Another shot of Mt Dundas with
Saunders Island in the background before the start of the ice breakup.The picture was
taken in May from the mountain where A battery of the 549 AAA had their antiaircraft guns
set up. The Danish Village was located at the bottom of the Mountain, and the native
village was to the right of Dundas.The village was still occupied at this time. By June
the native people were moved from their homes to a new village approximately 60 miles
North. Since Thule sort of means, " the farthest north man can exist", it really
didn't seem right to move them. The problem was the noise from aircraft. It apparently
scared the seals and other animals they depended on for food and clothing.
These pictures show
some of the interesting scenery around the base. Old Dundas has probably been the subject
of more pictures than anything else around Thule. Here I caught it with it's own
personal cloud. The big iceberg is frozen in the Wolstenholme Fjord.
The Rasmussen Glacier is seen from our camp at the end of Wolstenholme Fjord, and the iceberg with the sun shining through the hole is also frozen in the fjord.
An iceberg with a hole cloning itself with a reflection in Wolstenholme Fjord.
My unit used helicopters, and I
was fortunate to get a ride to the end of Wolstenhome Fjord and get a picture of the edge
of Moltke's Glacier where the icebergs break off. I tried to sleep at our camp there, but
the noise sounds like 105 howitzer cannons firing.
Another picture of the Danish
village as my friend and I sneaked through to climb Mt. Dundas and to visit the native
village. The native residents had been moved at this time.
Another shot of the deserted village with icebergs in the bay.
The rock cairn monument to
Rassmussen on top of Dundas. Dr. Peter Freuchen from Denmark was a partner of Rassmussen in this area as I mention on page 5 with the picture of their wooden trading post.
Looking across the native village and up the Wolstenholme Fjord from the top of Dundas.
The only local natives I came in
contact with. I could see them crossing the frozen bay to the Air Force dump, and drove
down to get a picture. We could only communicate by hand motion, so I have no names for
this couple.