Fort Conger

Fort Conger
Ellesmere Island, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada
Fort Conger, Grinnell Land, May 20, 1883 (East side of house)
Type	Scientific research post
Site information
Controlled by	US Army (originally); Parks Canada (currently)
Site history
Built	1881
In use	Intermittently between 1881 and 1935
Materials	Wooden boards; tar paper
Battles/wars	None
Garrison information
Past commanders	First Lieutenant Adolphus Greely, US Army, Signal Corps

"Inveniam viam aut faciam ("I shall find a way or make one."), inscribed on a Fort Conger wall by American explorer Robert Peary, 1899.

Fort Conger is a former settlement, military fortification, and scientific research post in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It was established in 1881 as an Arctic exploration camp, notable as the site of the first major northern polar region scientific expedition, led by Adolphus Greely as part of the US government's contribution to the First International Polar Year. It was later occupied by Robert Peary during some of his Arctic expeditions. In 1991, some of the structures at Fort Conger were designated as Classified Federal Heritage Buildings.

Fort Conger is located on the northern shore of Lady Franklin Bay in Grinnell Land, northeastern Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park. Bellot Island lies across from Fort Conger within Discovery Harbour. Though lacking in timber, the area is characterized by grasses and sedges. The surroundings are rugged and boast high cliffs around the harbour. Now uninhabited, it is one of only a handful of previously manned stations in the Queen Elizabeth Islands.

Before Fort Conger was established, its Discovery Harbour was used as a wintering site by the crew of HMS Discovery, led by George Nares, during the British Arctic Expedition of 1875. Though Nares left behind provisions at Fort Conger, most of those supplies were unfound when Fort Conger was established as a research base in 1881 during the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, led by First Lieutenant Adolphus Greely. The fort was named by Greely after U.S. Senator Omar D. Conger who had supported the expedition. Twenty-five men, including officers, enlisted, and Inuit, lived and conducted research at Fort Conger over the next two years.