National Network for Equitable Library Service

From the era of wooden sailing ships and Europe’s golden age of exploration, the story of famed British navigator Henry Hudson tells a classic tale of courage, ambition, and treachery on the high seas. As the leader of four Arctic voyages in 1607, 1608, 1609, and 1610, Hudson searched in vain for a navigable route through the polar ice that would open the way to the riches of Asia. In his obsession to succeed, he made reckless decisions that pushed his crew to the brink, with disastrous results. Hudson did not achieve his goal, but as a result of his skillful mapping of Hudson Bay and the Hudson River area, his name would live on as a prominent landmark in the geography and imagination of North America. In 1874, he was appointed assistant commissioner of the newly formed North West Mounted Police and led his troops west to smash the whisky trade and bring law and order to the vast North-West Territories. Macleod smoked the peace pipe with prominent chiefs like Crowfoot and Red Crow, earning their trust as a man who kept his promises. As a policeman and judge, Macleod showed a strong sense of justice, sympathizing with the plight of First Nations peoples and challenging the government when it failed to fulfill treaty obligations. This exciting new biography is a vivid account of the larger-than-life Canadian hero who played a major role in the peaceful development of western Canada.