Game:The Race for the Pole

The late 19th century saw a fascination with the race to travel to the North Pole. Admiral Robert Peary mapped much of the Arctic during this period and eventually claimed to be the first to reach the pole during his 1905-1906 expedition. Game maker F.A. Colwell produced "The Race for the Pole" dexterity puzzle in 1890, while Peary still explored the Arctic. The game's box cover shows Brownie-like figures racing towards an actual "pole." Not an easy puzzle to solve, the game features a maze for marbles toward an indentation in the center of a mounded board. The board is also marked with upright pins, to slow a player's progress.