(30 April 1770-10 Feb. 1857), explorer, surveyor, mapmaker: a major figure in Canadian history. Born Westminster, Eng. He was educated near his birthplace at the Grey Coat Hospital, a school for poor children, and in 1784, at the age of 14, he was apprenticed to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Stationed at first in the HBC service at Fort Churchill on Hudson Bay, he served altogether with the HBC from 1784 to 1797, and then with the North West Company from 1797 (partner 1804). In 1811 he was the first European to explore the full length of the Columbia River. Having retired from the fur trade in 1812, he remained for a time in the service of the NWC as a mapmaker. At first he lived at Terrebonne, Quebec, on the estates of Roderick and Henry MacKenzie. By 1814 he had completed his map of the Northwest from Lake Superior to the Pacific. In the fall of 1815 he bought the farm and house at Williamstown, Glengarry County, which had belonged to the Rev. JOHN Bethune.

     The house, improved by Thompson and others, and the home of Thompson and his wife from 1815 to 1835, is now one of Ontario’s most valued historic buildings, known as the Bethune-Thompson House. Six of the Thompsons’ thirteen children were born at Williamstown. From 1817 to 1827 Thompson was involved in surveying the Canada-United States boundary from westernmost Quebec to Lake of the Woods. Fallen into economic difficulties, he lost his Williamstown property and left GC.

     Thompson’s last years were spent in poverty and obscurity, and finally in blindness. He died at Longueuil, Que. At Longueuil Thompson had worked on an autobiographical description of his travels, which was published in 1916 by J. B. Tyrrell in the Champlain Society series as David Thompson’s Narrative of His Explorations in Western America 1784-1812. Thompson’s achievements were poorly recognized in his own time. The rediscovery of Thompson began in the late 19th century, and his immense reputation was consolidated early in the 20th century. Simon Fraser named the Thompson River after David Thompson, and Thompson named the Fraser River after Simon Fraser.

     Thompson was married to Charlotte Small (1 Sept. 1785-4 May 1857), a mixed blood whose father had been a partner in the NWC. As first contracted in 1799, the marriage was one of the informal marriages (by the “custom of the country”) that fur traders entered into in their wilderness domains. Thus begun, it proved to be a devoted marriage, lasting nearly 60 years. Unlike some of the NWC men, Thompson did not repudiate his wife when he left the fur trade. Instead, he had the marriage regularized in 1812. Charlotte died at Longueuil, a few months after David. Charlotte Small Thompson is herself a figure who captures the imagination. There is a novel about her by Elizabeth Clutton-Brock, in the form of a fictitious autobiography, called Woman of the Padddle Song (1972). For the connections of the Small family, see the article on John Mcdonald of Garth, married to her sister.

     In making GC his home, one may suppose that Thompson had, to some extent, chosen to become a Highland Scot. Strongly religious from an early date, he was now a Presbyterian, and was a member of St. Andrew’s Church, Williamstown. We know that he obtained a working knowledge of Indian languages. It would be interesting to know whether he learned any Gaelic during his GC years. However, Williamstown was in his day one of the few places in GC where someone could live and work easily without the old language. He was a member of the Highland Society of Canada, during the first period (1818-1824) of that society. During his years in GC, Thompson had near him other retired men of the NWC. While in GC, he was involved with his sons in the operation (unsuccessful) of two general stores, one at Williamstown and the other in the 12th Concession of Indian Lands (west of Apple Hill).

     See also Dr Roderick McLeod.

Life of Thompson by John Nicks in Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol. VIII * life of Thompson (with good map of explorations) by John Nicks in Hurtig * Wallace * a recent biog. is D’Arcy Jenish’s Epic Wanderer (2003), which describes, 222-223, 246, Thompson’s GC property holdings * biog. material published with David Thomson’s Narrative, ed. J.B. Tyrrell (1916) * F. D. McLennan, “David Thompson,” CHR (Dec. 1928) 330-332, on Thompson and the Presbyterian Church at Williamstown * MacGillivray & Ross 48 * Bibliography of Glengarry: index * D. Emerton, “The Bethune-Thompson House, Glengarry Life (1988) * David G. Anderson, biographical sketches of Thompson’s children, Glengarry Life (1994) (updated copies of this article have been circulated privately) * E. R. McGaughey, “A Report for the Heritage Trust: the Bethune-Thompson House” (1979) (research done for Ontario Heritage Foundation) * A. Scheinman, “Investigations into the Architectural Evolution of the Bethune-Thompson House” (1983) (research done for Ontario Heritage Foundation) * note on iron box once owned by Thompson, Cornwall Standard 28 Sept. 1922 * Rhodes Grant, i, 104 (a local perspective) * Thompson praised at Beaver Club dinner, Glengarry News 19 April 1973