Yol xxYr - The Arctic Circle

KELLETT,S SiJPPLIES: SiJRVIVED TIME BUT I.IOT PEOPLE
i4ore than plar bears have prowled about Kellett's storehouse.
Thatrs the observation of a crew of seven archaeologists and conservators after
a three-rveek stay thjs sumrrrcr at the Deal-v Island site where Captain llenry
Kel'lett left supplies in 1853 for missing naval officer Sir John Franklin. Dealy
Island is near t4elv'il le Island in the High Arctic.
trlucir had been disrupted in the storehouse s'ince last surnmer, when Dr. Robert
Janes, dlrector of the Prince of Wales I'lortlrern Heritage Centre, 1ed the fjrst
expedition to the site. "The storehouse uas badl-v disturbed when vre got there,"
said Brian l^lal ker-Yorga, arciraeological f iel d director of th'is surnmer's expedition.
"One of the corner tirnbers rvas sam off and pieces of the timber were missing.
"
l4r. Walker-Yorga added that certajn documented artifacts were njssing such as
pu'l'ley-b'lock f ragments nnde of I ignum vitae, an Asian hardwood, as vrell as tins
of food and pieces of clothing and boots.
The crew off icial ly establ ished Ke'll ett's storehouse as a I'lorthwest Terri tories
Historical Site. That means anyone uvho djsturbs the sjte or removes any of the
artifacts is subject to prosecution.
But curiosity-seekers and souvenjr-ltunters wjll have a n'ore difficult time
rernoving anything from Kellett's storehouse now. i'1r. l,,lalter-Yorga and his crevr
restored and stabilized the storehouse and secured r,pst of the removable
artifacts that rennin. They built a floor and rebuilt walls.
And they photographed the repairs as they rnde them.
The crew took samples and brougitt back to Yellowknife near'ly a ton of nnterial s
and artifacts. They returned with tjns of food including carrots, rnutton, even
tripe and orrions. They dug up wine bottles of all colors. They brought back tent
ples and socks and pieces of clothing and boots.
Armng tlre notable artifacts are an oven or uater boiler and a coal-burning
sh'ip's stove in good condit jon. As we1 'l , there i s a pa jr of ir ip-l ength leather
boots with cork soles, cobbled vrith uooden nails.
rlr. Jattes said the task now 'is to sort al I the material and anaiyze samp'les as
well as arrange some of the artifacts for a display in Kellettrs storehouse when
the museum opens next year.
He sajd the archaeological expedjtion vas funded by the Territorial government
through the museum but there lras both Territorial and Federal involvement. Dr.
Janes said that no further expeditions to the site are planned at this time
but others will be requ'ired in the future.
0n the exped'ition r^rjth l4r. [rlal ker-Yorga !€re artifact conservators Cha11es
Secombe-Hett and Bob Senior of the Canadian Conservation Institute, a branch
of the lationa'l l'luseums of Canada, and architectural conservator l{artin t^Jeaver
of the engineering and architecture branch of the department of Indian and
lbrthern affairs.
t'1r. l,h'lker-Yorga's assistant was Larry Titus of the University of Toronto. An
archaeological trainee from Inuvik, John 0strick, was a member of the team as
well as photographer Robert Lenpn of Carleton University.
fhe Interpreter, September 1976
l.22