Mackenzie, Sir Alexander (1764-1820), was a Canadian explorer, trader, and businessman. He was the first white man to reach the Mackenzie River and to cross the northern part of North America to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1789, Mackenzie left Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca with a small party of Canadians and Indian guides. He pushed his way north to Great Slave Lake and then followed the river that now bears his name. It took him to the Arctic Ocean. He had hoped the river would lead him to the Pacific Ocean.
Three years later, Mackenzie started on an expedition to the west coast. He followed the Peace River, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and reached the Pacific Ocean in 1793. This trip convinced him that a search for a Northwest Passage to the Orient would prove useless. However, he promoted the idea of carrying on trade across the Pacific Ocean.
He wrote Voyages on the River Saint Lawrence and Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in the Years 1789 and 1793 (1801). This book contains much valuable information on Indian tribes and Canadian history.
Mackenzie was born in Stornoway, on the Scottish island of Lewis with Harris. In 1778, he went to Canada. He later became a partner in the North West Company, a leading Canadian fur-trading company. Mackenzie made a fortune as a fur trader. He spent his last years in Scotland. He died on March 12, 1820.
See also McKay, Alexander .
