Thompson, David (30 April 1770–10 February 1857), explorer, cartographer, and fur trader, was born in London, England, the son of David Thompson and Ann (maiden name unknown). His father died when David was three, leaving the family destitute. At the age of seven he was admitted to Grey Coat charity school for boys. In 1784 he came to the New World to serve as an apprentice to the Hudson’s Bay Company. For the next five years he learned to use the sextant, compass, and various astronomical instruments from Hudson’s Bay officials in the Churchill and York Factory region on the west bank of Hudson Bay. Thompson’s initial explorations as an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company were in the northern regions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where he discovered a new and more efficient route from Hudson Bay to Lake Atabasca....
