Canadian Adventures of Alexander Mackenzie
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- Lewis and Clark were not the first Europeans to cross the continent and reach the Pacific. Instead, a Scottish-born explorer is credited with the first east-west journey across America north of Mexico. Though more obscure, the adventures and journey of Sir Alexander Mackenzie deserve to be remembered.
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Thank you, HG! Alexander Mackenzie may not be well known in the States, but he's not forgotten in Canada I can guarantee you. "Alex MacKenzie / from Canada / by land / 22d July 1793"
When I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest. As a Canadian, these explorers are well known people in our history, glad to see Mackenzie getting some love from THG, he was a fascinating person
“Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me
To race the roaring Fraser to the sea”
@@expfcwintergreenv2.02 I would say that a majority of Canadans over the age of 35 can probably recite parts of that song by memory. It's one of the most iconic Canadian folk songs
Came into the comment section just to reference this song.
@@senorsoupe There was also a stamp when I was a kid.
Thank you so much for the kind words about the McKenzie's.
I grew up in the Peace Region and Alexander Mackenzie's exploration of that river is a huge part of the area's history.
Ft. St. John/Hudson's Hope is my family's home territory :-)
Agreed. I remember the anniversary celebration in 1992 in Peace River. Sir Alexander Mackenzie should be much more well known than Lewis n Clark, but he was in the wrong country
Nice, I'm from Catskill mountain in western New York
Peace Region represent!
I wonder if Mackenzie crossed paths with bitumin? Did he get near the tar sand deposits?
Fun fact - the "z" in MacKenzie is actually a "y". Up until the 17th century the "y" sound in the Scottish alphabet was represented by the letter yogh (ƺ). When printing was introduced there was no yogh in the typeset, so printers just used "z" instead. MacKenzie is a Scots rendition of the Gaelic MacCoinnich (son of Coinnich/Kenneth). Since Alexander MacKenzie hailed rom Lewis he would probably have pronounced his name MacKenny.
Wow, phonology knowledge. Thx!
Excellent! Thanks for the clarification 👍
I misread a headline as “The History Guy Deserves to be Remembered” and I thought “Oh no!”
Right? My heart would stop for a moment!
Must agree though, on the unfortunate day when this legend passes away, someone needs to make that video.
@@V0NRH1NE He is history and deserves to be remembered.
Oh goodness. That ran a cold chill up my spine. 😲
There’s was a pointed remark/joke that I somewhat recall from when I learned of Mackenzie’s northern voyage... it wasn’t that he was disappointed that after 4000 km he didn’t reach the Pacific, it was realizing he needed to paddle the route again..... but going upstream.
An interesting fact is that one can travel by lakes and rivers from Montreal to the Pacific ocean or to the Arctic ocean or to Hudson's Bay or to the Gulf of Mexico and the longest portage is only 12 miles from the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing.
Great episode! Alexander would have been my 1st cousin 7 generations ago. His cousin Roderick was one of my grandfathers. Roderick had 4 children with a Dene woman from Fort Chip which I am descended from. Great history!! Roderick's son in law Angus Bethune (another Grandfather) goes on to become the North West Companies (China trader). Angus is also promin ate in the merger of the North West Company and the Hudson Bay Company. He was also at the siege of Fort Astoria during the war of 1812. Thank you for the great history on this channel!
Derek - that is interesting. I also have nearly famous people in my family. It is a small world - truly. My uncle was married to Priscilla Presley's 1st cousin, she knew her as a child. My cousin is married to Dennis Hopper's niece who knew him well. My great grandmother was married to Hiram Maxim's brother Hudson, a very successful inventor in his own right who sold out to DuPont and sat on DuPont's board of directors for life.
Everyone is connected. We are a big, dysfunctional family.
@@deandeann1541 WOW Dean! That is some impressive family history! Hiram Maxim invented a great machine gun!!
@@derekokopski7723 designed
Mine too! Henry, Roderick's brother, was my 3g grandfather.
