318 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
reading, and the names of these early explorers should be written in 
large letters in the history of our country. Space here will only 
allow a few brief remarks upon two or three of the more well-known 
expeditions. 
Sir Alexander Mackenzie in his famous explorations for the 
Hudson’s Bay Company discovered the Mackenzie River in. 1789 
and descended it to the Arctic Ocean where he established posts and 
traded with the Eskimo and -Athabaskan Indians. He made his 
well-known trip across the Continent to the Pacific Ocean in 1792-3. 
In the winter parts of these expeditions the snowshoe was in constant 
use. 
Simon Fraser an explorer for the North-West Company estab- 
lished the first trading post in British Columbia in 1805 and descended 
the Fraser River to the Pacific Coast the following season. David 
Thompson another official of the same Company crossed the Rocky 
Mountains by way of Bow River in 1800 and descended to the Pacific 
Coast by way of the Thompson River, arriving at the Coast in 1811, 
after trading with the Indians and establishing posts on his way 
down. Snowshoes were most important on both the Fraser and 
Thompson expeditions. 
Arctic research expeditions and their consequences introduced a 
new incentive for explorations. In 1819 Franklin took command of 
one of these expeditions by way of Rupert’s Land. He spent the 
first winter on the Saskatchewan River. The following spring he 
descended the Coppermine River and surveyed the Arctic Coast 
eastward. He arrived at York Factory in 1822 after having travelled 
some 6,000 miles by land and water and Arctic ice, much of which 
was done by sled and snowshoe. 
In 1825-27 Franklin undertook a second exploration, and mapped 
the Arctic Coast westward to the 150th Meridian. In this expedition 
he was accompanied by Richardson who was also a noted Arctic 
explorer. 
In 1845 when in search of the North-West Passage Franklin was 
lost with his ships and crew. Numerous Franklin search expeditions 
were sent out by Britain and America, and these expeditions brought 
out many men who became famous as Arctic, and sub-Arctic ex- 
plorers. 
Dr. John Rae joined the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1833. He under- 
took two expeditions in 1846-7, and in 1848 he accompanied Richardson 
in a Franklin search expedition. In 1853-4 he explored King William’s 
Land, and in 1864 he made a telegraph survey from Winnipeg over 
the Rocky Mountains. 
