Lands Forlorn documents a 1911-1912 expedition to Great Bear Lake and the lower Coppermine River to search for copper deposits. The three-man exploration party was led by George M. Douglas and included his brother, Lionel, a master seaman, and Dr. August Sandburg, a geologist. They tracked a York boat up the rapids-filled Great Bear River to Great Bear Lake, then sailed across the stormy lake to the northeasterly corner at the mouth of the Dease River. There, Lionel Douglas built a sturdy cabin for the winter while George Douglas and August Sandburg canoed, walked, and portaged up the Dease to the Dismal Lakes and then down the Kendall River to the Coppermine River. They explored the Coppermine Mountains during the first season before returning to the cabin. In the spring of 1912 the Douglas party returned to the Coppermine by dogsled and foot. The party went to the Coronation Gulf, meeting some of the Copper Inuit.