Fort Conger

 (1881-1935) - An Arctic exploration fort and station established by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Adolphus W. Greely in 1881 on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Named Fort Conger after U.S. Senator Omar D. Conger who supported the expedition. Used intermittently until 1935.

Fort Conger
Fort Conger was established as a research base in 1881 during the Lady Franklin Bay Arctic Expedition. The two year expedition included Twenty-five men who used Fort Conger as a base camp. Supply ships sent in 1882 and 1883 were unable to reach the party and it was not until 22 Jun 1884 that a rescue party discovered the survivors, including Lt. Greely, in a camp at Cape Sabine. Only six of the original twenty-five survived and one of those died on the rescue ship on the way home.

Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary reached Fort Conger with his 1899 expedition to the North Pole. Peary returned in 1905 and 1908. Other explorers and scientists used Fort Conger between 1915 and 1935.

The original fort was built as a single three-room building. The construction of the building consisted of long, wooden boards, covered with tar paper that proved to be unsuitable for the Arctic cold. In 1900 Perry used the materials to construct three smaller buildings.

Current Status
Part of Ellesmere Island National Park. Three wooden huts remain, erected by arctic explorer Robert Peary in 1900.

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Conger
 * Wikipedia - Fort Conger
 * Canada's Historic Places - Fort Conger
 * Fort Conger