| THOMPSON, David |
David Thompson, surveyor and explorer, made the earliest detailed map of
Alberta. He was born in London in 1770 and arrived on the prairies at the
age of 16 to work with James Gaddy for the Hudsons Bay Company as a fur
trader and surveyor. In 1797 he left the Hudson's Bay Company and joined
the Northwest Company. At 29 he married Charlotte Small, a Metis. She travelled
with Thompson as he explored and had 13 children. His base became Rocky
Mountain House as he began to search for a route to the Pacific. Between
1807 and 1812 he surveyed the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and established
posts. David Thompson died in 1857.
- Source - Heritage Hunter's Guide to Alberta Museums by Roberta Hursey
- Source - Alberta History Along the Highway by Ted Stone
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