Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009
From: Neil Libbey <neil_libbey@yahoo.com>
Subject: North Pole Centennial

I am a historian in Sydney, Nova Scotia and will be Commodore of the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club for 2009. We are planning celebrating the anniversary of Peary's North Pole discovery this summer during the tall ships visit from July 25 to July 27.

Peary made all his stops on his polar voyages from Sydney starting in 1886 and concluding on September 21, 1909 when we held a large party to honor him for reaching the North Pole. Peary was also a regular visitor to my masonic lodge. There are many artifacts of Peary's locally.

I am putting together a program for the event now and am wondering about individuals who should be and would like to be included in the event, such as Peary descendants, National Geographic Representatives, historians and who ever else you might think would appreciate the event.

My friend Bill Baker is a member of the explorers club and he is planning on coming to the event. Any assistance you might offer would be greatly appreciated.

Regards, Neil Libbey

88.83.29.118

Friday November 21, 2008

My English is far from perfect - but I'm right now very busy trying to plan to dogsled to the North Pole in the track of Peary, Henson, Uutaaq and the 3 other polar eskimoes. Here the link to a Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq, about the plan : http://sermitsiaq.gl/indland/article59705.ece?lang=EN I'm very much in a hurry to try to succeed so I'm trying to contact as many as possible so Peary, Henson and Uutaaq can be celebrated propperly. All the best. Ole Jorgen Hammeken from Uummannaq in Greenland.

24.85.230.208

2008-08-13

Dear Dr Davies, Please, let me know your personal e-mail address. I would like to send you a letter concerning the origin of the Rawlins slip. At this time I am signing as Kanuk kanuk@myrelance.com

88.83.29.126

2008-05-28

Are anybody going to the Northpole next winter - 2009 - to celebrate 100 years anniversary of Uutaaq/Peary/Henson ? If not I might try ? All the best. Ole Jorgen Hammeken - dogsleder and adventurer from Uummannaq in Greenland.

Dear Douglas

I would like to enquire about usage terms and conditions for text and data from your transcribed copy of Robert Peary’s diary online here: http://www.pearyhenson.org/dougdavies/index4.htm

We are developing an internal marketing campaign for Ernst & Young, the sponsor of polar adventurer Ben Saunders’s current attempt to ski to the North Pole. As Ben is an enthusiastic fan of Robert Peary and sees himself as following in his spirit we would very much like to be able to compare Peary’s notes and progress with Ben’s own. I think a side-by-side comparison could be quite fascinating – especially if we look at what can and cannot be accomplished with all the new technology Ben has the advantage of.

I envisage we might compare their daily progress, together with periodic snippets from Peary’s diary, and maybe the occasional photo or illustration as permitted.

I can assure you we’re emphatically not “anti-Peary” and that Ben and all of his team hold him in the utmost respect and we’ll be making sure anything we do reflects this.

I would be delighted if you could contact me to let me know about your citation or fee requirements, and I would be more than happy to answer any further questions you might have.

Kind regards
James Westlake

James Westlake / Account Manager
D. +44 (0)20 7349 2251 | M. +44 (0)78 1026 0939
Harbour Yard, Chelsea Harbour / London SW10 0XD, United Kingdom
T. +44 (0)20 7349 2200 | F. +44 (0)20 7349 2300 / www.b1.com
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Dear Mr. Westlake,

Your idea strikes me as preposterous
It is typical of the hubris one may expect from the polar uninitiated.

Specifically
"I think a side-by-side comparison could be quite fascinating – especially if we look at what can and cannot be accomplished with all the new technology Ben has the advantage of."

"Side-by-side comparison...with all the new technology Ben has..." This is what I mean by hubris! To think that anyone with money and skis can compare themselves to a man of Peary's stature, drive, and 18 years of Arctic experience is a joke.

Your "Ben" can only count his Arctic experience in hours, Peary's was measured in years.

Technology
Peary was a brilliant engineer who designed and re-designed improvements on items already time tested for thousands of years by the Inuit. Have you read his 1917 book Secrets of Polar Travel? I doubt that you have.

Peary designed the sledges that Henson hand built, Peary designed the ship that bashed its way into the Arctic Ocean. His ship allowed an entire Eskimo village to work through the winter on board making cloths from hollow hair polar bear fur. Has today's technology improved on the warmth of those animal skins? Not unless science has mastered nanotechnology/bioengineering of fabrics. Will Ben spend a winter on a wooden ship locked in the Arctic ice with hundreds of noisy wolf-like dogs and smelly Eskimos? Or winter in his modern home in the UK?

There is not any better technology to reach the Pole and return that what Peary used--dog sledges. Pound for pound the husky is the best hauling animal known. If you want to compare Ben to Peary then Ben needs to master dog sledging. He might contact Paul Landry in Canada to learn that skill.

Half way ski trips
Is your Ben going only 1/2 way as everyone else does? Will Ben be picked up at the North Pole to fly home whilst champagne is uncorked in celebration? Or will your Ben turn around at the Pole and trek back?

