The world is full of inhospitable places where surviving for any prolonged period of time is a serious challenge. One such place is Devon Island in Canada, where no one has lived for some 74 years – since 1951, to be exact.
Located in Nunavut’s Buffin Bay, it is the largest uninhabited island in the world and one of the largest of the Arctic Archipelago. The island has an area of 21,331 square miles and measures 296 miles across at its widest point.
Remote, windswept, and harsh, the isle is classified as a polar desert, with barren mountains rising above frost-worn beaches.
Its highest elevation is the Devon Ice Cap at 1,920 metres on the eastern side of the island and has a maximum thickness of 880 metres.
Devon Island has defeated repeated human attempts to establish permanent residence on its territory.
Many have tried, ranging from the Inuits to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Perhaps the most intriguing story associated with the island is that of the lost expedition of Sir John Franklin.
The celebrated British naval officer embarked on a quest to find a route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Arctic waters.
One hundred and twenty-nine men set out in 1845 on the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to map the fabled Northwest Passage.
After losing contact with the expedition, rescue and search missions were launched.
In 1850, the first clue to their disappearance was discovered on Devon Island, where a naturalist’s rake belonging to the expedition was found.
This prompted another unsuccessful search mission in 1852 led by Sir Edward Belcher, which included the ship HMS Resolute.
Later, the timbers from the ship would be used to make the Resolute desk which today sits proudly in the White House’s Oval Office.
Once the Northwest Passage was successfully mapped some 70 years later, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) wanted to stake their flag on Devon Island.
In 1924, three RCMP officers — and 52 forcibly displaced Inuit — were sent to rule over the high Arctic at Dundas Harbour.
The RCMP shut down the post in 1933, reopened it in 1945, and then shut it down for good in 1951.
