Alaska News

Photos: Captain Cook exhibit at Anchorage Museum

"Arctic Ambitions" is the first time Captain Cook's journal has left the vaults in Great Britain since his ships returned home, 235 years ago. The fact that the British Library shipped such an artifact to Alaska speaks to the confidence they have in the Anchorage venue.

It's also an acknowledgement that Alaskans may have something to say about the English national hero. "We are the world's experts on Cook in the North," Barnett said.

The exhibit, with its maps, historic items and interactive displays, is accompanied by a spectacular book, similarly titled "Arctic Ambitions," by Barnett and David Nicandri (University of Washington Press). It includes beautifully illustrated scholarly essays on the voyage and its ramifications. These include considerations on how the Northwest Passage could eventually become a major shipping route, the impact of climate change on the Arctic and Cook's place in history as seen by indigenous people.

Read more: Anchorage Museum opens 1st major exhibit to focus on Captain Cook's voyage to Alaska

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