Will Ben carry a GPS like Peary DID NOT?
Will Ben carry a portable telephone to chit-chat with base as Peary DID NOT?
Will airplanes stand by to rescue poor Ben should be need rescue--something Peary had NOT?

How will Ben compare anything he does side-by-side to that? Ben in his condo watching the TV? Ben flying in an airplane to get to the starting point? Ben uploading digital photos via satellite from his tent? Your premise is total nonsense!

Let your boy Ben have his little skiing adventure without the insult of comparing himself to a man who towers over him. There can be NO comparison to what Peary & Henson achieved in 1909. With the thinning of Arctic ice due to global climate change there never will be another round trip dog sledge dash comparable to what Peary & Henson achieved.

Compare Ben to Ben; not to an historical legend.

Verne Robinson

76.179.21.30

2008-01-22

What a wonderful compilation of information. I have spent most of the day at this site. I live close to the Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College and will be visiting it soon. In fact, Robert Peary 3rd lived here in Augusta, ME (and may still). Thank you for allowing me access to this data. Dean Smiley

58.186.141.11

2007-11-03

This site has the *complete truth* about Peary & Henson's 1909 North Pole trip. Thank you so much for providing this information. I'm a History Professor and use your pages to present this topic to my students. The site does credit to the long term planning of Peary-- and Henson's loyal service to that shared goal.

12.218.227.96

2007-03-22

I still can't believe that the media has not caught on that the real story is the Cook Society! When will History Channel or PBS expose the "Vettters Vendetta?" With all of her documents now available at the University of Ohio the whole smoking gun is just waiting for TV exposure! As Noose of Laurels writer Sir Wally wrote to her "...the public could easily be fooled..." Boy did he prove that in spades!

12.218.227.96

2007-03-22

Good information. Being a fan of the truth Peary had every right to be disgusted with that lying vermin Cook! His daughter and now the "trust funded group", have perverted history. Thank God a few intelligent souls such as you lay out the facts--as if any journalist would ever bother to look at them. The media is irresponsible. They have become a factor in ruining history for everyone. Why are otherwise intelligent channels like History and Discovery still playing those tired old "Dr. Cook" conspiracy documentaries. One can only hope that with the 100th anniversary approaching that they will burn all that old crap and produce something truthful to expose the crooks on the "Crook Society" payroll!

218.133.30.78

2006-10-28

Hello, nice site!

200.232.161.238

2006-07-19

very useful.

65.189.37.233

2005-07-02

I have a collection of professer Ross Marvin's letters to his mother, letters from captin Barlet, I have letter from Peary to mother of Marvin consouling about his untimely death. Also have letters from unknown people and Marvins brother to Marvin's mother. Aprox. 100+ letters and odds and ends, news clippings. Are you interrested? Please reply. If so how can I contact you? Thank you. Sincerely, "Mr. Chemung Vally"

[Such letters, of Bartlett and Ross Marvin, would be nice to transfer to plain text and post on the Internet sites for polar history. The email address at the bottom of the page will reply with a contact email address (spam prevention). Send a note to that contact about what you want.]

69.225.81.124

2004-12-12

Brits stage "Footsteps of Peary" stunt? But Tom Avery has been led to the South Pole by professional expedition guide Paul Landry. Now Landry's wife (Who once led a group of British girls to the pole in a relay thing) is taking Avery to the North Pole? Shouldn't this be called "In the Footsteps Of Professional Guides?"

213.122.31.51

2004-06-20

Well everyone is finally realizing that Peary got to the pole. In fact numerous documents I have read on this website are truly remarkable proofs that should be more widely circulated. Your analysis of the over-exposed picture of the altitude of the sun proves a lot because you have proof of the date, time and vicinity at which this picture was taken. With that information anyone else still pursuing this sterile controversy, should concede the issue once and for all. There simply is more than enough information!!! Maybe it is time to attack the nut cases who are still brainwashed by the Cookites or that English turd Herbert. Your humor is a delightful resource that supports your case, and only makes the anti-Peary camp sound bitter and mean spirited. Great job of presenting the facts of which so many others have been in ignorance of for so long! You deserve a medal!

168.221.143.68

2004-03-15

WOW... this is breathe taking, i have never heard of such an experience... this has brought me to the point that i would like to be the very first woman to reach the poles.. with out a jacket. I am going to go without any food or water... just hope that comes within. Matthew Henson has brought so much hope in me that i am going to go to the NOrth Pole tommarow, and nobody is going to stop me. Love your very dedicated fan, Sorina

63.192.33.59

2004-02-20

Excellent work! Bravo! This kind of information has never been available for free or even in a library before. When I did some checking learned that this is the only copy of the Peary diary printed anywhere. Thank you.

164.116.102.254

2004-02-19

The diary pge is confusing....

66.133.236.86

2004-01-05

So what about Henson? Peary must have really liked him if he accompanied him on all of his trips? They must have been a great team.

205.188.208.101

2003-06-21

Question: Did I miss something? When did Marvin die?

63.25.12.88

2003-06-07

thank you for all this great information!

65.22.45.73

2003-06-07

Very good details.