Mackenzie, Sir Alexander National Historic Person
Lachine, Quebec
Sir Alexander Mackenzie
(© Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada)
Address :
1255 Saint-Joseph Boulevard, Lachine, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2014-07-07
Life Date:
1762 to 1820
Event, Person, Organization:
-
Explorations of Sir Alexander Mackenzie
(Event)
-
First Crossing of North America
(Event)
-
Slave River Rapids
(Event)
-
Exploration of the Fraser River
(Event)
-
Discovery of the Mackenzie River
(Event)
-
Fort Fork
(NHS or other designated site)
-
Fort St. John
(NHS or other designated site)
-
Fort Alexandria
(NHS or other designated site)
-
Fort Chipewyan
(NHS or other designated site)
Other Name(s):
-
Mackenzie, Sir Alexander (1760-1820)
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2011-15, 2011-15-A, 2011-68
Importance:
One of the greatest explorers of Canada
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 1255 Saint-Joseph Boulevard, Lachine, Quebec
Among Canada’s greatest explorers, this Scottish fur trader traversed the continent, from Montréal to the Arctic and West coasts. Aided by Indigenous guides and French-Canadian voyageurs, he navigated the Mackenzie River, reaching the Arctic Ocean in 1789, and crossed mountains to the Pacific in 1793. He mapped and described the waterways and trails leading to these coasts in his Voyages from Montreal, revealing much of the geography of western Canada. As a result of his travels and sharp business acumen, this ambitious partner in the North West Company and leader of the XY Company expanded the fur trade throughout North America.