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Donald McKenzie | |
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| Born | Donald McKenzie (1783-03-02)March 2, 1783 |
| Died | January 20, 1851(1851-01-20) (aged 67) |
| 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 aScottish-Canadian explorer, fur trader and Governor of theRed River Colony from 1821 to 1834.
Born in Scotland, McKenzie emigrated to Canada in about 1800.
He and two or three of his brothers became involved in thefur trade with theNorth West Company. In 1810, he left North West Company to become a partner in thePacific Fur Company (PFC), financed byJohn Jacob Astor.
McKenzie traveled west fromSt. Louis, Missouri, to thePacific Northwest with an expedition of PFC employees. The group divided in southernIdaho after experiencing hard times. McKenzie's fraction, consisting of twelve total, traveled north, eventually finding theSalmon andClearwater Rivers. They proceeded down the lowerSnake River andColumbia River by canoe, and were the first Overland Astorians to reachFort Astoria, on January 18, 1812.
McKenzie spent two years exploring and trading for the Pacific Fur Company in theWillamette 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.
McKenzie became reacquainted with the North West Company and returned to the Columbia region in 1816. In 1818, he andAlexander Ross builtFort Nez Percés near the confluence of the Columbia andWalla 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, northernUtah and westernWyoming. Many of the names for rivers there can be traced to this period.
With the merger of the North West Company andHudson's Bay Company in 1821, McKenzie was appointed Governor of theRed River Colony. He left the Pacific Northwest and moved toFort Garry for a decade, serving as governor for most of present-dayManitoba,Saskatchewan, andAlberta, Canada.
In 1834, McKenzie retired and moved toMayville, New York, where he lived for two decades. McKenzie entertained and advised distinguished visitors such asDaniel Webster andWilliam H. Seward. He gave advice on where theinternational boundary should be established for theOregon Territory, and may have planted the seeds that led to thepurchase of Alaska from Russia.McKenzie Pass and theMcKenzie River in Oregon are named for him.
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