Christian Theodore Pedersen facts for kids
Christian Theodore Pedersen (born December 23, 1876 – died June 20, 1969) was a Norwegian-American seaman, whaling captain, and fur trader. He explored and worked in Alaska, Canada, and the northern Pacific Ocean from the 1890s to the 1930s. People at the time called him "one of the smartest old captains in the western Arctic."
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Early Life and Arctic Adventures
Christian Theodore Pedersen was born in Sandefjord, Norway, on December 23, 1876. Friends called him Theodore, but for business, he was known as C.T. Pedersen. He started whaling at just 17 years old. By 1908, he was captain of the Challenge, a type of sailing ship called a schooner. This ship spent winters in the Arctic at Herschel Island. In 1912, he became captain of another schooner, the Elvira.
Pedersen also helped with the early stages of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913–1916. He had known the expedition's leader, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, since 1906. Pedersen helped choose the ship for the expedition, a steam brigantine named Karluk. He sailed it from San Francisco to Victoria, British Columbia. However, he left the expedition before the ship was fully ready. Robert Bartlett took his place as captain.
Challenges in the Arctic
In 1913, Pedersen went back to captaining the Elvira. He continued whaling and trading in the Arctic. In August 1913, the Elvira got stuck in the ice near Icy Reef, off Alaska's Arctic coast. A big storm then damaged the ship even more. Pedersen and his crew had to leave the Elvira. They found safety on another ship, the Belvedere.
Pedersen and Olaf Swenson, who was on the Belvedere, then made a long journey. They traveled by foot and dogsled to Fairbanks, Alaska. Their goal was to share the news and arrange for supplies for the crews still on the Belvedere.
Captain of the Herman
After this, Pedersen became captain of the Herman. This ship was used for whaling and trading by the H. Liebes Company from San Francisco. The Herman's voyage in 1914 was even filmed for a motion picture. A copy of this film is now kept at the University of Alaska.
During this trip, the Herman picked up Captain Robert Bartlett. Bartlett had been at Emma Harbor in Siberia. Pedersen then took him to St. Michael, Alaska. From there, Bartlett sent an important message to Ottawa. He reported that the Karluk had been crushed by ice. The survivors were stranded on Wrangel Island, off the northern coast of Siberia.
Family Life
In 1920, Pedersen married May Olive Jordan. She was a Canadian nurse. May often joined him on his Arctic trips. She helped the local people by providing medicines and health services. They had one son named Charles. Pedersen also had other children from earlier relationships, including sons Ted and Walter. Ted and Walter later became well-known in Alaska.
Building a Trading Business
In 1923, Pedersen left the H. Liebes Company. He started his own business. He used a schooner called the Ottillie Fjord. This ship was updated with an engine and became the motor schooner Nanuk in 1924 and 1925. His business was named the Northern Whaling and Trading Company.
He also started a Canadian branch called the Canalaska Trading Company. This company used two smaller trading schooners. Goods were transferred between ships at Herschel Island. Pedersen's company set up trading posts all over the Kitikmeot region of Canada.
After 1925, the Nanuk was replaced by a larger ship, the Patterson. This ship used to be a survey ship for the USCGS. The Nanuk was sold to the Swenson Fur Trading Company in 1927.
Besides building trading posts, Pedersen had a clever idea. He offered small schooners to trappers. These ships were custom-built in California. They were then carried to the Arctic on the Patterson. The last of these schooners, the North Star of Herschel Island, was delivered in 1936. It is now owned privately in Victoria, British Columbia.
In 1936, Canalaska was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company. Pedersen stopped working at sea, but he continued to own businesses in the fur trade. His son Ted filmed Pedersen's trading trip in 1935. Videos made from this film are now part of the University of Alaska collection. This archive also has many of Pedersen's business records.
Later Life
Christian Theodore Pedersen passed away on June 20, 1969, in his home in Pacifica, California.
Images for kids
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C.T. Pedersen, a famous captain, around 1922-1928
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The Patterson when it was a survey ship
