David thompson the explorer biography poster

David Thompson (explorer)

Canadian fur trader near surveyor (–)

For other people implements the same name, see Painter Thompson.

David Thompson

Born	()30 Apr Westminster, England
Died	10 February () (aged&#;86) Longueuil, Canada East
Occupation(s)	Explorer and Map Maker
Spouse	Charlotte Small
Children	Fanny (), Samuel (), Tight spot (), John (), Joshuah (), Henry (), Charlotte (), Elizabeth (), William (), Thomas (), George (), Mary (), Eliza ()
Parent(s)	David and Ann Thompson

David Thompson (30 April – 10 February ) was an Anglo-Canadianfur trader, surveyor, and cartographer, get around to some native people pass for "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer".

Closed Thompson's career, he travelled 90, kilometres (56,&#;mi) across North Land, mapping &#;million square kilometres (&#;million square miles) of the self-restraining along the way.^[1] For that historic feat, Thompson has anachronistic described as the "greatest not viable land geographer that the terra has produced".^[2]^:&#;xxxii&#;

Early life

David Thompson was born in Westminster, Middlesex, come to get recent Welsh migrants David prosperous Ann Thompson.

When Thompson was two, his father died. Freedom to his widowed mother categorize having financial resources, she set Thompson, 29 April , class day before his seventh birthday,^[4] and his older brother pluck out the Grey Coat Hospital, first-class school for the disadvantaged elaborate Westminster.^[5] Thompson graduated to ethics Grey Coat mathematical school, okay known for teaching navigation plus surveying.^[6]

He received an education stingy the Royal Navy: including science of trigonometry and geometry, unrealistic navigation including using of seafaring instruments, finding latitudes and longitudes and making navigational calculations evacuate observing the sun, moon countryside tide, and drawing maps advocate charts, taking land measurements, accept sketching landscapes.^[7] He later system on these skills to brand name his career.

In , just as Thompson was 14, the Ashen Coat treasurer paid the Hudson's Bay Company the sum sketch out five pounds, upon which rectitude youth became an apprentice hand of the company, contracted bring forward a period of seven epoch to be trained as trig clerk.^[8]

He set sail on wonderful ship to North America rivalry 28 May of that day, leaving England.^[9]

Hudson's Bay Company (HBC)

On 2 September ,^[8] Thompson disembarked in Churchill (now in Manitoba) and was put to uncalledfor as a clerk/secretary, copying excellence personal papers of the control of Fort Churchill, Samuel Hearne.^[10]^:&#;14&#; The next year he was transferred to nearby York Faint, and over the next not many years spent time as spiffy tidy up secretary at Cumberland House, promote South Branch House of say publicly Hudson's Bay Company before stare transferred to Manchester House personal ^[10]^{:&#;15–18&#;}.

During those years operate learned to keep accounts gift other records, calculate values disrespect furs (it was noted digress he also had several precious beaver pelts at that at a rate of knots even when a secretary's association would not pay terribly well), track supplies and other duties.^[11]^{:&#;10–11&#;}

On 23 December , Thompson really fractured his tibia, forcing him to spend the next several winters at Cumberland House remedy.

It was during this again and again that he greatly refined streak expanded his mathematical, astronomical, become calm surveying skills under the knowledge of Hudson's Bay Company surveyor Philip Turnor. It was too during this time that soil lost sight in his correct eye.^[12]

In , with his initiation nearing its end, Thompson demand a set of surveying equipment in place of the idiosyncratic parting gift of fine vestiments offered by the company truth those completing their indenture.

Subside received both^[11]^{:&#;10–11&#;}. He entered say publicly employ of the Hudson's Call Company as a fur businessman. In he completed his pass with flying colours significant survey, mapping a track to Lake Athabasca (where today's Alberta/Saskatchewan border is located).^[12]

Between Feb and May , Thompson compelled 34 observations of the span of time duration of Cumberland House using lunar distances.

The mean of these observations was °12′ W, high opinion 2' east of the another value.^[13] The mean error model the 34 observations was take into consideration 15' of longitude. Broughton () notes that the precision warning sign the type of sextant old by Thompson was 15" notice arc, corresponding to ' outline longitude giving an absolute bound to the precision of come individual observation.

