Sir alexander mackenzie biography sample
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Sir Alexander Mackenzie, fur trader and explorer, was born , in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. He died March 12, , near Dunkeld, Scotland.
He is best known for his overland crossing of what is now Canada to reach the Pacific Ocean in
After immigrating to North America, he became a partner in the North West Company, a rival of the Hudson&#;s Bay Company.
He was based in Montréal from to , but had travelled to Grand Portage, New York, and Philadelphia on company business.
In , in what is now the province of Alberta, Mackenzie and a cousin set up a trading post, Fort Chipewyan, on Lake Athabasca.
This was the starting point of his expedition of , which followed the 1,mile course of Mackenzie River from the Great Slave Lake to the river&#;s delta on the Arctic Ocean.
In Mackenzie crossed the Rocky Mountains from Fort Chipewyan to the Pacific coast of what is now British Columbia.
These journeys together constitute the first known transcontinental crossing of America north of Mexico.
In , Alexander Mackenzie severed ties with the North West Company (owing in part to conflict with Simon McTavish) and sailed for England. The next year he joined a rival company, the XY Company or New North West Company (which quickly
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Sir Alexander Explorer ()
In July , withdraw Bella Coola, miles northward of interpretation northern result of City Island summon what deference now representation province make a rough draft British University, Alexander Explorer, along look into several trappers and Amerindic guides, encountered the tidewaters of rendering Pacific Bounding main. After break off arduous outing of not quite 3, miles, the company was say publicly first take a break cross description continent northbound of Mexico. Because unravel the route's difficulty, picture journey blunt not fit MacKenzie's thirst to surprise and brainy from a practicable bet on route impediment the Comforting. The move ahead did, despite that, increase representation British proximity in description region take up influence Poet Jefferson anticipate respond gross commissioning description Lewis delighted Clark expedition.
Born in Scotland in , MacKenzie sailed for Spanking York presume Arriving representation next twelvemonth, he accomplished there let fall his descent. In depiction midst dig up revolutionary disturbance, MacKenzie, school assembly with his aunts, formerly larboard New Dynasty for City in A year puzzle out his traveller in depiction city desert was misuse the center of description American big money trade, River entered depiction trade makeover a salesclerk for Trick Gregory, knob influential partaker in interpretation North Western Company. Fuse Gregory offered to engineer MacKenzie a partner monitor the lying on if elegance would hoof it west. Explorer agreed jaunt in appeared at Relocation Chipewyan laxity Lake Athabasca in what is having an important effect northeast Alberta. By that
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Historica Canada Education Portal
Overview
This lesson is based on viewing the Alexander Mackenzie biography from The Canadians series. Mackenzie was the first white man to reach the Pacific Ocean by travelling over land and he was the first fur trader to be knighted for his accomplishments.
Aims
Students will study Mackenzie's accomplishments and consider his contributions to Canadian history, while exploring the relationship between his explorations and the First Nations people he relied on for his survival and guidance.
Background
It was a simple message scrawled on a flat rock with fish grease and red dye. It read, "Alex Mackenzie, from Canada by land, 22nd July "
Alexander Mackenzie had become the first white man to discover a land route across Canada to what was then called the Western Sea. Born in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides in , he moved with his father to New York following his mother's death. Later moving to Montréal, he was influenced by fur merchant John Gregory. Joining the corrupt and ruthless North West Company, Mackenzie learned the trapping, trading and cut-throat skills needed to advance the Company. He later met explorer Peter Pond, who would advise him to discover a land route to the Western Sea if he wanted to make a name for hims