Rasmuson Library

to a receptive public that he and Ed Barrill had successfully climbed Mt. McKinley by a "new route from the North. " It was a time of keen interest in exploration, particularly of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. While Cook's was initially hailed as the first ascent of North America's highest mountain, his report came under increasing scrutiny as details came to light (or failed to come to light, as the case may be.) The controversy surrounding Cook's Mt. McKinley climb assumed increasing importance in the context of his claim to have been the first to reach the North Pole in April, 1908. The Doctor's claim was disputed by Robert E. Peary, who announced that he himself was first to the Pole in April, 1909, and that Cook "should not be taken too seriously. " The chain of events that followed affected the course of exploration at both poles. This paper will examine the bases for Cook's claim to have been first on McKinley and first at the North Pole; the sequence of events that has led to general scepticism about Cook's claims; and the figures in Arctic and Antarctic exploration who were caught up in a dispute that continues to the current day. The paper will also report on recent computer-enhanced analyses of Dr. Cook's 1906 alleged Mt. McKinley summit photographs which he published to support his claim of a successful ascent