02/16/2026
In the winter of 1910β11, a NWMP North West Mounted Police patrol was commanded by Inspector Francis Joseph Fitzgerald. The patrol included Fitzgerald, Constables George Kinney and Richard Taylor, and former constable Samuel Carter as guide. They left Fort McPherson on December 21, 1910. The time required for the trip depended heavily on the weather; previous patrols had taken as few as 14 days and as many as 56 for the one-way journey. Fitzgerald took enough supplies for 30 days and may have been seeking to set a new speed record for the trip. Weather conditions on the trail were poor, with heavy snow and low temperatures. Carter, who had only travelled the route in the opposite direction, was not able to find the path through the Richardson Mountains. In late December, the patrol encountered local Kutchin families, but Fitzgerald did not choose to hire one as a guide. Conditions worsened after January 3, with temperatures averaging β46 Β°C (β51 Β°F) and strong winds. On January 12, with only nine days of food remaining, they were still lost. Fitzgerald was determined to continue, and it was not until January 18 that they turned back to Fort McPherson. When the patrol failed to arrive in Dawson City by late February 1911, Corporal Dempster was dispatched with Constables J.F. Fyfe, F. Turner, and First Nations guide Charlie Steward to find and rescue them. They departed Dawson on February 28. Dempster was initially confident of finding the patrol, given Fitzgerald's experience in the north. Dempster's patrol soon found evidence of trouble, including abandoned dog harnesses and gear, and campsites that showed Fitzgerald's patrol had lost their way. They later found parts of dog carcasses, indicating that the lost men had resorted to eating their sled dogs.[6] On March 22 and 23, the bodies of the four missing men were discovered 55 kilometres (34 mi) from Fort McPherson. days.NorthWestMountedPolice