David Thompson on the Columbia River National Historic Event
Castlegar, British Columbia
David Thompson on the Columbia River
(© Parks Canada Database)
Address :
Millenium Parkway - Tin Cup Rapids, Castlegar, British Columbia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1952-05-27
Other Name(s):
-
David Thompson on the Columbia River
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Role in establishing inland trading posts built between 1807 and 1812
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Robson Ferry Millenium Parkway - Tin Cup Rapids, Castlegar, British Columbia
Competition for furs had forced the North West Company to expand to the Pacific Slope by 1800. To avoid costly transcontinental transport from Montreal the company needed a coastal depot on a navigable river. To this end David Thompson surveyed the Columbia River between 1807 and 1812, building a string of inland posts along its course. By 1813, when the Nor' Westers bought Astoria, the Pacific Fur Company's post at the river mouth, Thompson had proved the Columbia to be a navigable supply route to the interior.