The Travels, Explorations and Surveys of Simon Fraser 1804-1808

Simon Fraser (1776-1862 ) was a British-Canadian surveyor, map-maker, fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the fur trade. Fraser was employed by the Montreal-based North West Company. By 1805, he had been put in charge of all the company’s operations west of the Rocky Mountains. He was responsible for building that area’s first trading posts, and, in 1808, he explored what is now known as the Fraser River.

Within David Thompson’s map of northwestern North America, it’s noted that the surveying of the Fraser River was performed by John Stuart, Simon Fraser’s lieutenant, thus creating the first accurate portrayal of the river. The charting of the river by David Thompson came directly from his review of Fraser’s journals and Stuart’s survey notes for the North West Company. After reviewing the notes with his friend Roderick Mackenzie, he likely had conversations with Simon Fraser himself who lived a short distance from Thompson in retirement. Making comparison between Fraser’s journal and the notations along the river within the map, it became clear that the Fraser’s notations in his journal appear on the map and other notations therefore could have only come from Stuart.

Spatial datasets were created and were researched from Fraser’s published journals and other records. They are comprised of both linear and a point data. The linear data contains the attributes that includes Year, Route, Leg, Departed, Arrived, Origin, and Destination. The point data contains the attributes that includes Point Type, Date, Notes, Year, and Route.

A comparison of a spatial layer of the river within the map to the actual position of the river revealed just how invaluable John Stuart was and the significant role he performed with respect to Fraser’s descent and ascent of the river which now bears his Fraser’s name. Unfortunately, John Stuart’s log and survey notes have long disappeared and therefore no written record has survived. Therefore, the map that Thompson creates is not just a visual record of his own exploration and travels but of others as well. In this case the notes and surveys of Simon Fraser and John Stuart.