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🧭 Franklin's Lost Expedition: Evidence in the Ice

Follow the evidence from Franklin's trapped ships and abandoned note to the wrecks found through Inuit knowledge and modern archaeology.

lessons

~20 min

to learn

🏛️ History

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

A voyage built for the iceExplain the expedition's purpose, ships, route, and entrapment in Arctic sea ice.Franklin's expedition entered an incompletely charted Arctic and became trapped off King William Island.
What the survivors left behindUse the Victory Point note, graves, cairns, and relics as different kinds of evidence.The survivors' traces form a scattered record that must be read across documents, places, objects, and testimony.
The search changes the storyDescribe the long search and explain why Inuit knowledge mattered to the modern discoveries.Searchers gathered evidence for generations, and Inuit knowledge helped focus modern technology on the wreck sites.
What the ice gave backInterpret the 2014 and 2016 wreck discoveries as archaeological evidence within a shared history.Erebus and Terror returned as protected archaeological sites whose objects, locations, and stewardship complicate the old legend.
A mystery that stays openDistinguish what is established from what remains uncertain and practice evidence-based historical curiosity.The wrecks answer major questions while leaving room for careful, humane investigation of the expedition's final months.

Questions this course answers

What happened to Erebus and Terror in September 1846?

Both ships were trapped in ice off King William Island and could not resume the planned voyage.

What did the Victory Point note record?

The note recorded the abandonment of the ships on 22 April 1848 and the survivors' intended southward journey.

Why is John Rae important to the story?

Rae used information from Inuit and physical relics to report on the expedition's fate.

When were the wrecks located?

Modern search teams located Erebus in 2014 and Terror in 2016.

What is the most careful conclusion about the mystery?

Archaeology, documents, and Inuit knowledge clarify much of the story while leaving responsible questions for further research.

Grounded in trusted sources

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