Journeys to the Far North

Olaus J. Murie took his first field trip as a biologist to the Hudson Bay region in 1914, observing the land and the wildlife, and learning the ways of the native people of the North. Later expeditions took him to Labrador and many part of Alaska, a land he came to know well and love deeply. What Murie experienced on these travels was recorded in the sketchbooks and journal that he always carried with him. Along with his fascinating collection of photographs, they form the basis for a narrative that combines a scientist’s eye for detail and a naturalist’s reverence for wilderness. Whether dogsledding, shooting rapids in a canoe, or dancing with Aleut Eskimos, Murie had a passion for discovery and conservation that enlivens every page of JOURNEYS TO THE FAR NORTH.

The son of Norwegian immigrants, Olaus J. Murie was born in 1889 in Moorhead, Minnesota. Early in his career he was a field naturalist for the Carnegie Museum, and made two expeditions for them into the Hudson Bay country that are described in JOURNEYS TO THE FAR NORTH. He later worked for the US Biological Survey (now the Fish and Wildlife Service) and became an Arctic field researcher in the Brooks Range of Alaska. In 1927, he moved with his wife, Mardy, to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to investigate the largest elk herd in North America. After completing this research project, Murie accepted a position as the first president of the Wilderness Society in 1945. In the final years of his life, Murie worked closely with his wife to protect the pristine Brooks Range and the Sheenjek River Valley. Their hard work and dedication played a major role in the establishment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the most gratifying achievement in his long and storied career as a naturalist, explorer, writer, and artist. Murie was one of the pioneers of wilderness conservation in America, and he received numerous awards including the Audubon Award, the Sierra Club’s John Muir Award, the Wildlife Society’s Aldo Leopold Memorial Award for outstanding publication, and a Fulbright Fellowship. Donald Olaus Murie began his career with Encyclopaedia Britannica, and developed interactive displays and exhibits for corporations, EPCOT, and world fairs while at Herb Rosenthal & Associates before cofounding Meyers Photo Art, a photo research and photo acquisition company serving publishers, museums, and exhibition companies. Donald is the third child of Olaus and Margaret Murie. He attended the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University. He enjoys art, writing, music, song writing, wilderness, and rock hounding. Donald currently lives in the greater Los Angeles area. Donald is the author of three novels, Willie Goes Wild (2010), Sally (2010), and Shaper (2012), Bluejay Books/Lulu, trade paperback.