Many trappers spent the winter in Svalbard from the turn of the 20th century to the 1950s. They hunted reindeer and seals while tending to their fox and polar bear traps. They most likely also played a good deal of cards.

Discovery of Svalbard

A Dutch expedition under the leadership of Willem Barents was looking for the North East Passage to the Orient in 1596. Bjrnya, “Bear Island,” got its name from a run-in with a polar bear, whereas Spitsbergen got its name from the jagged mountain peaks of Svalbard. The expedition was forced to spend the winter at Novaja Semlja, where scurvy claimed the lives of practically everyone. The Polar Museum has items from the winter camp on exhibit.

Klondyke at Svalbard

Some significant trappers’ stations operated in Svalbard between 1611 and 1650, employing hundreds of trappers from the Netherlands, England, and the French Basque Country. They were hunting whales because they could provide tremendous profits, but the hazards were also high. The body of a young Dutch whaler who passed away from scurvy is buried in the Polar Museum. Whales had almost completely disappeared from the region surrounding Svalbard by 1650, and whaling had ceased.

Polar Bear Trapping

Northern Norwegians didn’t exhibit any interest in the arctic until the end of the 1700s. In 1794, the first arctic ship sailed from Hammerfest toward Svalbard. Their primary prey included seals, polar bears, and walruses. The trappers would leave in March and return in June with loads of fur, blubber, and flippers from seals. 

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