Watch The Big Picture - Operation Lead Dog

Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States. From the U.S. Army's THE BIG PICTURE television series, 1950-1975. In this presentation, THE BIG PICTURE takes viewers to the most northern body of land in the world to view the activities of Operation Lead Dog.

A combined services effort conducted in cooperation with the Danish government and commanded by the Army Transportation Corps, Operation Lead Dog started in May of 1960. First, the Army explorers spanned the icecap from coast-to-coast before moving north beyond the areas covered by Peary's travels.

The 65-day journey was designed to give the Transportation Corps a good opportunity for a rigid test of their polar vehicles for endurance and mobility. Other technical services made extensive equipment tests and gathered detailed data on the previously untouched polar regions.

Archaeologists accompanying the expedition discovered the remains of a Paleo Eskimo camp, believed to be over four-thousand years old.

Signal Corps photographers have dramatically filmed 20th century man's re-entry into the land where men fished and hunted more than two-thousand years ago.

This historical recording from the National Archives may contain variations in audio and video quality based on the limitations of the original source material.

The content summary for this video is adapted from an historical description provided by the government agency or donor at the time of production release.