In 1607 Henry Hudson was an obscure English sea captain. By 1610 he was an internationally renowned explorer. He had made two voyages in search of a Northeast Passage to the Orient and had discovered the Spitzbergen Islands and their valuable whaling grounds. Hudson had sailed farther north than any other European before him. In 1609, sailing for the Dutch, he had explored the Hudson River and had made possible a Dutch colony in America.
In 1610 Hudson sailed from England on what would be his most famous voyage - to search for a Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic. This was also his last exploration. Only a few of the men under his command lived to see England again. Hudson's expedition was one of great discovery and even greater disaster. Extreme Arctic conditions and Hudson's own questionable leadership resulted in the most infamous mutiny in Canadian history, and a mystery that remains unsolved.
