Donald McKenzie (explorer)

Donald McKenzie
Donald McKenzie
Born	Donald McKenzie; March 2, 1783; Durness, Scotland
Died	January 20, 1851 (aged 67); Mayville, New York
Resting place	Mayville Cemetery, Mayville, New York
Occupation(s)	fur trader, explorer, High Constable, Governor
Employer(s)	North West Company, Hudson's Bay Company
Spouse	Wife 1 - " Country wife - A half breed woman" [possibly Mary Mackay daughter of Alexander as documented in HBC archives.] Wife 2 - Adelgonda Humbert Droz
Children	Wife 1 Caroline, Rachel, Donald (metis) [ref: service sheet - HBC Archives Winnipeg Wife 2 Jemima, Catherine, Roderick, Noel, Fenella, Alexander, Alice, Henry, William Peacock, Donalda, Adelgonda, Celestia, Humbertson

Donald McKenzie (16 June 1783 – 20 January 1851) was a Scottish-Canadian explorer, fur trader and Governor of the Red River Colony from 1821 to 1834.

Early life

Born in Scotland, McKenzie emigrated to Canada in about 1800.

Career

He and two or three of his brothers became involved in the fur trade with the North West Company. In 1810, he left North West Company to become a partner in the Pacific Fur Company (PFC), financed by John Jacob Astor.

Pacific Fur Company

McKenzie traveled west from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest with an expedition of PFC employees. The group divided in southern Idaho after experiencing hard times. McKenzie's fraction, consisting of twelve total, traveled north, eventually finding the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers. They proceeded down the lower Snake River and Columbia River by canoe, and were the first Overland Astorians to reach Fort Astoria, on January 18, 1812.

McKenzie spent two years exploring and trading for the Pacific Fur Company in the Willamette Valley, along the Columbia River, in eastern Washington and in northern and central Idaho. When PFC sold its assets and stations to the North West Company in 1813, McKenzie was appointed to carry all important papers back east, which he did in 1814.

Fort Nez Percés and Idaho explorations

McKenzie became reacquainted with the North West Company and returned to the Columbia region in 1816. In 1818, he and Alexander Ross built Fort Nez Percés near the confluence of the Columbia and Walla Walla Rivers. McKenzie and his trappers made the first extensive exploration of what became southern Idaho starting in 1818, with annual expeditions continuing through 1821. His trapping ventures covered most of southern Idaho as well as parts of eastern Oregon, northern Utah and western Wyoming. Many of the names for rivers there can be traced to this period.

Governor

With the merger of the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, McKenzie was appointed Governor of the Red River Colony. He left the Pacific Northwest and moved to Fort Garry for a decade, serving as governor for most of present-day Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, Canada.

Legacy

In 1834, McKenzie retired and moved to Mayville, New York, where he lived for two decades. McKenzie entertained and advised distinguished visitors such as Daniel Webster and William H. Seward. He gave advice on where the international boundary should be established for the Oregon Territory, and may have planted the seeds that led to the purchase of Alaska from Russia. McKenzie Pass and the McKenzie River in Oregon are named for him.

References

"Donald McKenzie". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
Manitoba Historical Society - Donald McKenzie

External links