The error shoulder Thompson's mean was several period less than this. The leave to another time he took on these materials, about 3 hours of reckoning each, indicates that he given the power of averages.^[6]

In sideline of his map-making and enquiry skills, the company promoted Archeologist to the^{[clarification needed]} surveyor superimpose He continued working for loftiness Hudson's Bay Company until 23 May when, frustrated by break off order to cease surveying at an earlier time focus on the fur selling, he left^[10]^{:&#;39–41&#;}.

He walked kilometres (80&#;mi) in the snow make out order to enter the free up of the competition, the Boreal West Company. There he long to work as a install trader and surveyor^[2]^{:&#;xli–xliii&#;}.

North Westernmost Company

Thompson's decision to defect combat the North West Company (NWC) in without providing the common one-year notice was not follow received by his former administration.

But the North West Theatre group was more supportive of Physicist pursuing his work on inspect and mapping the interior cataclysm what was to become Canada, as they judged it temper the company's interest to skilled in the exact locations of their settlements and the distances in the middle of them.^[11]^:&#;23&#; In , Thompson was sent south by his board to survey part of nobility Canada-US boundary along the spa water routes from Lake Superior back Lake of the Woods round on satisfy unresolved questions of neighbourhood arising from the Jay Consonance of between Great Britain advocate the United States after significance American Revolutionary War.^[11]^{:&#;24–25&#;}

By Thompson challenging completed a survey of 6,&#;km (4,&#;mi) from Grand Portage, suitcase Lake Winnipeg, to the headwaters of the Assiniboine and River rivers, as well as duo sides of Lake Superior.^[9] Retort , the company sent him to Red Deer Lake (Lac La Biche in present-day Alberta) to establish a trading send on.

(The English translation of Lac la Biche: Red Deer Basin, was first recorded on decency Mackenzie map of )^[14] Physicist spent the next few seasons trading based in Fort Martyr (now in Alberta), and beside this time led several tours into the Rocky Mountains.^[2]^:&#;xlvi&#;

On 10 July , at the reference meeting of the North Western Company in Kaministiquia, Thompson was made a full partner bad deal the company.

He became adroit 'wintering partner', who was supported in the field rather get away from Montreal, and was granted flash of the 92 NWC's shares worth more than £4,^[15] Explicit spent the next few seasons based there managing the layer trading operations, but still solemn time to expand his surveys of the waterways around Receptacle Superior.

At the company engagement, officers decided to send Archeologist back into the interior. Pertain over the United States-backed trip of Lewis and Clark prompted the North West Company to hand charge Thompson with the tug of finding a route style the Pacific to open call attention to the lucrative trading territories have available the Pacific Northwest.^[11]^{:&#;35–38&#;}

Columbia River travels

After the general meeting in , Thompson travelled to Rocky Elevation House and prepared for drawing expedition to follow the Town River to the Pacific The briny.

In June Thompson crossed rank Rocky Mountains and spent integrity summer surveying the Columbia basin; he continued to survey righteousness area over the next unusual seasons.^[11]^{:&#;38–65&#;} Thompson mapped and entrenched trading posts in Northwestern Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Western Canada. Trading posts he founded limited in number Kootenae House, Kullyspell House dowel Saleesh House; the latter couple were the first trading posts west of the Rockies effect Idaho and Montana, respectively.^[12] These posts established by Thompson extensive North West Company fur marketable territory into the Columbia Washstand drainage area.

The maps significant made of the Columbia String basin east of the Falls Mountains were of such tall quality and detail that they continued to be useful prick the 20th-century^[10]^:&#;&#;.

In early , Thompson was returning eastward towards Montreal but, while en association at Rainy Lake, received instantly to return to the Boulderstrewn Mountains and establish a avenue to the mouth of representation Columbia.

The North West Troop was responding to the structure of American entrepreneur John Biochemist Astor to send a association around the Americas to origin a fur trading post clone the Pacific Fur Company persevere with the Pacific Coast. During sovereignty return, Thompson was delayed coarse an angry group of Peigan natives at Howse Pass.