Great episode, he and his explots are pretty well known up here in Canada, at least by those of us that did some exploring of our own into the history of the fur trade that played such a big role, both positive and negative in the growth of Canada
Lol. Yeah down here we tend to think we right all the history, just gets worse futher south ya get. Lol
Greetings from Vancouver. Yes Alexander McKenzie is certainly well known to all Canadians and often mentioned in the same breath as Simon Fraser 🙂
@@phillipkuns3 write. wtf, don't be the example
French Canadians Natives/ Metis / First Nations were THE vital factor as guides for both explorations ( Mackenzie and Lewis & Clark ) and others too.
Thanks for sharing this story with our American neighbours. Having lived on, and travelled on, Deh Cho for several years, Mackenzie’s story is well known in Canada by anyone educated before 1980. The local folks laughingly talk about the arrival of Europeans as “that sad day.” There was a popular cartoon making the rounds showing an Indigenous kid running up from the river, white explorers in the background, yelling “Dad! Dad! We’ve been discovered!” In this age of comfort and privilege, we must admire how tough and determined those early explorers had to be. There’s a lot of landscape between Montreal and the Pacific coast.
Good stuff. Another interesting Canadian explorer was David Thompson who was a slightly younger contemporary of Alexander Mackenzie. Thompson was a prodigious mapper who mapped the Columbia River, established trading posts and outwitted the Indians who wanted to kill him. His map of the Columbia was used up until the mid 20th century.
How about doing a segment on Simon Fraser and his exploration of the west in Canada. Or one on Sam Steele and his role in the settling of the west with the RCMP.
Yes!! Sam Steele is definitely worth remembering!
@@pinksugarcookies71 my favourite quote of his is when he took the "Lord Strathcona Horse" to South Africa during the second boer war. A comment was made about how big the Canadians were. Sir Sam said... " I searched all over Canada and these were the smallest men I could find!"
@@lesliemartin7061 lol. Love that. I've been googling Sam Steele all evening since u mentioned him. Lol. He sure was something!!
If Sam Steele was American John Wayne would have stared as him in at least 5 movies.
When you realize he was sometimes the sole dispenser of law for millions of square miles , and he was successful
Good morning from Ft Worth TX to everyone watching. Have a great weekend
You to! 🙂👍🏻
Waves back from Austin... have a great day!
@@suzbone You as well. Stay cool.
Canada's history is full of fascinating explorers who are little know even to Canadians such as John Rea who walked across the arctic coast and, among other things, discovered the fate of some from the Franklin expedition looking for the North West Passage and Joseph Bernier whose epic expedition mapped the islands Canada's Arctic Ocean. Perhaps a source for future History Guy stories?
A great video - again’
As a historian, I want to applaud your service to historians everywhere! Thanks for showing how important History is!
Thank you for sharing some little known, in the US, Canadian history. It too deserves to be remembered.
In Canada we learned all about McKenzie's trip, one interesting fact you may not know about is that on his way to the west coast around Anihiem Lake BC his party bearied some leather bags filled with pemmican (pounded meat lard and berries) these bags were found in the 1960's and were found to still quite edible and in perfect shape having been bearied
For some 200 years. I am not sure if you have done the trip of David Thompson or that of Lord Selkirk in the 1820's from York House to the Fraser river looking for a flat route through the Rockies.
It's fascinating that the pemmican remained edible all that time, having been buried! Any idea what kind of soil it was buried in? I would think that might effect its not having decomposed. Also the leather might have helped somehow to preserve it.
@@PLODay-bk8ws it was the dry interior climate of the that part of BC, mainly lodgepole pine
and pine grass.
The pemmican must not have been all that edible or else a bear would certainly have sniffed it out and "un-bearied" (sic) it.😁
@@goodun2974 no it was in perfect shape, and bears never found it. Not many bears in the dry area.
@@bruced1429 Makes a good headline. Canadians find 200 year old cache of pemmican, and eat it. "Ah, 1789 was a very good year".
