Arctic Mirage

<p> In 1913 an expedition was sent to the Arctic funded by the American Museum of Natural History the American Geographical Society and the University of Illinois. Its purpose was twofold: to discover whether an archipelago called Crocker Land--reportedly spotted by an earlier explorer in 1906--actually existed; and to engage in scientific research in the Arctic. </p><p> When explorers discovered that Crocker Land did not exist they instead pursued their research made a number of important discoveries and documented the region's indigenous inhabitants and natural habitat. Their return to America was delayed by the difficulty of engaging a relief ship and by the danger of German submarines in Arctic waters during the World War I.</p>