Crossing the continent
Alexander Mackenzie · 1789 CE – 1793 CE · Earth
Reach the western ocean across North America.
Historical context
The fur trade pushed traders to push the continent's rivers ever farther west and north. Mackenzie's crossings were feats of canoe travel and indigenous guidance across a vast unknown.
The voyage, step by step
From Fort Chipewyan
1789 CE
Mackenzie sets out to find a river route to the western ocean.
The Arctic, not the Pacific
1789 CE
The river carries him north to the Arctic Ocean, not the Pacific he sought.
Over the Rockies
1793 CE
On a second journey he crosses the Rockies with indigenous guides.
The Pacific reached
1793 CE
He reaches the Pacific coast, the first recorded crossing of North America.
Outcome
Reached the Arctic, then the Pacific in 1793.
Alexander Mackenzie
Scottish-Canadian fur trader who made the first recorded crossing of North America north of Mexico.
Sources
Continue exploring
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