Thank you for the information about a possible distant relative. My Great Grandfather, Murdo Roderick Mackenzie, also left the Island of Lewis, to join his brother Angus, in Halifax, in 1875. With him was his very pregnant wife Catherine Margaret Stewart. Not a pleasant journey for her, I fear. She gave birth to my Grandfather Roderick, (apparently there has been a shortage of suitable names in my family) when their ship landed in Canada. They recieved free Crown land from the Government in Southern Quebec. They built a homestead in the forest at Scotstown, near Lake Megantic. I have always admired them for their adventuresome spirit. I can imagine Murdo, standing in the woods of Quebec, with an unfamiliar tool in his hand, an axe. There were no trees on the Island of Lewis!...OK...Now what?
The large majority of the explorers passed through my hometown of Mattawa, Ontario.. This little town has a huge historical significance...
Mattawa was likely a busier place 250 years ago than it is now!
@@minuteman4199 very much so...
@@the80hdgaming I used to drive through there regularly when I lived in Ottawa and had family in Sudbury.
I love the Canadian content. David Thompson attempted and failed to reach the Pacific around a hundred years before, and deserves to be remembered too.
Thompson refused to use First Nations guides. Mackenzie didn't.
Thompson did indeed reach the Pacific while mapping the Columbia. Thompson was still surveying the Cumberland House area for the Hudson's Bay Company when Mackenzie reached the Pacific.
The two men were close in age, Mackenzie being 6 years older.
Great episode, thank you. as a Canadian school teacher I'll tell you Aleander Mackenzie is taught in schools ( it's history we think is worth remembering 😉)
Even though I'm an American, thanks to Peter C. Newman's excellent history of the Hudson's Bay Company (I have the first two books) I am aware of Alexander Mackenzie. Highly recommended!
Enjoyed the video very much. What a shame Mackenzie is not revered and written about for his amazing journey and spectacular bravery.
Born and raised in BC, I’ve been on the “Grease trail” in the Nechako area while hunting moose. Awesome country, and full of historic adventures by many. Alexander Mackenzie is indeed a very important part of Canadian history.
Very interesting! I went to Bella Coola with my brothers by motorcycle a couple years ago. The trip was inspired by MacKenzie’s journey. Love it.
*ALL* history deserves to be remembered. May we not fail in the endeavor to preserve, through every facet, the previous people's accomplishments and failures so that we may better discover our future.
These early explorations are always absorbing. I notice the paintings of Frances Anne Hopkins have played their part in this presentation. It would be interesting to see something of her life history too.
TH-cam recommended because I just bought the Lewis & Clark board game. The solo opponent is Alexander Mackenzie so this is cool! The rulebook has factoid about each member of the expeditions and Indigenous they met and interacted with along the way. Pretty cool game! I need to learn a lot more about Sacagawea! Still think she should be given her own movie or series!
Amazing episode. I grew up in Northern Canada. Peter Pond and Alexander McKenzie passed through my home town (long before it was a town). They're more famous to me than Louis and Clark!
I actually know a lot of people from Fort Chipewyan, but I'd like to point out, it's actually pronounced: Chip-oh-wan
- or just Fort Chip for short.
I grew up in Thunder Bay on Lake Superior which was the home of Fort William a fur trading post. Grand Portage not too far away. It’s good to hear about MacKenzie Thank you. It’s a story over shadowed by Lewis and Clark. I can’t imagine what the day to day hardships were like. Not to say L & C didn’t have hardship but think MacKenzie’s were on a whole different scale.
I just learned more about Alexander Mackenzie and the exploration of the west in this one video than I did in all my years of school in Canada. Canadians need to learn about self promotion.
Well, if you weren’t sleeping in class……… ;-)
@@fillhixx True. But let me ask you a question. Ever heard of the Nahanni National Park Reserve aka the Valley of Headless Men? No? Ever heard of Yellowstone National Park? Rest my case.
@@TagusMan yes.
We need an actually functioning education system first!
We learned a ton about him in school. Much more than what was covered here.
