Bowdoin Boys in Labrador Jonathan Prince Gilley JR

What it is

• Full title: Bowdoin Boys in Labrador: An Account of the Bowdoin College Scientific Expedition to Labrador led by Prof. Leslie A. Lee of the Biological Department by Jonathan Prince Jr. Cilley. 

• Published in Rockland, Maine by Rockland Publishing Company, roughly in the early 1890s. The expedition took place in 1891. 

• It is a travel/scientific‐expedition narrative: observations of nature, geography, people (Indigenous, settlers), flora & fauna, and ethnographic detail. 

Contents / Key Features

Here are some of the main points from what the book covers:

• Departure from Maine (Rockland) aboard the vessel Julia A. Decker, crossing toward Newfoundland / Labrador. 

• Nautical challenges: descriptions of storms, calm seas, wind shifts, rough seas, etc. 

• Arrival at Red Bay on the Labrador coast — descriptions of cliffs, icebergs, the harbor, local settlements, how people live seasonally. 

• Ethnographic detail: observations of Indigenous peoples (referred often to as “Indians,” “Eskimo,” “half‑breed,” etc., in the language of the time) — dress, hair styles, the women’s hairstyles, their camps, trading activity, personal cleanliness, etc. 

• Natural history: bird life (puffins, auks, guillemots, etc.), fishing, geography (rivers, canyons — especially something called “Bowdoin Canon”), observation of flora & fauna, mapping. The expedition also delves into prehistoric sites (Eskimo settlements) along Labrador’s coast, photographing and documenting them. 

• Harsh conditions: mosquitoes / black flies; difficulties of navigating the terrain, food & supply challenges; sometimes dangerous navigation. 

Significance / Context

• Provides a primary account from the 1890s of scientific expeditions to Labrador — useful for naturalists, geographers, ethnographers, climate and wildlife change studies.

• The way Indigenous peoples are portrayed gives insight into the attitudes of the period (including colonial/settler perspectives).

• The “Bowdoin Canon” is notable — steep‑walled canyon river, a key geographic discovery in their expedition.