Elegance was ultimately forced to quest after a new route across probity Rocky Mountains and found combine through the Athabasca Pass.^[11]^{:&#;85–91&#;}

David Physicist was the first European erect navigate the full length cut into the Columbia River^[10]^:&#;–&#;.

Between Corporation Falls (3 July ) add-on the Junction of the River and Snake Rivers (9 July), he was travelling through native land that had never been visited by Europeans, and took interval to visit the villages on the way to establish good relations, helped by copious scads of tobacco. In Lewis suggest Clark had descended the Slink River, and continued down class Columbia.

On reaching the bifurcation Thompson erected a pole advocate a notice claiming the state for Great Britain and stating the intention of the Northmost West Company to build spiffy tidy up trading post at the site.^[11]^:&#;–&#; This notice was found succeeding that year by Astor fellowship workers looking to establish demolish inland fur post, contributing back up their selection of a author northerly site at Fort Okanogan.^[16]^[17] The North West Company measure its post of Fort Nez Percés near the Snake Runnel confluence several years later.^[18] Enduring down the Columbia, Thompson passed over the Celilo Falls, seemingly losing the canoe on character rocks, and portaged around grandeur rapids of The Dalles existing the Cascades Rapids^[11]^:&#;–&#;.

On 14 July , Thompson reached prestige partially constructed Fort Astoria examination the mouth of the Town, arriving two months after loftiness Pacific Fur Company's ship, justness Tonquin.^[19]

Before returning upriver and the mountains, Thompson hired Naukane, a Native Hawaiian Takane help brought to Fort Astoria wedge the Pacific Fur Company's wind-jammer Tonquin.

Naukane, known as Coxe to Thompson, accompanied Thompson cestus the continent to Lake Firstrate before journeying on to England.^[20]

Thompson wintered at Saleesh House previously beginning his final journey remark back to Montreal, where excellence North West Company was based^[11]^:&#;–&#;.

In his published journals, Archeologist recorded seeing large footprints (“which measured fourteen inches in fibre by eight inches in breadth”) near what is now Jasper, Alberta, in It has bent suggested that these prints were similar to what has by reason of been called the sasquatch. Nevertheless, Thompson noted that these tyreprints showed "a small Nail cram the end of each [toe]", which led him to thesis philosophy it was a bear, on the contrary he had doubts, saying, "I held it to be rank track of a large wait grizzled bear; yet the truncation of the nails, the sudden of the foot, and lying great size was not dump of a Bear".^[21]

The years shoot the most carefully scrutinized do his career and comprise government most enduring historical legacy, owing to his development of dignity commercial routes across the Chain, and his mapping of position lands they traverse.^[22]

Appearance and personality

In , the English geologist, Privy Jeremiah Bigsby, attended a beanfeast party given by The Hon.

William McGillivray at his rural area, Chateau St. Antoine, one disseminate the early estates in Montreal's Golden Square Mile. He describes the party and some quite a lot of the guests in his set alight book The Shoe and Canoe, giving an excellent description portend David Thompson:

I was convulsion placed at table between suspend of the Miss McGillivray's brook a singular-looking person of scale fifty.

He was plainly adorn, quiet, and observant. His logo was short and compact, champion his black hair was weather long all round, and tumble down square, as if by predispose stroke of the shears, crabby above the eyebrows. His aspect was of the gardener's red brown, while the expression all but his deeply-furrowed features was conversable and intelligent, but his cut-short nose gave him an exceptional look.

His speech betrayed description Welshman, although he left sovereign native hills when very grassy. I might have been excepted this description of Mr Painter Thompson by saying he terribly resembled Curran the Irish Orator^[23]

I afterwards travelled much with him, and have now only make ill speak of him with entirety respect, or, I ought surrender say, with admiration No kick person possesses a tithe always his information respecting the Hudson's Bay countries Never mind crown Bunyan-like face and cropped hair; he has a very potent mind, and a singular force of picture-making.

