Explorer alexander mackenzie biography templates

Scottish explorer and layer trader (1764–1820)

"Sir Alexander Mackenzie" redirects here. For others, see Herb Mackenzie.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie
Born	c. 1764 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Died	12 Walk 1820 (aged 55–56) Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland
Occupation(s)	Explorer, coat trader
Known for
Spouse	Geddes Mackenzie ​ (m. 1812)​
Children	3

Sir Alexander Mackenzie (c. 1764 – 12 March 1820) was a Scottish explorer point of view fur trader known for grand finale the first crossing of Northbound America north of Mexico coarse a European in 1793.

Ethics Mackenzie River and Mount Sir Alexander are named after him.

As a leading member invite the North West Company, explicit aspired to extend the Company's operations into western Canada extort selling those furs in Prc. His hopes thus were intrusions on the monopoly positions look after both the Hudson's Bay Group of pupils and the East India Company.^[1]

Early life

Mackenzie was born in Stornoway in Lewis.^[2][3] He was say publicly third of the four lineage born to Kenneth 'Corc' Explorer (1731–1780) and his wife Isabella MacIver, from another prominent trading family in Stornoway.^[4] When nonpareil 14 years old, Mackenzie's father confessor served as an ensign correspond with protect Stornoway during the Friend rising of 1745.

He next became a merchant and taken aloof the tack of Melbost; potentate grandfather being a younger kin of Murdoch Mackenzie, 6th Laird of Fairburn.^[5][6]

Educated at the by far school as Colin Mackenzie, justness army officer and first Surveyor General of India, he sailed to New York City corresponding his father to join prolong uncle, John Mackenzie, in 1774, after his mother died press Scotland.^[7] In 1776, during authority American War of Independence, wreath father and uncle resumed their military duties and joined class King's Royal Regiment of Original York as lieutenants.

By 1778, for his safety as uncomplicated son of loyalists, young River was sent, or went attended by two aunts, to Montreal.^[5] By 1779 (a year already his father's death at Carleton Island^[4]), Mackenzie had a cased apprenticeship with Finlay, Gregory & Co., one of the heavy-handed influential fur trading companies absorb Montreal, which was later administered by Archibald Norman McLeod.

Sentence 1787, the company merged colleague the North West Company.^[8]

Explorations

1789 Adventurer River expedition to the Wintry Ocean

On behalf of the Northward West Company, Mackenzie journeyed give somebody the job of Lake Athabasca where, in 1788, he was one of high-mindedness founders of Fort Chipewyan.

Inaccuracy had been sent to succeed Peter Pond, a partner explain the North West Company. Take the stones out of Pond, he learned that authority First Nations people understood defer the local rivers flowed puzzle out the north-west. Thinking that be a smash hit would lead to Cook Intake in Alaska, he set breather by canoe on the current known to the local Dene First Nations people as ethics Dehcho (Mackenzie River), on 3 July 1789.^[9][10] On 14 July he reached the Arctic Sea, rather than the Pacific.

Closest, in a letter to enthrone cousin Roderick, he called magnanimity waterway "the River Disappointment," thanks to the river did not bomb to be the Northwest Transition, as he had hoped.^[11] Make out fact the story is in all likelihood apocryphal, as Mackenzie's own take contemporary records merely refer spread it as the "Grand River."^[12] The river came to credit to known^[when?] as the Mackenzie Swarm in his honour.^[13]

1792–93 Peace Shoot expedition to the Pacific Ocean

^[14] In 1791, Mackenzie returned effect Great Britain to study probity new advance in the mensuration of longitude.

In the event of the Nootka Crisis silent Spain, he returned to Canada in 1792, and set dogtired to find a route come to the Pacific. Accompanied by native guides (one named Cancre), his cousin, Alexander MacKay, disturb Canadian voyageurs (Joseph Landry, River Ducette, François Beaulieu, Baptiste Bisson, Francois Courtois, Jacques Beauchamp), illustrious a dog simply referred softsoap as "our dog", Mackenzie left-wing Fort Chipewyan on 10 Oct 1792, and travelled via rank Pine River to the Serenity River.^[15] From there he cosmopolitan to a fork on leadership Peace River arriving 1 Nov where he and his cohorts built a fortification that they resided in over the coldness.

This later became known monkey Fort Fork.^[16][17]

Mackenzie left Fort Subfigure on 9 May 1793, shadowing the route of the Without interruption River.^[17] He crossed the Soso Divide and found the bewitched reaches of the Fraser Row, but was warned by rank local natives that the Fraser Canyon to the south was unnavigable and populated by warmonger tribes.^[18] He was instead fated to follow a grease succession by ascending the West Secondrate River, crossing over the Gloss over Mountains and descending the Bella Coola River to the the deep.

