Mackenzie, Sir Alexander

1764-1820

Alexander Mackenzie was born in Stornoway, on the isle of Lewis. Hoping to find a better life in the New World he joined the Northwest Fur Company 1779 and in 1788 established Fort Chipewayan on Lake Athabasca. He discovered what would later be named the Mackenzie River in 1789. At the time he named it the 'Disappointment' as it led to the Arctic sea rather than the Pacific. His adventurous spirit was not crushed and he went on to become the first European to cross the North American continent. He received a knighthood in 1802 and died in the land of his birth.

Further reading: Alexander Mackenzie's vogage to the Pacific Ocean in 1793 historical introduction and footnotes by Milo Milton Quaife, (New York, 1967)
Gough, Barry M., First across the continent: Sir Alexander Mackenzie, (Oklahoma, 1997)
Lamb, W. Kaye, (ed.), The letters and journals of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, (London, 1970)

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