Just 93 years later, in 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. I am sure that Mackenzie's voyage proving a route to the Pacific was possible sparked a flurry of expeditions to find faster and better routes until iron rails and the "iron horse" made making that trip possible in relative comfort and at unimaginable (for Mackenzie's generation) speeds.
And today, 230 years later, we "leap" over those once impassable mountains in flying machines in hours when once such journeys were measured in months.
What progress will be made in the next 200 years ? Teleportation ? Be anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye ? Faster-than-light travel allowing us to reach the stars ? I wonder what Mackenzie would think...
As a Canadian born American...thank you for sharing our history!
Cool. Had never heard of this guy. Amazing
Thank you for the lesson.
On the backside of the rock is the inscription.
Kilroy was here. 1792.
Growing up close to Grand Portage and learning from a young age about the fur trade and the explorations across North America we heard about Alexander Mackenzie right along with Lewis and Clark. Thank you for adding a huge amount of details to what I had learned. The reconstructed For William just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario would be well worth a visit. It's been a long time since I was there. Still live on the North Shore but don't travel anymore.
That is a nicely done portrait of Mackenzie.
I always forget how great these videos are. Every time I eventually put one on, I end up watching a bunch in a row.
You could have done an episode on this already, but I'd love to see a History Guy video about the Watauga Association (arguably one of the first pre-Revolution colonial governments). I've become interested in it since I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was a member, or at least signed their 1776 petition to be annexed by North Carolina (commonly known as simply "The Watauga Petition").
Excellent! You've made your Canadian viewers happy. Keep us in mind in the future. I'd love to see something on Thompson or Rae.
Canadian history is always very interesting.
There are many other interesting Scots involved in the exploration of the Pacific Northwst: David Douglas, Donald McKenzie, and Dr. John McLoughlin, for example.
Other Canadians also had a significant role in the development of the NW. The Sisters of Providence, founded by Mother Gamelin in Montreal, built hospitals in the NW. I was born in one.
Interestingly Lewis and Clarke’s companion dog in the corps of discovery was a Newfoundland. From the Canadian province.
The only thing I ever knew about Alexander Mackenzie was that there was a river with his name. Thanks History Guy!
Thank you.
Enjoyed the lesson THG
Thanks.
wonderful - truly amazing in the fortitude and bravery
I lived for years in a town called Mackenzie, named after the explorer. It's next to Williston Lake, the dammed part of the Parsnip river. There was a camping spot along the lake called Mackenzie landing, claiming to be a stop over of his party, although I doubt it. Great little town all the same.
Thanks. Always a pleasure to learn!
I always enjoy your episodes
I am always excited when this channel covers Canadian content. I am also enjoying the "unique" pronunciations of Aboriginal (and, to a lesser extent, French) place names in Western Canada. (Full disclosure: I began my career in the heritage sector in Alberta, though I have since moved-on both geographically and professionally.)
The way he pronounces "portage" sounds so very, very wrong 😅.
@@tpxchallenger Yeah, funny, just like the Winnipeggers standing at Portige and Main.
A great episode today Lance, thank you. Being a professional trapper it picked my interest more than normal
You make me look forward to Mondays 😂 have a great weekend HG
Interesting episode. While Mackenzie's marriage receives only a passing mention, it was no doubt crucial to his relations with the Native Americans. Most people still seem unaware that native cultures are matrilinear, meaning that while he himself may have been a great explorer and trader, the family line devolved upon her. The same is true of the Creek chief Alexander McGillivray and the Seminole war chief Osceola (also known as "Parker"), each one deriving his status from his native mother instead of his European father.
Another awesome video!!
When I served on HMCS Mackenzie we go and clean the brass plaque when ever we were near by.
Amazing information! Makes one wonder how much and how many of these exploits and stories have been overlooked in our study of history. Great Job....as usual!
Cool star fort on the Detroit map!
Great story! Love the almost run in with Vancouver. Wow!
