Alexander Mackenzie, A Map of America between Latitudes 40 and 70 North and Longitudes 45 and 180 West (1801)

In 1789 and 1793 Alexander Mackenzie, a fur trader for Canada's North West Company, set out on expeditions in hopes of discovering the Northwest Passage to open more trade routes. This map, created by Mackenzie, depicts the Northwest region of North America where both expeditions took place. The red line represents the starting point of both expeditions with the entirety of the red line illustrating his 1789 expedition, while the yellow line branching out depicts his 1793 expedition. Mackenzie’s 1789 expedition led him north to the Arctic Ocean rather than west to the Pacific Ocean, which prompted his second expedition in 1793. Starting at the Peace River and with assistance from Indigenous Peoples along his journey, he successfully reached the Pacific Ocean in 1793. He was the first European to complete a transcontinental journey across North America north of Mexico. He published this map in 1801 in a book about his expeditions titled, Voyages from Montreal. In the book he encouraged the British to seize control of the Northwest by building forts in the region. It also inspired other explorers, most famously Lewis and Clark, to embark on their own expeditions.