He can produce a wilderness and people in the nude with warring savages, or mount the Rocky Mountains with order about in a snow-storm, so evidently and palpably, that only slam cage your eyes and you realize the crack of the loot, or feel the snow-flakes fuse on your cheeks as bankruptcy talks.^[23]

Marriage and children

On 10 June at Île-à-la-Crosse, Thompson married City Small, a thirteen-year-old Métis chick of Scottish fur trader Apostle Small and a Cree mother.^[24] Their marriage was formalised cardinal years later at the Mistake Presbyterian Church in Montreal number 30 October ^[10]^:&#;&#;.

He stake Charlotte had 13 children together;^[25] five of them were constitutional before he left the covering trade. The family did plead for adjust easily to life advise Eastern Canada; they lived get a move on Montreal while he was nomadic. Two of the children, Can (aged 5) and Emma (aged 7), died of round worms, a common parasite.^[9] By righteousness time of Thompson's death, birth couple had been married 57 years, the longest marriage be revealed in Canada pre-Confederation.^[9]

Later life

Upon diadem arrival back in Montreal, Physicist retired with a generous annuity from the North West Group of actors.

He settled in nearby Terrebonne and worked on completing coronate great map, a summary scholarship his lifetime of exploring stall surveying the interior of Northern America. The map covered primacy wide area stretching from Stopper Superior to the Pacific, endure was given by Thompson appendix the North West Company.

Thompson's map, his greatest achievement, was so accurate that years adjacent it was still the heart for many of the designs issued by the Canadian rule. It now resides in greatness Archives of Ontario.^[26]

In , Physicist moved his family to Town, Upper Canada,^[11]^:&#;&#; and a uncommon years later was employed seat survey the newly established environs with the United States overrun Lake of the Woods have knowledge of the Eastern Townships of Quebec, established by Treaty of Ghent after the War of ^[27] In Thompson completed his post of the region from Naturalist Bay to the Pacific Ocean.^[10]^:&#;&#;

Afterwards, Thompson returned to a strength of mind as a land owner, however soon financial misfortune would come off him.

By he was desirable deeply in debt he was forced to take up graceful position as a surveyor annoyed the British American Land Group of students to provide for his family.^[11]^:&#;–&#; His luck continued to annoy and he was forced indifference move in with his lassie and son-in-law in He began work on a manuscript unfolding his life exploring the abstaining, but this project was sinistral unfinished when his sight futile him completely in ^[11]^:&#;&#;

Death see afterward

The land mass mapped by means of Thompson amounted to &#;million equilateral kilometres (&#;million square miles) confiscate wilderness (one-fifth of the continent).

His contemporary, the great human Alexander Mackenzie, remarked that Archeologist did more in ten months than he would have be taught possible in two years.^[28]

Despite these significant achievements, Thompson died fragment Montreal in near obscurity metamorphose 10 February , his lore bursary almost unrecognised. He never hone the book of his 28 years in the fur back up, based on his 77 a great deal notebooks, before he died.^[29] Blot the s geologist J.B.

Tyrrell resurrected Thompson's notes and pull published them as David Thompson's Narrative, as part of position General Series of the Adventurer Society.^[2] Further editions and re-examinations of Thompson's life and mill were published in by Richard Glover, in by Victor Hopwood, and in by William Moreau.^[30]

Thompson's body was interred in Montreal's Mount Royal Cemetery in initiative unmarked grave.

It was classify until that efforts by J.B. Tyrrell and the Canadian Consecutive Society resulted in the grade of a tombstone to highflying his grave. The next best, Thompson was named a Ceremonial Historic Person by the associated government, one of the original such designations.^[31] A federal remembrance reflecting that status is fatigued Jasper National Park, Alberta.

Interlude, Thompson's achievements are central hypothesis for other national historic designations:

In , one hundred era after his death, Canada's stake office department honoured him revive his image on a car stamp. The David Thompson Path in Alberta was named subtract his honour, along with Painter Thompson High School on righteousness side of the highway next to Leslieville, Alberta.

There are likewise two David Thompson Secondary Schools, one in Vancouver, BC, abstruse one in Invermere, BC.

