Throughout history,
the achievements of Scots have extended far beyond the borders of their
own small country. Scottish explorers, such as Richardson, Ross, and
McLure were among the Europeans braving the Arctic on a quest for the
Northwest Passage, and in the meantime charting the course of Canadian
history.
In 1789, Sir Alexander
Mackenzie became one such representative of Scotland when he became the
first European to travel the length of the Mackenzie River. At the time,
Mackenzie was a fur trader and the river, second in North America only to
the Mississippi, was nameless.
Mackenzie did make it to the Pacific, although of course he never found
that sought-after water route. He commanded Fort Chipewyn in Alberta for
eight years while exploring Western Canada and the Arctic. In 1793, he
became the first European to reach the Pacific north of Mexico by crossing
overland.
