The History of a Forgotten Expedition

This article delves into a little-studied aspect of the history of the Russian exploration of the North – one of the first Arctic expeditions of the Russians in the early XIX century. The appeal to the historical experience of the discovery and study of the New Siberian Islands archipelago is determined by the growing interest in it on the part of world powers in connection with the development of coastal shelf resources and the resumption of the Northern Sea Route. In the Russian historiography the name of M.M. Gedenstrom remained a figure of silence for a long time in comparison with such explorers as F.P. Wrangel, P.F. Anju, G.A. Sarychev, E.V. Toll, who were engaged in the study of this region of the Arctic. However, the expedition of M.M. Gedenstrom is marked not only by the connection with specific tasks of Russian foreign policy and attempts to solve scientific problems relevant for that time, but also with the interests of business development on the islands, the subsoil of which is still rich in valuable fossil raw materials. M.M. Gedenstrom was the first to create a general map of the Novosi-birsk Islands, described them and the coast between the mouths of the Yana and Kolyma rivers, and corrected inaccuracies on previously compiled maps.