Your vids are informative, interesting and brief. I have a short attention span, so thanks for the short vids
Historical events are better than anything we could come up with. Love these videos
Nice seeing a well know piece of Canadian history making it to your channel!
This was a grade 5 social studies refresher for me. We had to learn all about this explorer and his adventures as a kid. Thank you!
I want to know who does the graphics of all of the great intros...
I use a program called Viddyoze.
Nice video THG.
In elementary school we had to learn about the European Explorers travelling through various parts in BC
HOW is this the first time I have ever heard of this interesting and important piece of History?
As others have said, Mackenzie's explorations are well known here in Canada. Now who are these Lewis & Clark guys you mentioned? The names sound vaguely familiar... I think I've heard them mentioned in American TV... Were they a comedy team from the '50s (no wait, that was Lewis and some other guy). Nobody we learned about in History class anyway.
I heard about those two guys as well, but weren't they like 50 years late? Sort of like Lindburg being the "first" after Alcock and Brown to fly across the Atlantic.
I thought it was the Superman show with Terri Hatcher?
@@sharpetoo Lois... That was Lois & Clark ;-)
Yeah yeah calm down Canuck, it must be hard living in the shadow of your southern neighbor
@@AlexKomnenos It is in so many ways that I won't get into here. But the hardest part is hearing you guys talk about the first this or that and knowing it happened in Canada many years earlier.
Great episode, thank you! I’m from an area within a few miles of the Peace River of northern Alberta where Mackenzie travelled on his journey to the coast. I’d love to see an episode on David Thompsen as well if you’d be willing. There’s a lot of great history on these gentlemen who explored more than any of us will ever have the opportunity or courage to do ourselves
thanks
Great video.
Isn't it amazing how if someone gets a taste of what the future can hold, that you move yourself to learn more things to promote yourself. In this case he became someone that was trusted to lead them. A great story!
I once traced the L&Ws route on google earth, it took me about three hours. It made me really appreciate how long it took them.
I lived on the banks of the Mighty Mackenzie River. It was a good place to be a kid.
Can you a video on the Uranium Mine in Great Bear Lake.
Hi History Guy, I like that you cover Canadian history as well on your channel. For more source information on the exploration of Canada I suggest the following books:
"Where is Here?: Canada's Maps the the Stories They Tell" by Alan Morantz
"Mapmaker: Philip Turnor in Rupert's Land in the Age of Enlightenment" by Barbara Mitchell
"A History of Canada in Ten Maps: Epic Stories of Charting a Mysterious Land" by Adam Shoalts
And lastly "War Plan Red: The United States' Secret Plans to Invade Canada and Canada's Secret Plans to Invade the United States" by Kevin Lippert a delightful read on how we would invade each other.
I live in the peace region in British Columbia and he is known as one of the great explorers. Excellent as always.
Your pronunciation of Saskatchewan made laugh 😂
Alexander Mackenzie is an early Icon of Canadian history! Thanks for your coverage of him!
Two others that you could cover are David Thompson, and Anthony Henday - the first white man to ever see the Rocky Mountains from the Eastern side!
Even to this day, it's not that easy to reach the coast where Alexander McKenzie did; namely Bella Coola BC
The village is connected by a partly paved highway (Hwy 20); to the rest of the province (it's 450km to the nearest traffic light), and by an airport which lacks any instrument landing or lighting, so is usable only in good weather, and day only.
Have you considered doing a 15 min short on the road to Bella Coola? The province said it couldn't be done, and the locals volunteered, and donated money and equipment and built it themselves, only once it was completed did they tell the government that the impossible road was built.
You have reminded me of a Limerick: "they told me that it couldn't be done, but I grinned and went right to it / I tackled the job that couldn't be done, and by gosh I couldn't do it!"