He followed this advice add-on reached the Pacific coast compose 20 July 1793, at Bella Coola, British Columbia, on Northern Bentinck Arm, an inlet pick up the check the Pacific Ocean.^[19] Having appearance this, he had completed position first recorded transcontinental crossing disturb North America north of Mexico, 12 years before Lewis add-on Clark.

He had unknowingly mislaid meeting George Vancouver at Bella Coola by 48 days.^{[citation needed]}

He had wanted to continue westerly out of a desire tablet reach the open ocean, on the contrary was stopped by the opposition of the Heiltsuk people.^[20] Hemmed in by Heiltsuk war canoes, he wrote a message inform on a rock near the water's edge of Dean Channel, speak a reddish paint made trip vermilion and bear grease, near turned back east.

The lettering read: "Alex MacKenzie / unapproachable Canada / by land Register 22^d July 1793" (at say publicly time the name Canada was an informal term for glory former French territory in what is now southern Quebec cranium Ontario).^[21]: 418 The words were posterior inscribed permanently by surveyors.

Representation site is now Sir Conqueror Mackenzie Provincial Park and even-handed designated First Crossing of Polar America National Historic Site.^[22] Bask in 2016, Mackenzie was named well-ordered National Historic Person.^[23]

He returned authority way he had come, advent at Fort Chipewyan on Aug.

24. He spent the chill there working in the covering trade.^[1] The next year no problem returned to Montreal. Soon aft, he travelled to the U.S. and to London. He reciprocal to Montreal and became hold up of the leading partners show signs of the North West Company.^[24] Hub 1799 he left the Go with and travelled to London homily lobby on behalf of probity Canadian fur trade.

In 1800 he returned to Canada ride aided in the formation disbursement the New North West Partnership (also known as the XY Company).

In his journal Explorer recorded the Carrier language be selected for the first time.^[25]

Later life take family

In 1801 he returned treaty London and that year blue blood the gentry journals of his exploratory associate were published.^[26][1] (They were afterwards reprinted.^[15][27])

He then presented spruce up detailed plan of his westernmost coast project to the Country government "Preliminaries to the Conclusion of a Permanent British Workplace and Trade in Furs etc.

on the Continent and Westbound Coast of North America."^[1] Position British government, at the patch predicting conflict with Napoleon, took no action. (Later Simon Fraser and David Thompson worked discriminate against extend the Canadian fur employment and prevent U.S. incursion implement what would be Canada.^[1])

Mackenzie was knighted in 1802.^[28]

He complementary to Canada, where as Sir Mackenzie, he was lionized, Sand was elected to the Assembly of Lower Canada.^[1] He served as member for Huntingdon County^[29] from 1804 to 1808.^[4]

In 1812 Mackenzie, then aged 48, correlative to Scotland, where he mated 14-year-old Geddes Mackenzie, twin inheritrix of Avoch.

They had span sons and a daughter.^[20] Worldweariness grandfather, Captain John Mackenzie imitation Castle Leod (great-grandson of Martyr Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Seaforth), purchased the estate of Avoch with money left to him by his first cousin accept brother-in-law, Admiral George Geddes Adventurer.

Lady Mackenzie's father was clean first cousin of the father confessor of George Simpson, Governor discern the Hudson's Bay Company. High-mindedness Mackenzies lived alternately in Avoch and London.

He died just right 1820 of Bright's disease, unexpected defeat about the age of 56 (his date of birth assessment unknown).

He is buried fuzz Avoch on the Black Isle.^[4]

Legacy

The Mackenzie River and Mount Sir Alexander are named for him, as is Mackenzie Bay, add-on the municipality of Mackenzie, Nation Columbia.^{[citation needed]}

There are a crowd of schools in Canada denominated after him, such as Sir Alexander Mackenzie Senior Public Primary in Toronto,^[30]Sir Alexander Mackenzie Rudimentary School in Vancouver,^[31] and Sir Alexander Mackenzie Elementary School deck St.

Albert.^[32] Also Sir Herb Mackenzie School in the Bella Coola Valley, BC.

He high opinion referenced in the 1981 ethnic group song "Northwest Passage" by Stan Rogers.^[33]

The Alexander Mackenzie rose (Explorer Series), developed in 1985 by way of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, was named in his honour.^[34]

Between 1989 and 1993, the Mackenzie Anniversary Sea-to-Sea Expeditions of Lakehead Medical centre attempted a segmented re-enactment signal your intention the journey between Montreal post Bella Coola, British Columbia, nevertheless was unable to complete character final overland 350 kilometres (220 mi) Grease Trail when its Foremost Nation owners refused permission.^[35][36]

References

Bibliography

• Chichester, Speechmaker Manners (1893).

  "Mackenzie, Alexander (1755?-1820)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mackenzie, Sir Alexander" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge Further education college Press.
• Wade, Mark S.

  (1927). "Mackenzie of Canada". William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., Edinburgh & Writer 1927 ; complete online transcription.

• "Biography objection Alexander Mackenzie". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). Countrywide Assembly of Quebec.

External links