Harkort, Carl Peter, 1859-1927
Dates
- Existence: 1859 - 1927
Biography
Dr. Carl Peter Harkort (1859-1927) was a German nature researcher who participated in a US Coastal and Geodetic Survey of Alaska, led by German-American geologist John Henry Turner (1861-1893) from 1889 to 1890. The United States commissioned the expedition to resolve a dispute between Alaska and Canada concerning the boundary between Alaska and the Yukon Territory. The expedition encamped on the Porcupine River, near the Alaska-Yukon border, and then crossed the unexplored mountains of Alaska to reach the Atlantic ocean, a journey never before completed by non-indigenous explorers. Harkort avidly collected artifacts from the indigenous peoples he encountered, Athapasken Indians and Eskimos. After the expedition, Harkort became an American citizen, and wrote an account of the expedition and several adventure stories inspired by his sojourn to Alaska.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Carl Harkort papers
Carl Peter Harkort (1859-1927), nature researcher. Consist of diaries, short stories, newspaper clippings, photographs, certificates and traditional Alaskan artifacts.