In the first expedition in 1903 to Antarctica, British explorer Robert Scott chose Ross Island to be his launching point. He constructed his Discover Hut to serve as a base of operations. While the construction took only about two weeks, the hut has stood for over a century. After Scott and his party were buried at the top of Observation Hill, the remaining party closed up the hut and left, where it remained undisturbed until 1955, when the U.S. Navy arrived in its Operation Deep Freeze. The hut was opened and while some sailors stole items as souvenirs, many items still remain, perfectly preserved due to the constant below freezing temperatures and extremely low humidity.

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