Editing John Rae (explorer) (section)

==== First journey ====
The [[Rae–Richardson Arctic Expedition]] left [[Liverpool]] in March 1848, reached [[New York City|New York]], and took the usual voyageur routes west from [[Montreal]]. On 15 July 1848, the expedition reached [[Fort Resolution]] on [[Great Slave Lake]]. [[John Bell (explorer)|John Bell]] was sent downriver to establish winter quarters at [[Fort Confidence]] on the east arm of [[Great Bear Lake]]. Richardson and Rae traveled down the Mackenzie River and turned east along the coast.

They hoped to cross north to Wollaston Land, as southern Victoria Island was then known, but ice conditions made this impossible. Through worsening ice, they rounded Cape Krusenstern at the west end of [[Coronation Gulf]] (not [[Cape Krusenstern]] in [[Alaska]]), and turned south. By the first of September it was clear that they had run out of time, so they abandoned their boats and headed overland. They crossed the [[Rae River]] and [[Richardson River (Canada)|Richardson River]] and on 15 September reached their winter quarters at Fort Confidence at the northeast end of Great Bear Lake.