David Thompson's Narrative of His Explorations in Western America, 1784-1812 (Publications of the Champlain Society, volume 12)

During David Thompson’s expeditions to Western Canada and the United States, he mapped 3.9 million square kilometers of North America, approximately one fifth of the continent. The Champlain Society’s David Thompson’s Narrative details Thompson’s personal account of his life and travels. His adeptness as a traveler and his accuracy as a surveyor are reflected through the mathematical records and astronomical observations which appear in his journals. Part 1 of Thompson’s narrative provides a general account of his life between the years of 1784 and 1807. Thompson’s talent became evident to his peers during this time as he completed his education at the age of 14 in order to work in the fur trade overseas. In this first installment, Thompson re-lives his employment as a key leader of the Northwest Company and Hudson’s Bay Company. In Part II of the Narrative, Thompson writes about his experiences as a partner in the Northwest Company. Between 1807 and 1812, his travels took him from Alberta to British Columbia as well as to Montana, Idaho, and Washington. This section highlights the main features of his geographical work through a visual reproduction of Thompson’s map. In these archival pages, David Thompson takes his readers back in time, recounting the history of his twenty-eight years in the fur trade and the details of his journey across the country. The journal entries of this volume allow for a clear representation of one of Canada’s greatest historical heroes to emerge.