Thompson David 1770-1857 Born In The Parish Of St John's
Westminster, England. Educated at the Gray Coat School; and entered the
service of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1784. The first of his voluminous
journals opens at Fort Churchill in that year. The last is dated 1850.
The journals fill forty-five volumes of manuscript, and cover a period
of sixty-six years. Remained in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company
until 1797, and in that period carried on explorations and surveys of
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the Nelson, Churchill, and Saskatchewan Rivers, and the intervening
territory. In 1797 joined the North West Company, and in the years that
followed, explored the upper waters of the Assiniboine; made a journey
overland to the Mandan villages on the Missouri; and another to the head
waters of the Mississippi; and surveyed portions of the upper waters of
the Saskatchewan, Athabaska, and Peace Rivers. From 1807 to 1811,
explored the entire system of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers, from
source to mouth. Left the North-West in 1812, and from 1816 to 1826
engaged in surveying and defining the international boundary. Afterwards
carried out several minor surveys, in what is now eastern Canada. Died
at Longueuil, near Montreal. =Index=: (Mackenzie / Selkirk / Simpson era) Referred to in Mackenzie's
letters, 58; his explorations, 103; leaves Hudson's Bay Company, and
joins North West Company, 103; visits the Mandan Indians, 104; further
explorations, 105; sent to explore the Columbia, 106; crosses the Rocky
Mountains, 1806, and builds post on Columbia, 106; descends the Columbia
to its mouth, 106-107; builds other posts west of the mountains, 107;
leaves service of the North West Company, 107; prepares his great map,
107; Thompson River named after, 109. (Sir James Douglas era) Completes his western work,
1811, 58; returns to eastern Canada, 58; ends his days in poverty, 59;
astronomer of North West Company, 57; previously in service of Hudson's
Bay Company, 57-58; extent of his travels, 58; visits Mandan country,
58; enters Bow River Pass, 1805, 58; discovers Howse Pass, 58; builds
Fort Kootenay, 58; first to explore Kootenay district, 58; discoverer of
Athabaska Pass, 58; proclaims British sovereignty, at junction of
Spokane and Columbia, 58. =Bib.=: Tyrrell, Journeys of David Thompson;
Henry-Thompson Journals, ed. by Coues; Laut, Conquest of the Great
North-West; Burpee, Search for the Western Sea; Bryce, Hudson's Bay
Company.