Polar Outreach Catalogue

The National Archives of the United States houses the donated personal papers of numerous Polar explorers. These materials reveal the explorers' contributions, the dangers they faced, and the triumphs they experienced. Many items from these collections are now featured in a special exhibit unit entitled ?Polar Exploration?. Items in the exhibit include photographs, paintings, sketches, navigational instruments, and skis. The purpose of the exhibit unit is to inform the one million annual visitors to the National Archives that the Arctic and Antarctic were considered the last great frontiers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Explorers from various nations, including the United States, mounted expeditions to penetrate the Polar Regions, taking along surveyors, scientists, artists, and even explorers' relatives.