Sir Alexander Mackenzie

1764 - 1820

Explorer. Born in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Mackenzie emigrated for Canada and worked as a fur trader. He discovered, and was the first to journey down the river which bears his name in Canada's North-West Territories (1789). He crossed the Rockies to reach the Pacific coast (1793). He wrote accounts of both these journeys, amassed a considerable fortune and was knighted in 1802.

Mackenzie returned to Scotland, settling in Avoch on the Black Isle. He died near Dunkeld on a journey south but lies buried alongside his wife in the churchyard at Avoch, overlooking the Moray Firth.

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