MPR’s Ellen Finn put together this look at Ann Bancroft’s legacy to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Ann Bancroft, first woman to finish a number of expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic

Ann Bancroft was an adventurer from a young age growing up in St. Paul. She attributes her curiosity about the outdoors to her parents.

“I took canoe trips with my mother and father,” she said. “They always let me camp out, they never told me I couldn’t do it, so they were quite encouraging.”

When Bancroft was 30, she joined an international north pole expedition. She became the first woman to ever make her way to the North Pole on foot and by sled. Later, she became the first woman to cross both polar ice caps to reach the North and South Poles.

In 1995, Ann was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

— Ellen Finn