(1764-1820)

In 1793, Mackenzie became the first white person north of Mexico to reach the Pacific by crossing overland. As a young boy, he had moved from Scotland to Montreal, where he became involved in the fur trade. When his company joined with the North West company in 1787, Mackenzie became a partner and set off for Athabasca, where he conceived the plan to find an overland route to the Pacific. On his first trip, he discovered the Arctic Ocean and charted a great river, which he named “River Disappointment.” Determined to renew his efforts, Mackenzie travelled to England to study recent advances in the determination of longitude. Armed with new knowledge and equipment, he returned to Canada a year and a half later to accomplish his dream.