On the Road with David Thompson

Follow Canada's Greatest Explorer Across Western North America

Sep 21, 2009

In this informative, easy-to-read book, Joyce and Peter McCart trace the journeys of David Thompson across modern-day Alberta, BC, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon.

David Thompson’s name is memorialized on monuments, rivers, and roads across Western North America. He spent most of his career exploring the Rocky Mountains and the Columbia River, filling in what had been an empty space on a map. In On the Road with David Thompson (Fifth House, 2000, ISBN 1894004507), Joyce and Peter McCart follow the legendary explorer’s routes, putting his travels in perspective with modern-day roads, towns and landmarks.

David Thompson: 1800-1812

The authors begin the book with a brief prologue, explaining David’s childhood in England, his recruitment into the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1784, and his deflection to the rival North West Company in 1797. A bit of the history of the fur trade, the HBC and the NWC help orient the reader. The McCarts then begin following David in 1800, when he arrived at Rocky Mountain House (Alberta) to find a way across the Rockies for the first time.

Each of David’s trips is broken down into a chapter, with a map at the beginning of the chapter to show where David travelled. Bits of David’s journal are included, giving the reader a glimpse into the explorer’s determination, personality, and lifestyle.

Explaining David Thompson

At times, David’s actions have left historians puzzling over why he did things. Two events in particular—three months when David disappeared and kept no journals in 1810, and the details and motives behind his final journey down the Columbia in 1811—have allowed biographers and historians to speculate and deride his work and character. Joyce and Peter McCart give the explorer the benefit of the doubt, suggesting reasonable explanations for David’s actions and bringing to the discussion an understanding that can only come from those who have travelled where David travelled.

Travel with David Thompson

The McCarts explain that they wrote their book “for travellers who tour the northwest by car, motorhome, bicycle, or even on foot, in the hope that they might enjoy the company of a man who walked, rode, and canoed the same routes two centuries ago.” The McCarts note what roads follow David Thompson’s route, mention monuments commemorating David Thompson and his work, and include mention of how the landscape has changed in the two hundred years since David passed through.

Overall, the book is a very thorough look at the twelve years that David spent exploring the Rockies. It’s a great resource for either those who enjoy road trips or those who enjoy travelling via their armchair.

The copyright of the article On the Road with David Thompson in Canadian History is owned by Bonnie Way. Permission to republish On the Road with David Thompson in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.