Jørgen Stubberud met Roald Amundsen after Amundsen bought Uranienborg and moved to Svartskog in 1908.
Through architect Fridtjof Grann-Meyer, who also lived in Svartskog, Jørgen Stubberud and his brother Harald were given the job of modernizing Uranienborg. Floors were replaced, new windows and doors fitted, and the bathroom and toilet altered. Roald Amundsen was planning the upcoming Fram expedition at the time and wanted Stubberud on board. In order to join, Stubberud first needed permission from his wife, Sofie. In an interview on NRK radio in 1973, he explained how he came to be included in the expedition:
“I was very interested in joining. Then I came to ask Roald Amundsen if it was possible to join this expedition. ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Yes, you get permission from your wife,’ he said, ‘Well, because the trip will, it will take about seven years.’ I signed the contract for seven years. And I got permission, I got a ‘yes’ from my wife.” 🔊
Jørgen Stubberud with his wife Sofie and his two children Mimi (left, b.1908) and Helene (b.1909). They later had two more children, Signe and Kåre. The photograph was taken just before Stubberud left on board Fram in 1910. Photo: MiA.
Portrait photo of Jørgen Stubberud taken just before the start of the Fram expedition. Photo: MiA.
Before leaving, Stubberud, together with his brother Harald, was given the task of procuring materials for the hut that would later be named Framheim, and building it in the garden outside Uranienborg.
When the expedition arrived in Antarctica in 1911, Stubberud and Olav Bjaaland were responsible for erecting Framheim on the ice shelf. They later both worked in the carpentry workshop that was established under the snow. During the winter, a darts competition was arranged in Framheim and when spring came and the points were added up, Stubberud walked away with the victory and was awarded a gold watch by Amundsen. The watch is still in the family’s possession today.
Stubberud was an important participant in the depot laying effort through the winter, and was originally part of the polar party. After the failed attempt on the Pole in September 1911, however, he, together with Hjalmar Johansen, became part of the sledge expedition to King Edward VII Land, led by Kristian Prestrud.
Stubberud (on left) and Hjalmar Johansen with a bottle of Lysholmer no. 1 Aquavit, on the summit of Scott’s Nunatak during the sledge journey to King Edward VII Land. Photo: Norwegian Polar Institute / National Library of Norway.
Stubberud was interviewed on several occasions about the Fram expedition. In the NRK archive is a recording of one of these.
After returning from Antarctica, Stubberud continued the work of modernizing Amundsen’s home, Uranienborg. The entrance was moved and the blue room extended. Stubberud also rebuilt the bedroom and installed a wall to create a separate dressing room. In a letter of recommendation written on 23 February 1915, Amundsen wrote,
”Jørgen Stubberud has been in my service for approx. 2 years. During this time he has done all the work that has been carried out on my property. He knows something of everything, is extremely practical and very pleasant to deal with. He is sober, polite and reliable in everything. It is thus with a clear conscience that I give him my warmest recommendation.”
In 1917, Stubberud contributed to the construction of the polar ship Maud. Originally he was also supposed to be on the expedition to drift across the Arctic Ocean, but stayed at home due to ill health. He later worked at several sawmills before being employed by Norwegian Customs. He was said to often carry the gold watch from Framheim in his pocket at work. For 23 years he worked in the Customs, until he retired in 1953. Stubberud, however, did not give up working but continued for eight years as a security guard at Fred. Olsen.
Stubberud was present when Uranienborg was formally opened as a museum in 1935, and made several subsequent vists to Amundsen’s home.
Stubberud was interviewed several times in newspapers and on the radio about the Fram expedition, and in 1961 he remembered Amundsen as follows: “I do not recall that he was ever impatient or fussy. A better boss was had by no one, yes, I say such a big word: I cannot name his equal on this earth.” 📜
One of Stubberud’s interests was to build ship models. He built several models of Fram, one of which is today at the Ski Museum in Holmenkollen.
Stubberud pictured with one of several models he made of Fram. Photo: MiA.
In 1980 Stubberud died as the last living member of crew of the Fram expedition.
The interviews with Jørgen Stubberud on NRK radio are available at the National Library of Norway.🔊
Source:
Stubberud, Jørgen (2011): Mitt liv og mitt yrke, I Kløver, Geir (red.): Mannskapets dagbøker. Sydpolsekspedisjonen 1910-14. Oslo: Frammuseet.
One of the Netsilik Inuit Amundsen met during the expedition through the Northwest Passage, 1903-06. A tinted photograph of him hangs in Amundsen’s home.
The girls Nita and Camilla Carpendale went to Norway and Svartskog together with Amundsen in 1922 where they lived until 1924. The girls called Amundsen “Grandpa”.
Betty was one of the key women in Amundsen’s life. She was the nanny when he grew up, and when Amundsen moved to Svartskog, she joined him and moved into the gatehouse, which became “Betty’s house”.
Eivind Astrup became one of the world’s most experienced polar explorers of his time and a great role model for Roald Amundsen. He chose to end his life when only 24 years old.
Roald Amundsen had strong feelings for Kristine Elisabeth “Kiss” Bennett. She visited Uranienborg several times, but even though Amundsen transferred ownership of it to her, she never moved in.
The girls Nita and Camilla Carpendale went to Norway and Svartskog with Amundsen in 1922 and lived there until 1924. The girls called Amundsen “Grandpa”.
Sigrid Flood Castberg, often called “Sigg”, was one of the women Amundsen had a relationship with. But when Amundsen proposed, she was already married and wanted to wait, and when she was ready he wanted…
Håkon Hammer met Roald Amundsen in Seattle in 1921. He quickly became a collaborator and supporter, but was later named by Amundsen as one of the reasons for his personal bankruptcy.
Participated in the Maud expedition, but left the expedition in 1919, together with Peter Tessem. Both perished. What really happened to them is still unknown.
The Alaska Inupiaq called Elizabeth Magids “Queen of the Arctic”, Amundsen’s crew referred to her as “the mysterious lady”. Amundsen called her “Bess”. She went to live with Amundsen in Norway in 1928….
Participated as a research assistant on the Maud expedition, and as a meteorologist on the Norge expedition. Died on Umberto Nobile’s airship expedition in 1928.
One of the Netsilik Inuit Amundsen met during the expedition through the Northwest Passage 1903-06. A coloured picture of him decorates a window in Amundsen’s home.
Nobile was the airship engineer whom Amundsen criticized after the expedition in 1926. During the search for his wrecked expedition in 1928, Roald Amundsen disappeared.
Joined the Maud expedition after visiting the ship in Khabarovsk. Also participated in the Norge expedition, but was left out from the actual voyage across the Arctic Ocean.
One of the Netsilik Inuit Amundsen met during the expedition through the Northwest Passage 1903-06. A coloured picture of her hangs in Amundsen’s home.
One of the Netsilik Inuit Amundsen met during the expedition through the Northwest Passage 1903-06. A coloured picture of him decorates a door in Amundsen’s home.