Alexander Ross (explorer)
Alexander Ross ( May 9, 1783 - October 23, 1856 ) was a Canadian fur trader and explorer born in Scotland .
After he had immigrated to Upper Canada - today's Ontario - around 1805 , he undertook extensive trips in the Oregon Territory on behalf of Johann Jakob Astor's Pacific Fur Company . He helped found the Astoria branch and explored alternative routes on the Okanagan Trail . When the North West Company took over the Pacific Fur Company in 1813 , he continued to work on their behalf.
When this company sent an expedition to the Teton Range in Wyoming in 1818 , Ross and the trapper Daniel Potts were among the first white explorers to discover the geothermal activity of what is now Yellowstone National Park .
After the Hudson's Bay Company took over the North West Company in 1821 , Ross worked on their behalf for another four years before retiring to the Red River Colony - now Manitoba - and serving as sheriff and council member.
Web link
- Alexander Ross . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ross, Alexander |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian fur trader and explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 9, 1783 |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 23, 1856 |