Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - CP Historical Figures Draft (Round 14) (pick anytime)

octothorp · 08-07-2009, 01:37 AM

For the Explorer category, Strange Things Afoot at the Circle K selects David Thompson, a geographer who single-handedly mapped a full fifth of North America with such accuracy that many of his maps were not improved on until satellite mapping was introduced.

He worked as a trader for first the Hudson Bay Company and then the Northwest Company, establishing trading posts along his way. He also helped map out the Canadian/American border west of Lake Superior. All of this with many of his 13 children following him around. He and his wife were married for 58 years - the longest known pre-confederation marriage in Canada - though unfortunately they died in poverty and obscurity.

It wasn't until Joseph Tyrrell (the famed geologist/paleontologist) found his journals and advocated him as one of the greatest land-mappers ever that he got his due. His contemporary explorer, Alexander MacKenzie, considered him a vastly superior geographer and Tyrrell lauded him as the greatest land geographer who ever lived.

Here's a great writeup on his life and work: http://www.davidthompsonthings.com/geog1.html

Unfortunately, no historical image of Thompson exists, so here's a postage stamp.

08-07-2009, 01:37 AM	#151
octothorp Franchise Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: not lurking Exp:	For the Explorer category, Strange Things Afoot at the Circle K selects David Thompson, a geographer who single-handedly mapped a full fifth of North America with such accuracy that many of his maps were not improved on until satellite mapping was introduced. He worked as a trader for first the Hudson Bay Company and then the Northwest Company, establishing trading posts along his way. He also helped map out the Canadian/American border west of Lake Superior. All of this with many of his 13 children following him around. He and his wife were married for 58 years - the longest known pre-confederation marriage in Canada - though unfortunately they died in poverty and obscurity. It wasn't until Joseph Tyrrell (the famed geologist/paleontologist) found his journals and advocated him as one of the greatest land-mappers ever that he got his due. His contemporary explorer, Alexander MacKenzie, considered him a vastly superior geographer and Tyrrell lauded him as the greatest land geographer who ever lived. Here's a great writeup on his life and work: http://www.davidthompsonthings.com/geog1.html Unfortunately, no historical image of Thompson exists, so here's a postage stamp. Last edited by octothorp; 08-07-2009 at 01:52 AM.