description David Thompson Overview
David Thompson was a 18th-century cartographer employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company. He undertook extensive surveying and mapping expeditions across the northwestern territories of British Canada. His detailed maps, covering over 3.9 million square kilometers, were crucial for trade routes and understanding the region's geography. Thompson's work primarily served the company’s needs but remains significant for historical exploration and early Canadian cartography.
help David Thompson FAQ
What company did David Thompson work for as a cartographer?
David Thompson was employed by the Hudson's Bay Company for much of his career before later working for the North West Company. His mapping expeditions were conducted under these fur-trade organizations across what is now Canada.
How much territory did David Thompson map?
Thompson's maps covered an estimated 3.9 million square kilometers of northwestern North America, spanning from the Great Lakes to the Pacific coast. This represents one of the largest areas ever surveyed by a single individual.
What regions did David Thompson explore and map?
Thompson surveyed vast areas of British Canada including present-day Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and parts of the northern United States. His maps of the Columbia River basin and Rocky Mountain passes were especially important for the fur trade.
What century did David Thompson conduct his surveying expeditions?
Thompson carried out his most significant surveying work in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, roughly from the 1780s through the 1810s. His monumental map of western North America was completed in 1814.
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