This timelines about the history of the Northwest Passage takes its readers on a journey of discovery from the mid-fifteenth century to today. 

“The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources” was created by Elena Baldassarri (2017) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

This refers only to the text and does not include any image rights. Please click on an image to view its individual rights status.

A mere dream for centuries, the Northwest Passage has now become a place and a topic where scientific and traditional knowledge intersect. This is the introductory chapter of “The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources”—a virtual exhibition written by historian Elena Baldassarri.

Elena Baldassarri is an Assistant Professor in North American History at the Humanistic Department of Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy. Her research interests focus on the history of Canada and the United States, and the relationship between cultural and social rights in Canada. Her most recent publications cover US environmental policy, Canada’s sovereignty over the lands and waters of the Arctic.

To whom does the Northwest Passage belong? Historian Elene Baldassarri writes about the politics of the Far North. This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources.”

Historian Elena Baldassarri suggests further reading related to the virtual exhibition “The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources.”