THG, I believe Jefferson sent out multiple explorations of the West, of which the Corps of Discovery was just one. Perhaps someday you can tell us about the lesser known others, where they went, and what they encountered.
yep ... "Core Of Discovery" (Manifest Destiny, which promoted the extinction of the natives, so the US could steal the lands they had been living on for thousands of years. Based on Jefferson's belief that the "white" man was the superior "race". Sort of like Hitler's attitude about Jews, Homosexuals, etc)
He may not be well-known south of the border, but he is very well-known north of the border. The 2nd longest river in North America is named after him! The fur traders of the Hudson Bay Company followed in the footsteps of the earlier French explorers of North America, who discovered the Mississippi River by travelling down it to it mouth at Nouvelle Orléans (New Orleans)!
I have been to Bella Coola, very special place! Love this story.
Hail Snow and Rain ⛈ sounds like a New R&B group
Thanks, it has been a while since I have heard anything about the Outer Hebrides.
The liner notes to the album "Quadrophenia" by the Who contain this disclaimer: "The Mum and Dad in this story bear no resemblance to our actual mums and dads, who are all very nice and live in bungalows we built for them in the Outer Hebrides" ! 😁
I am a subscriber, and always enjoy your channel/videos. This one was another great video. By the way, I do like your candy stripped bow tie, as I myself, like to wear oversized bow ties, and shall look for a candy stripped one myself.
Dangers were never greater, physical and mental limits pushed, but wow what an experience!
...I think upon Mackenzie,
David Thompson and the rest.
Who cracked the mountain ramparts; And did show a path for me, to race the roaring Fraser to the sea!
sez Gordon Lightfoot
@@jimmaughan1898 Stan Rogers. th-cam.com/video/TVY8LoM47xI/w-d-xo.html
Ah, that's going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Northwest Passage is probably my third favourite Stan Rogers song (after Lies and Macdonnell on the Heights).
@@dbadilotti How about Barrett's Privateers?
I'm sure past my Twenty-Third year, I've never made Halifax and this neighbor to the South isn't frightened by four-pounders; But, it's sure a fun sing-along.
@@matthewellisor5835 I have to agree that, for singing along, it's hard to beat "the scummiest vessel I've ever seen."
God d*** them all!
I wish you had taught my Canadian History class.
The amazing THG🎀 thanks from an old Navy flying Shoe🇺🇸
Good explanation of what he did, and why.
I was so excited to see this story on The History Guy! I’ve long been fascinated by the story of this intrepid explorer, I’ve read a couple books on him, and had the opportunity to retrace a portion of his route around Saskatchewan River Crossing in Alberta. I particularly appreciate your “first…north of Mexico” modifier - reminding me of the amazing story of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Now THERE is a piece of history that deserves to be remembered!
Would love to hear THG talk about John Rae finding the Northwest Passage
And of how Lady Franklin and Charles Dickens treated his news of the Franklin Expedition.
It wasn't Vancouver that angered the west coast Indians; it was captain Cook himself. Mackenzie missed him by a matter of weeks.
At 3 minutes in, the painting looks more like Quebec City than Montreal. Quebec means "place where the river narrows".
Hey History Guy 👋 🤓 One of the greatest things about you and your perception and Narration Apple 🍎 Pie 🥧. My Mellow fellow. There's been many people that ask me about how did I get so smart. And tell them and or their friends a true story on whatever? I often send them to your channel . Because I know that you have it here. As usual! I have nothing but Mad respect and gratitude for your content. And dare I say the Sexiest and intelligent classmates any one man 🙋♂️ could hope to ever have. Here's a hand 👏👏👏 for all Y'all 🌈🌈🌈🌠The More You Know!
"A hard"???
@@216trixie Autocorrect Hand 👏👏👏 Thank you
have heard of Mackenzie River but never knew anything about this guy. Not taught in my high school history classes that is for sure. Sorta sad that they don’t teach it but also sorta understandable considering how much great history their is to learn. And in my American school well, all schools unfortunately have to pick and choose what curriculums to teach unfortunately can’t learn it all. Which is why, follow the principle of lifelong learning!
Just a suggestion. The Hudson Bay Company story.
The trading post set up to trade with the Yellow Knives is today's community of Yellowknife, NWT.
USCG. Aviation history. Please. Love THG. 😁