Dr. Cook was received as a hero by the American public upon returning from the summit of Mt. McKinley in 1906. However, his return to the continental US was delayed by a lawsuit, filed in Alaska by Bill Hughes, the owner of the horses that Cook had rented.  Dr. Cook owed Hughes $600, and he refused to pay, stating that there was no real contract. Henry Disston, the wealthy hunter who had promised $10,000 to the expedition for the big game hunt, did not pay Cook the money promised, because he failed to arrive for the hunt.  Dr. Cook found himself now in serious financial difficulty.

Book jacket from Cook's written account of his 1903 and 1906 expeditions to Mt. McKinley.

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Luckily, his popularity at being the first to summit Mt. McKinley made him a sympathetic figure, and several local Alaskans came to his rescue and raised the $600 needed to pay Hughes.  Finally able to leave Alaska, Dr. Cook arrived in Seattle on November 7, 1906 and on November 9, he gave his first public talk about his accomplishment to the local members of the Mazamas, a mountaineering club.  His lecture was well-received, with more than 500 in attendance.  However, there was doubt about Cook’s summit claim almost immediately upon his return to civilization.  Among those who questioned his accomplishment were those who had attempted to climb McKinley themselves, including members of his own expeditions, as well as residents of Alaska who had no connection to mountaineering.  Though people questioned the truthfulness of his claims, they lacked the hard evidence to prove otherwise.

At center, John R. Bradley, financier of Cook's 1909 North Pole Expedition, 1907.

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Dr. Cook returned to NY on November 27, and on December 7, he lectured at the Explorers Club. A week later, he attended the National Geographic Society’s annual dinner, where Robert E. Peary was the guest of honor. Toward the end of the evening, Alexander Graham Bell rose and introduced Dr. Cook as the Society’s special guest.  Bell praised Cook as the only American who had explored both the Arctic and the Antarctic, as well as conquered the top of the North American continent. Dr. Cook stood to speak, and turned the attention back to Peary, praising his accomplishments and crediting his own success on the mountain to Peary and the equipment developed by other polar explorers, like Peary.

Capitalizing on his public success, Cook now turned his attention to the North Pole.  However, he was still struggling financially.  Luckily, John R. Bradley, a wealthy casino owner from Florida, suggested that he and Cook travel to Greenland for a big-game hunt. Cook thought this would make an excellent point from which to attempt to reach the North Pole.; Bradley fully supported the idea, so much so that he donated $10,000 to the effort.   On July 7, 1907, Dr. Cook and John Bradley sailed for Greenland.

 

Image 1: Book jacket from Cook’s written account of his 1903 and 1906 expeditions to Mt. McKinley.

Image 2: At center, John R. Bradley, financier of Cook’s 1909 North Pole Expedition, 1907.