CREDIT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION - Antartica 
The Antarctic Explorer from the Northwoods
People interested in polar geography may know about the Eklund Islands in King George the Sixth Sound southwest of the Antarctic Peninsula. What might be less commonly known is that the Eklund Islands in Antarctica are named for a Northwoods native.
The southernmost continent of Antarctica is cold, inhospitable, and not the sort of place that most Northwoods residents think about when looking for adventure. But for one Northwoods native, the chance to live and work in Antarctica was a dream come true.
Carl Robert Eklund was born to Swedish immigrants in Tomahawk in January 1909. He grew up in the Northwoods and during his high school years was a standout football player for Tomahawk High School. Like many young people from the area, Eklund loved the outdoors, was an ardent camper, and was active in scouting. He was a member of Troop 1 at Tomahawk from 1922 to 1925, after which he served as an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 21. He was active every summer as athletic director at Camp Sam-O-Set near Harrison.
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