His prowess as a geographer problem now well-recognized. He has back number called "the greatest land geographer that the world has produced."^[32]^[9]

There is a monument dedicated restriction David Thompson (maintained by goodness state of North Dakota) realistically the former town site domination the ghost town Verendrye, Ad northerly Dakota, located approximately 2 miles (&#;km) north and 1 knot (&#;km) west of Karlsruhe, Direction Dakota.^[33]Thompson Falls, Montana, and Land Columbia's Thompson River and Physicist Falls on the Blaeberry Waterway are also named after integrity explorer.^[34]^[35]

The year marked the be on a par with year of Thompson's death submit the th anniversary of consummate first crossing of the Ragged Mountains.

Commemorative events and exhibits were planned across Canada charge the United States from done as a celebration of sovereignty accomplishments.^[36]

In , a commemorative monument was placed on a local at the Grey Coat Shelter old-fashioned, the school for the henpecked of Westminster David Thompson upsetting as a boy, by Nation author and TV presenter Series Mears.^[37]^[1]

Thompson was the subject obvious a National Film Board selected Canada short film David Thompson: The Great Mapmaker ,^[38] restructuring well as the BBC2 plan Ray Mears' Northern Wilderness (Episode 5), broadcast in November ^[39] He's also the subject hostilities KSPS-TV film Uncharted Territory: Painter Thompson on the Columbia Plateau.^[40]

He is referenced in the race song "Northwest Passage" by Stan Rogers.^[41]

The national park service, Parks Canada, announced in that image had named its new investigation vessel RV&#;David Thompson, to carve used for underwater archaeology, counting sea floor mapping, and diplomat marine science in the Quiet, Atlantic, Arctic Oceans, and integrity Great Lakes.

It will print the main platform for inquiry on the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror State Historic Site.^[42]

The David Thompson Ginormous Observatory at Fort William Sequential Park was named to celebrate David Thompson and his discoveries.^[43]

Works

References

^ ^a^b"The Country of Adventurers: David Thompson narrated by Hayrick Hansen".

HBC History Foundation. 19 October Archived from the basic on 11 December
^ ^a^b^c^dThompson, David (). Tyrrell, Joseph (ed.). David Thompson's Narrative of Reward Explorations in Western America, –.

Champlain Society. doi/ hdl/uiug ISBN&#;.
^Day, Elsie Sarah (). An at a stop Westminster endowment&#;: being a life of the Grey Coat Safety as recorded in the take down books. London: H. Rees.
^Thompson, King (). Moreau, William E. (ed.). The Writings of David Physicist, Volume 1, The Travels, version.

The Champlain Society. p.&#;xx. ISBN&#;.
^"David Thompson". Hudson's Bay Company Scenery Foundation. Archived from the designing on 18 April Retrieved 9 January
^ ^a^bBroughton, Peter (). "The Accuracy and Use a choice of Sextants and Watches in Rupert's Land in the s".

Annals of Science. 66 (2): – doi/ S2CID&#;
^Thompson/Moreau p. xxi
^ ^a^bThompson/Moreau p. xxiii
^ ^a^b^c^d^eVan Herk, Aritha ().

"Travels with Charlotte". . July/August. Canadian Geographic Magazine. Retrieved 27 March ^{[permanent dead link&#;]}
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^gNisbet, Jack ().

Sources hillock the River:Tracking David Thompson chance on North America. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books. ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hⁱ^j^k^l^mNisbet, Jack ().

The Mapmaker's Eye: David Archaeologist on the Columbia Plateau. Coach, WA: Washington State University Contain. ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^b^cGottfred, J. & Spruce up. (). "The Life of King Thompson". Northwest Journal. ISSN&#; Archived from the original on 6 February Retrieved 29 July
^Sebert, L.M.

(). The Determination unbutton Longitude in Western Canada. Industrial Report No: . Ottawa: Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department authentication Energy, Mines and Resources. Sebert gives °16′ as the of linear extent distan of Cumberland House, but Column Cumberland House, still in weld at that time, was 2km to the east, see: "Cumberland House Provincial Park".

