Learn / People who shaped Canada

Alexander Mackenzie

Fur trader and explorer · 1764-1820

Crossed the continent to the Pacific twelve years before Lewis and Clark, guided the whole way.

Follow this life on the map

Life story

1. 1764 · Stornoway, Scotland
   Born at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis
2. 1788 · Fort Chipewyan, Alberta
   Based at Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca for the North West Company
3. July 14, 1789 · Mackenzie Delta
   Followed the great river to the Arctic Ocean and called it Disappointment
4. July 22, 1793 · Bella Coola, British Columbia
   Reached the Pacific at Bella Coola and wrote his name on a rock
5. March 12, 1820 · Perthshire, Scotland
   Died in Scotland

In the timeline

• 1789 — Mackenzie reaches the Arctic Ocean
• 1793 — Mackenzie reaches the Pacific

Sources

• Wikipedia article: Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• The Canadian Encyclopedia