Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific
- When
- 1792–1793
- Where
- Fort Chipewyan; Peace River route to the Continental Divide; West Road River, Coast Mountains, and Bella Coola River grease trail; North Bentinck Arm at Bella Coola, British Columbia
- Episodes
- 4
On 20 July 1793 Scottish explorer and fur trader Alexander Mackenzie reached the Pacific at Bella Coola, British Columbia, on North Bentinck Arm, completing the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico, twelve years before Lewis and Clark.
Episodes
- Ascent of the Peace River to the Continental Divide
Leaving Fort Fork on 9 May 1793, Mackenzie followed the Peace River, which he travelled up in 1792 and 1793 to the Continental Divide.
- Departure from Fort Chipewyan
Mackenzie left Fort Chipewyan on 10 October 1792 with guides, his cousin, six voyageurs, and a dog.
- Crossing by the Grease Trail
Directed to a grease trail, Mackenzie ascended the West Road River, crossed the Coast Mountains, and descended the Bella Coola River.
- Reaching the Pacific at Bella Coola
On 20 July 1793 Mackenzie reached the Pacific coast at Bella Coola on North Bentinck Arm, completing the first recorded northern transcontinental crossing.
Background and detail
Background. Mackenzie, a Scottish explorer and fur trader, had returned to Great Britain in 1791 to study advances in the measurement of longitude. After the Nootka Crisis with Spain, he went back to Canada in 1792 intending to find a route to the Pacific, launching what became his 1792–93 Peace River expedition.
Arrival at the Pacific. Following that advice, Mackenzie reached the Pacific coast on 20 July 1793 at Bella Coola, British Columbia, on North Bentinck Arm, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. In doing so he completed the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico, twelve years before Americans Lewis and Clark.
People involved
- Alexander Mackenzie · Expedition leader; Scottish explorer and fur trader who completed the crossing
- Alexander MacKay · Mackenzie's cousin and expedition member
- Cancre · Native guide accompanying the expedition
- Joseph Landry · Canadian voyageur
- Charles Ducette · Canadian voyageur
- François Beaulieu · Canadian voyageur
- Baptiste Bisson · Canadian voyageur
- Francois Courtois · Canadian voyageur
- Jacques Beauchamp · Canadian voyageur
Sources
- Alexander Mackenzie (explorer) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-24
- Peace River Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.