Sir Alexander Mackenzie

Recently settled in Montreal, the young Mackenzie (1764–1820) was drawn into the fur trade, which was expanding thanks to new links forged with Indigenous nations for trade, labour and knowledge of the land. In 1789 his first important expedition took him down the Mackenzie River (named in his honour) to the Arctic Ocean. The second, four years later, saw him travel across the Rocky mountains to reach the Pacific – making him the first European to cross the continent north of Mexico. In London to publish an account of his expeditions, he sat to Lawrence, who captured his youth and determination.