# Eight Bears Island

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Eight_Bears_Island
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Eight_Bears_Island.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Bears_Island
> Source revision: 1356249530
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Island in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Eight Bears Island Eight Bears Island Show map of Northwest Territories Eight Bears Island Show map of Canada Geography Location Northern Canada Coordinates 77°6′2″N 113°22′10″W / 77.10056°N 113.36944°W / 77.10056; -113.36944 Archipelago Queen Elizabeth Islands Area 18.12 km2 (7.00 sq mi) Administration Canada Territory Northwest Territories Demographics Population Uninhabited Additional information Discovered: June 1915 by Vilhjalmur Stefansson

**Eight Bears Island** is an uninhabited island in the [Parry Islands](/source/Parry_Islands) sub-group of the [Queen Elizabeth Islands](/source/Queen_Elizabeth_Islands), [Northwest Territories](/source/Northwest_Territories), Canada. It lies roughly equidistant between [Mackenzie King Island](/source/Mackenzie_King_Island) and [Emerald Isle](/source/Emerald_Isle_(Northwest_Territories)), immediately east of [Fitzwilliam Owen Island](/source/Fitzwilliam_Owen_Island). Its name comes from the explorer [Edwin Willard Deming](/source/Edwin_Willard_Deming) who's family was nicknamed 'The Eight Bears'.

## History

The island was discovered in June 1915 by [Vilhjalmur Stefansson](/source/Vilhjalmur_Stefansson) during the [Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913–1916](/source/Canadian_Arctic_Expedition%2C_1913%E2%80%931916).[1] It was named by the expedition's photographer, [Hubert Wilkins](/source/Hubert_Wilkins), in honor of the "Eight Bears": the American painter [Edwin Willard Deming](/source/Edwin_Willard_Deming) and his family. The Deming family had maintained correspondence with Wilkins during his earlier travels, continuing to send letters even when he was presumed dead.[2]

The island is scientifically obscure; the last documented survey was by geologist J.G. Fyles of the [Geological Survey of Canada](/source/Geological_Survey_of_Canada) on July 18, 1964, who noted the presence of raised beaches and marine shells.[3]

## Geography

Located at 77°N, the island remains ice-bound for the majority of the year. It is situated approximately 300 kilometres (160 nmi) north of the [Parry Channel](/source/Parry_Channel), well removed from the primary routes of the [Northwest Passage](/source/Northwest_Passage).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Stef_1-0)** Stefansson, V. (1921). *The Friendly Arctic*. Macmillan. pp. 332, 341.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["E.W. Deming, Noted Painter and Explorer, Has Had a Varied and Exciting Career"](https://greenbaypressgazette.newspapers.com/image/187408133/). *Green Bay Press-Gazette*. Green Bay, Wisconsin. 1934-08-27. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Fyles, J.G. (1965). "Surficial Geology, Western Queen Elizabeth Islands". *GSC Paper*. **65–1**: 3–5.

## External links

- [Eight Bears Island](https://web.archive.org/web/20140407083441/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/toporama?center=-451190.2489697,3134018.5293636&zoom=7) at [Atlas of Canada](/source/Atlas_of_Canada)

v t e Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut and Northwest Territories, Canada Ellesmere Island Ellesmere Ward Hunt Island Parry Islands major Devon Melville Bathurst Prince Patrick Cornwallis Mackenzie King Borden Cornwall Eglinton Graham Lougheed Byam Martin Île Vanier Cameron Brock North Kent Emerald Isle Alexander Massey Little Cornwallis Coburg Helena Baillie-Hamilton Griffith Hoved Lowther Buckingham minor Beechey Berkeley Browne Cheyne Cocked Hat Crescent Des Voeux Dundas Edmund Walker Eight Bears Ekins Exmouth Fairholme Fitzwilliam Owen Findlay Group Garrett Grosvenor Hans (shared with Denmark) Houston Stewart Hyde Parker Île Marc John Barrow Margaret Nookap Norman Lockyer Patterson Philpots Pim Pioneer Princess Royal Seymour Skraeling Spit Stupart Table Thor Truro Sverdrup Islands major Axel Heiberg Ellef Ringnes Amund Ringnes King Christian Meighen Stor minor Fay Gretha Haig-Thomas Hat Ulvingen

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Eight Bears Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Bears_Island) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Bears_Island?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.