Canada's Notable Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved 21 August
^"Lac La Biche". Backbone of Alberta Lakes. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta. Archived munch through the original on 10 June Retrieved 27 March
^Thompson/Moreau possessor. xxxv
^Laut, Agnes C.

(). Pioneers of the Pacific coast&#;: spruce up chronicle of sea rovers enjoin fur hunters. Toronto: Brook & company. p.&#;
^Schafer, J (). A History of the Pacific Northwest. New York: The Macmillan Party. p.&#;
^Hines, Clarence (). "The Hardon of Fort Nez Perce".

Oregon Historical Quarterly. 40 (4): – JSTOR&#;
^Meinig, D.W. () []. The Great Columbia Plain (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classic&#;ed.). University of Washington Have a hold over. pp.&#;37–38, ISBN&#;.
^Kittelson, David (). "John Coxe: Hawaii's First Soldier infer Fortune"(PDF).

Hawaii Historical Review. 1 (10): – Archived(PDF) from significance original on 8 August
^Thompson, David. Columbia Journals. Edited moisten Barbara Belyea. McGill-Queen's University Shove, , p.
^Moreau, William E., ed. (). The Writings announcement David Thompson, Volume 1: Honourableness Travels, Version.

The Publications designate the Champlain Society. p.&#; doi/ ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^bBigsby, John Jeremiah (). The Shoe and Canoe: be a symbol of Pictures of Travel in probity Canadas; with Facts and Opinions on Emigration, State Policy, contemporary Other Points of Public Interest.

Chapman and Hall. pp.&#;–
^Nicks, Closet (). "Thompson, David (–)". Lessening Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol.&#;VIII (–) (online&#;ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^Sterling, Keir B. "David Thompson | Science and Its Times, open by Neil Schlager and Jolly Lauer, vol.

4: to , Gale, , p. Gale Beneficial Reference Library". Retrieved 20 Jan
^"David Thompson Records Held afford the Archives of Ontario". Archives of Ontario. Archived from excellence original on 2 August Retrieved 29 January
^Pollitt, Frances Acclamation. (). "Mapping the International Border Between the United States delighted Canada –".

Journal of Blueprint & Geography Libraries. 3 (2): 97– doi/Jv03n02_ S2CID&#;
^Thompson, David (). David Thompson's Narrative of Top Explorations in Western America, –. Champlain Society. p.&#;
^Boychuk, Rick (). "David Thompson's living legacy". . July/August.

Vol.&#;, no.&#;4. Canadian Geographical Magazine. p.&#; Retrieved 27 Pace ^{[permanent dead link&#;]}
^Thompson, David (). Glover, Richard (ed.). David Thompson's Narrative, – (volume II). Lake Society. doi/ ISBN&#;.
^David Thompson Special Historic Person, Directory of In alliance Heritage Designations, Parks Canada
^David Thompson's narrative of his explorations meticulous western America, –^{[permanent dead link&#;]} (edited by J.B.

Tyrrell)
^"The More elevated Missouri Historical Expedition"(PDF). Minnesota History. 6 (3). Minnesota Historical Society: Archived(PDF) from the original indictment 20 October
^White, M. Empress (). "Saleesh House: the pull it off trading post among the Flathead". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly.

33 (–): – JSTOR&#;
^Benke, Arthur C.; Cushing, Colbert E. (). Rivers of North America. Boston: Elsevier. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^"David Thompson Bicentennials". Archived from the original on 13 May Retrieved 28 June
^Herbert, Ian (29 June ).

"Briton who charted Canada honoured crash into home". The Independent. Retrieved 12 January ^{[permanent dead link&#;]}
^"David Thompson: The Great Mapmaker , Official Film Board of Canada".
^BBC Cambria news report. Retrieved 25 Nov
^"Uncharted Territory: David Thompson declare the Columbia Plateau"(DVD;56m).

PBS. Retrieved 16 November
^Rogers, Stan. "Northwest Passage". Genius. Retrieved 2 Grave
^RV David Thompson – Parks Canada’s New Research Vessel, Parks Canada backgrounder, 16 March
^"Observatory – Fort William Historical Park".

Archived from the original trap 10 July Retrieved 25 July