He made contact with several tribes and established trade with them.
But because the river flows north for 300 miles, he dismissed it as another river.įor the next 4 years, he explored in the Canadian Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. In 1807, during his initial exploration of the Canadian Rockies, David Thompson unknowingly discovered the Columbia River at its headwater in present-day southeastern British Columbia. One of Thompson’s main goals was to find a viable water route from the Interior of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. During 1805-06, American explorers Merriweather Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery Expedition and traversed the southern portion of the Columbia River.īeginning in 1807, Thompson explored the Canadian Rockies. In 1792, American sea captain Robert Gray and British mariner George Vancouver separately discovered the mouth of the Columbia River. The searched seamed elusive and mariners were forced to travel around the southern tip of South America to go to Asia. For the next 10 years, Thompson conducted several ventures to the Canadian Rockies to chart maps, make detail sketches and journal notes of the terrain, to establish trade with the Native Americans, and establish several fur trading posts.įor centuries, European explorers have tried to find a direct northwest water route through North America to the Pacific Ocean in order to travel to the rich, profitable silk and spice market in Asia. He changed employers to the rival North West Company in 1797.
After his apprenticeship, he received several cartographical devices and almanacs to become a mapmaker and surveyor for the Hudson’s Bay Company. After breaking his right leg, he took the time during his recovery to learn basic cartography skills, geography, and astronomy skills. He learned aspects of the fur trade and became exposed to several Native American tribes, their culture, and their language. At 14 years of age, Thompson received an apprenticeship for the Hudson’s Bay Company and was sent to North America to be a clerk. Both the British Navy and the Hudson’s Bay Company, a fur trading company with operations in North America, were looking for individuals with these particular skills. He also learned the basics of navigation including the use of a sextant and cross staff. Early on, Thompson developed an aptitude for mathematics. When he was 7 years old, he and his brother were sent to the Grey Coat School in London, a charity school for working class and unprivileged children. At the age of 2, his father died and he was raised along with his older brother by his widowed mother. Image Courtesy of Robert Carter Early Years David Thompson was born on Apin Westminster, England. Artistic Illustration of famed explorer, fur trader, and mapmaker David Thompson
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