Historians
Historians
Our historians add context to every destination, sharing tales of famous polar explorers, tracing the legends of the Vikings, or delving into mythology as we explore the temples of the ancient Greeks. They tell holistic narratives of the places we visit and connect the stories of neighboring destinations, bringing centuries-old sites to life and putting the modern day into perspective—whether they’re guiding you through prehistoric sites in Scotland or sharing insights into the Khmer empire that built Angkor Wat.
We also invite guest speakers to join us in certain destinations, including professors, scholars, and even former prime ministers.
Our historians add context to every destination, sharing tales of famous polar explorers, tracing the legends of the Vikings, or delving into mythology as we explore the temples of the ancient Greeks. They tell holistic narratives of the places we visit and connect the stories of neighboring destinations, bringing centuries-old sites to life and putting the modern day into perspective—whether they’re guiding you through prehistoric sites in Scotland or sharing insights into the Khmer empire that built Angkor Wat....
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Meet our Historians
Historian
Josh Peck
A native Falkland Islander, Josh has always been fascinated by the natural world and exploring new destinations. Growing up in the wildlife haven of the Falklands - with the polar regions on his doorstep - Josh has spent most of his life living alongside penguins, seals and whales, most recently in South Georgia where he was based for 4 months working for the Government of South Georgia. Josh is used to living and working in remote locations and on isolated islands, travelling and working extensively around the world from the USA and Canada to Iceland, Zambia and Poland. Following on from obtaining degrees in History and Politics in Bristol and London in the United Kingdom, Josh returned home to the Falkland Islands to pursue his passion for wildlife and wild places, co-founding a local tour company with two childhood friends in 2016. Focusing on nature and historical tours, Josh worked for the following four seasons guiding and sharing his love of his home with the many guests that visited. An avid photographer and an international footballer (soccer), he is always looking for new experiences and places to visit to broaden his horizons and is looking forward to the next adventures with Lindblad Expeditions.
Historian
Karin Murray-Bergquist
Karin Murray-Bergquist is a historian and folklorist currently working on a PhD in folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. This work has involved a great deal of reading and writing but also traipsing across the island in pursuit of stories, and long conversations over kitchen tables about strange apparitions. Outside the bounds of academia, Karin has been working on a series of songs about the animals and historical voyages of the Antarctic, a stage adaptation of Frankenstein to be performed on a ship, and a collection of original ghost stories. Currently, Karin's work includes the study of ghost ship legends around the island of Newfoundland, and of maritime folklore and its intersections with history in general. The Ghost Ship Map of Newfoundland and Labrador has been a major preoccupation for the past five years, though a passion for the polar regions has meant that voyages to Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia, and Antarctica have proven something of a welcome distraction.
Historian
Douglas Kenck-Crispin
Doug Crispin is a historian who honed his craft at Portland State University (Hist. BA, MA) in Portland, Oregon. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, he has been captivated by the exploits of exploration since he was a boy, and he has continued his professional career with that same infatuation. He is a filmmaker, journalist, and historical consultant who loves sharing the stories he discovers. Doug relishes researching documents at regional archives and burrowing through the back of musty used bookstores, but nothing compares to voyaging the same historic terrain, and seeing the sights as our predecessors saw them, from the perspective of the water line and beyond. Whether in Lewiston, Idaho, or Santiago, Chile, Doug likes to explore local breweries, wineries, and restaurants noted for their regional cuisines, so be sure to ask him for a recommendation! A seasoned traveler, Doug has extensively explored Southeast Asia, South America, and most recently, Belgium. When not investigating historic sites up and down the Columbia and Snake, Inland Passage, Antarctic, and all points beyond, you'll find him at his cabin on Puget Sound, shucking oysters, reading history books, and trying to figure out where D.B. Cooper stashed all that dough.
Historian
Laurence Cotton
Laurence Cotton is a practicing public historian and documentary filmmaker. With his academic background in cultural anthropology, and field work in Latin America and the South Pacific, Laurence has also worked with contemporary tribal leaders across the U.S., on matters pertaining to cultural and natural resources. As a historian, Laurence brings several areas of expertise: terrestrial and maritime exploration, encounters between first peoples, explorers and settlers, and environmental and landscape history. As a documentarian, Laurence is an accomplished writer/producer of historical and biographical films, most of which tell "America's story" as he puts it. Several of his films have appeared on public television. Laurence is also a trained interpretive naturalist, and he is passionate about the outdoors, and in particular he is a specialist in the history and role of public parks in our lives--all parks--city, county, state and National Parks. As a staff person and volunteer in the conservation arena, Laurence has worked to protect natural spaces at home and abroad, and to protect the cultures of indigenous peoples. Laurence brings the experience of two decades of work on small ship cruise vessels, on the rivers, lakes and coastlines of North America.
Historian
Austin Curwen
Growing up in New England, from an early age Austin drank deeply from the literary fountain of explorers. With a childhood of, “Don’t come in until dinner!” hours were spent in the woods, on the water, on bikes and roaming far and wide. Studies at Syracuse University yielded a double major of Geography and History. As a young man, Austin spent 18 months living in Germany where he caught the travel and culture bug. His early professional world included teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Seattle and summers as an expedition leader with the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School leading sailing and sea kayaking trips off the coast of Maine. The next stops were several decades as a boarding school faculty member in California, the UK and Pennsylvania. Responsibilities included teaching American and European history courses, geography and a good deal of time leading school wilderness trips. A mid-career MA at the University of Bristol (UK) in Maritime History and Archaeology stitched together many of Austin’s interests. Coming from that world, Austin now endeavors to pull together history, human movement across the landscape, human interaction with their physical environment, and how this manifests itself through material culture. An avid and extensive traveler, when not exploring some new corner of the world with his better half, Austin can be found in his barn just north of Portland, ME tinkering on myriad projects and working as an educational consultant.
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