Talk:Overland Expedition
The only mentions I found on EN are (parts of three sentences):
- Captain "Hell Roaring" Michael A. Healy, master of the USRC Bear, rescued whalers trapped at Point Barrow, Alaska, and brought reindeer to Alaska to provide a steady food source.[1] (USCG article, early history section) The first part is highly misleading, as Healy didn't make the actual trip--as captain of the Bear he naturally stayed with his ship; and the "...and brought reindeer to Alaska to provide a steady food source." part is simply incorrect (at least in that time sequence--since the Bear was a regular source of supplies in the area, Healy and the Bear may have been involved in earlier efforts bringing reindeer to Alaska--I have another book that should provide some clarity, but I can't find it at the moment). The reindeer had already been brought to Alaska to provide a steady food source for the natives; that's why there were herds of reindeer that could be used in the rescue.
- In 1902, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, in recognition of his leadership in starvation relef efforts for American whalers at Point Barrow in 1897-1898. That expedition has been hailed as one of the most perillous rescue missions in maritime history. from the en:Ellsworth P. Bertholf article.
Freshstart 04:58, 8 March 2006 (UTC)
- It seemed like a pretty celebrated event, so I added an article on it. Rigadoun (talk) 19:48, 8 January 2008 (UTC)