Who Did Ada Blackjack Marry?

In 1921, Ada Blackjack, a young Inuit woman living in the Arctic, was recruited by explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson to join his expedition to Wrangel Island. The island, located off the coast of Siberia, was claimed by the British and was the site of a recent failed attempt to establish a permanent settlement.

Stefansson believed that the island could be successfully settled and that Blackjack, who had experience hunting and trapping, could help make it happen.

Blackjack agreed to join the expedition and, along with four other men, set out for Wrangel Island in September. The journey was long and difficult, and by the time they arrived on the island in November, winter was already setting in.

The group was ill-prepared for the harsh conditions and soon ran out of food. Stefansson had planned to stay on the island for only a short time before returning to civilization, but the bad weather made it impossible to leave.

The group was forced to spend the next two winters on Wrangel Island, surviving on whatever they could find or kill. By the spring of 1923, they were down to their last supplies and desperate to leave.

Blackjack decided to head south across the ice in hopes of reaching Siberia. She made it about halfway before being forced to turn back due to bad weather.

When she finally made it back to Wrangel Island, she found that her three companions had died. She was now alone on the island with only a few supplies left.

Somehow, Blackjack managed to survive for another year on Wrangel Island before finally being rescued in August 1924. She was taken back to civilization where she married an American man named William Blackburn and had three children.

Ada Blackjack is an incredible example of human strength and resilience. Despite enduring unimaginable hardship, she persevered and eventually made it back to safety.

Her story is an inspiration to us all.