The Last Frontier
Sharon Koehler
Artistic Stone Design
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Above: Charcot’s cairn, Port Charcot, Booth Island, Antarctica. |
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Above: Scotia Bay Stone Hut |
If you have been paying attention, you may realize that there is only one continent left in this series: Antarctica. I admit I was dreading this one a bit because as far as I knew, with the exception of some research stations, there wasn’t really anything there. For the most part I was right, but I was a little bit wrong, too.
I was looking for one BIG stone thing to define Antarctica like the Parthenon in Greece, the Taj Mahal in India, Mt. Rushmore in the US, or Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There is nothing like that there. Nothing big or ancient in stone that could make us stare in awe, wondering how the people who came before us did what they did. There are a lot of unconfirmed rumors of pyramids, stone cities and other such artifact on Antarctica, but it is mostly just wishful thinking, rumor and speculation. The fact that Antarctica is over 96 percent ice-covered, with some as much as 2 miles thick makes it difficult to confirm such things.
However, if you change your mindset just a little bit, what you do find are many smaller things that seem impossible to be built or survive the harsh conditions of this frozen continent. Antarctica has approximately 92 historic sites and monuments. Not all of them are stone or even stone related but many of them are.
Antarctica has many cairns. Cairns are defined as a conical pile of stones built as a landmark, monument or marking a grave site. One of the most famous cairns is the Charcot’s cairn built in 1904. It commemorates the first French expedition to Antarctica which was led by Jean – Baptiste E.A. Charcot. It is located in Port Charcot, Booth Island, Antarctica.
Other stone projects on this frozen land are the Huts. The 2 most well-known are the Larsen Stone Hut aka Paulet Island Hut, and the Scotia Bay Hut. The Larsen Stone Hut was built in 1903 after the Norwegian ship the “Antarctic” captained by C. A. Larsen sank in Wedell Sea. Twenty men in lifeboats made their way to shore on Paulet Island where they built the stone hut. The Scotia Bay Hut aka Omond House was also built in 1903 but on Laurie Island. It was built by the Scottish Antarctic Expedition team led by William S. Bruce.
There are some even lesser known stone projects that are still considered historical sites. For instance, the Khmara’s Stone, which is located at the Mirny Observatory at Mabus Point. It memorializes Ivan Khmara who died in Antarctica in 1956. Or, Hanson’s grave at Cape Adare. There is a boulder at the top and then white quartz stones outline the rest of Nicolai Hanson’s final resting place. This all happened circa 1899 – 1900.
I know that none of this really stacks up against some of the world’s most beautiful and ancient stone, but when you consider what these explorers and pioneers were facing, it is still incredible. The average daily temperature there ranges from -76 degrees inland to 14 degrees at the coast. (Antarctica is labeled the coldest place on Earth for a reason.) Couple those temperatures with the brutal winds that race across the continent and we have to wonder:
#1 – How they got it done? And
#2 – How any of these structures are still standing?
I wish I knew. It’s too bad we can’t ask them.
Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharon@asdrva.rocks.