is a relatively small peninsula immediately to the southwest and connected with rocky mountains and an island 75 kilometers east of Resolute Bay. It gained special historical importance after Captain Erasmus Ommanney reached nearby Cape Riley on August 23, 1850 and shortly afterwards discovered the remains of a winter camp and graves on Beechey, which turned out to be the first traces of the Franklin expedition since 1845. In 1979 the Canadian government declared the island a historically important place.
The island was discovered in 1819 on a polar expedition under Sir William Edward Parry, after whose first officer Frederick William Beechey it was named. Due to its location between Lancastersund and the Wellington Canal, it was apparently suitable for Sir John Franklin to winter here with his ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in 1845/46. His expedition set up a winter camp here, which included a warehouse and a small forge.
The original plaques on the graves were brought to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center in Yellowknife some time ago and are being kept there.