Member-only story

The Incredible Century-Old Survival Story of Ada Blackjack

Ethan Mitchell

·8.2k Followers· Follow

Published in The Winter Walk: A Century Old Survival Story From The Arctic

4 min read

501 View Claps

84 Respond

Save

Listen

Ada Blackjack was an Inupiat woman who lived in the early 1900s. She was born in Wales, Alaska, in 1898. Her father was a white man and her mother was an Inupiat woman. Ada grew up learning both Inupiat and English.

In 1921, Ada joined a fur trapping expedition led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. The expedition was to explore the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The expedition got off to a bad start when their ship, the Karluk, was crushed by ice in the Beaufort Sea. The crew and passengers were forced to abandon ship and take to the ice.

The survivors trekked across the ice for months, trying to find their way back to land. They were constantly hungry and cold. Many of them died along the way.

The Winter Walk: A Century-Old Survival Story from the Arctic

by Loretta Outwater Cox

4.9 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1831 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	224 pages

Ada Blackjack was one of the few survivors. She was able to survive by eating raw meat and blubber. She also learned how to build an igloo to keep herself warm.

After four months, Ada Blackjack and the other survivors were finally rescued by a whaling ship. They had traveled over 1,000 miles across the ice.

Ada Blackjack's story is an incredible tale of survival. She endured unimaginable hardships and emerged from the experience as a stronger person.

Here are some of the key lessons that we can learn from Ada Blackjack's story:

Never give up hope. No matter how difficult the circumstances, never give up hope. Ada Blackjack faced many challenges during her ordeal, but she never gave up hope of survival.
Be resourceful. When faced with a challenge, be resourceful and find ways to overcome it. Ada Blackjack used her knowledge of the Arctic to survive. She learned how to build an igloo, hunt for food, and stay warm.
Work together. When faced with a challenge, work together with others to overcome it. Ada Blackjack worked with her fellow survivors to help them stay alive.

Ada Blackjack's story is a powerful reminder of the human spirit. She faced unimaginable hardships and emerged from the experience as a stronger person. Her story is an inspiration to us all.

Ada Blackjack was the only woman on the Stefansson expedition.
She was the first woman to survive a winter in the Arctic.
She was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2001 for her bravery and determination.

Ada Blackjack was an incredible woman who faced unimaginable hardships and emerged from the experience as a stronger person. Her story is an inspiration to us all.

The Winter Walk: A Century-Old Survival Story from the Arctic

by Loretta Outwater Cox

4.9 out of 5