The Travels, Explorations and Surveys of David Thompson

David Thompson taking an Observation
The story of David Thompson’s has been a fascination since childhood and he seemed to come in and out of focus throughout my youth. He became a permanent fixture in my early twenties and has been ever since. The fascination with his exploration and travels has led to an interest in others who accomplished similar feats.
In 2002, as part of the David Thompson Bicentennial Partnership, a request was made to recalculate and verify the distances that Thompson traveled between the years 1785 and 1812; the time spent while engaged in the fur trade with the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company.
Distances Traveled by David Thompson 1786-1812
Year | Company Employed With | Distance Traveled (km) | Watersheds Traveled |
---|---|---|---|
1785 | Hudson Bay Company | 314 | Hudson Bay Seaboard Watersheds |
1786 | Hudson Bay Company | 2881 | Hayes and Nelson River Watersheds |
1787 | Hudson Bay Company | 1476 | Nelson River Watersheds |
1788 | Hudson Bay Company | 738 | Nelson River Watersheds |
1789 | Hudson Bay Company | 367 | Nelson River Watersheds |
1790 | Hudson Bay Company | 2908 | Hayes and Nelson River Watersheds |
1791 | Hudson Bay Company | 1141 | Hayes and Nelson River Watersheds |
1792 | Hudson Bay Company | 560 | Nelson River Watersheds |
1793 | Hudson Bay Company | 4140 | Hayes, Nelson and Churchill River Watersheds |
1794 | Hudson Bay Company | 2539 | Nelson River Watersheds |
1795 | Hudson Bay Company | 1581 | Nelson and Churchill River Watersheds |
1796 | Hudson Bay Company | 2299 | Churchill and Mackenzie River Watersheds |
1797 | North West Company | 5460 | St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Nelson and Churchill River Watersheds |
1798 | North West Company | 6753 | St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Nelson and Churchill River Watersheds |
1799 | North West Company | 6490 | St. Lawrence, Nelson, Churchill and Mackenzie River Watersheds |
1800 | North West Company | 7500 | St. Lawrence and Nelson River Watersheds |
1801 | North West Company | 1100 | Nelson River Watershed |
1802 | North West Company | 8024 | Mackenzie, Nelson and St. Lawrence River Watersheds |
1803 | North West Company | 881 | Mackenzie Watershed |
1804 | North West Company | 6922 | St. Lawrence, Nelson, Churchill and Mackenzie River Watersheds |
1805 | North West Company | 1975 | St. Lawrence, Nelson, Churchill and Mackenzie River Watersheds |
1806 | North West Company | 8113 | St. Lawrence and Nelson River Watersheds |
1807 | North West Company | 675 | Nelson and Columbia River Watersheds |
1808 | North West Company | 6946 | Nelson and Columbia River Watersheds |
1809 | North West Company | 2835 | Nelson and Columbia River Watersheds |
1810 | North West Company | 7734 | Nelson, Mackenzie and Columbia River Watersheds |
1811 | North West Company | 5233 | Mackenzie and Columbia River Watersheds |
1812 | North West Company | 6081 | St. Lawrence, Nelson, Churchill, Mackenzie and Columbia River Watersheds |
Total Km traveled with the Hudson Bay Company | 20944 Km | ||
Total Km traveled with the North West Company | 82724 Km | ||
Total Km traveled while employed in the Fur Trade | 103667 Km |