they decided to turn back. On October 18, Wallace and Elson went in a search of cached store of flour, leaving Hubbard behind in a tentTent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
. Hubbard died of exhaustion and starvation
Starvation
Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
on either same or next day. Wallace got lost in the snowstorm, while Elson, after a week of bushwhacking, building raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
to cross swollen rivers (with no ax), reached the nearest occupied cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
. A search party found Wallace alive on October 30, 1903.
After Wallace was nursed back to health (he suffered gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
in his foot), the two men accompanied Hubbard's body back to New York for burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
in May 1904.
In 1905, Mina Hubbard and Dillon Wallace led two competitive expeditions from North West River to the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
post at the mouth of George River
Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec
Kangiqsualujjuaq is an Inuit village with a population of approximately 620, located on the east coast of Ungava Bay at the mouth of the George River, in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada....
. Both were successful. George Elson accompanied Mina Hubbard.
In 1913, Wallace returned with Judge William Malone and Gilbert Blake to place a memorial plaque where his friend perished (53°45′58.96"N 61°28′21.98"W). Their canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
overturned on Beaver River and the plaque was lost. Wallace then created a memorial using white paint and a brush made from Gilbert's hair. In July 1977, with the assistance of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador refers to the provincial government of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
, Dillon Wallace III, the son of Hubbard's companion, and Rudy Mauro placed a replica of the lost plaque on the inscribed stone at Hubbard's last camp. The inscription reads:
THIS TABLET
MARKS THE SCENE
OF THE TRAGIC DEATH
FROM EXHAUSTION ON
OCTOBER 18, 1903
OF
LEONIDAS HUBBARD JR.
INTREPID EXPLORER
AND
PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN
ERECTED BY LOVING FRIENDS
JUNE 1913
JOHN XIV IV: AND WHITHER I GO
YE KNOW, AND THE WAY YE KNOW
AN EXACT REPLICA OF A TABLET LOST IN THE BEAVER
RIVER, THIS MARKER REPLACES AN INSCRIPTION
CARVED HERE IN 1913 BY DILLON WALLACE, JUDGE
WILLIAM J. MALONE AND GILBERT BLAKE
DEDICATED IN 1976 BY DILLON WALLACE III. ASSISTED
BY THE GOVERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND, IN COMM-
EMORATION OF THE EXPLORATORY JOURNEY OF LEONIDAS
HUBBARD, DILLON WALLACE AND GEORGE ELSON,
FROM NORTH WEST RIVER TO WINDBOUND LAKE
The 1903 and 1905 expeditions were the subject of a 2008 Canadian docudrama The Last Explorer, directed by Elson's great nephew, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond (filmmaker)
Neil Diamond is a Cree filmmaker based in Montreal, Quebec, born and raised in Waskaganish, Quebec. Working with Rezolution Pictures, Diamond has directed the documentary films Reel Injun, The Last Explorer, One More River, Heavy Metal: A Mining Disaster in Northern Quebec and Cree Spoken Here,...
.
Further reading
- James West Davidson & John Rugge, Great Heart: The History of a Great Labrador Adventure (1988)
- Dillon WallaceDillon WallaceDillon Wallace was an American lawyer, outdoorsman, author of non-fiction, fiction and magazine articles. His first book, The Lure of the Labrador Wild was a best-seller, as were many of his later books.-Biography:...
, The Lure of the Labrador Wild (1905)