<P> David Thompson ( 30 April 1770 -- 10 February 1857 ) was a British - Canadian fur trader , surveyor , and map - maker , known to some native peoples as Koo - Koo - Sint or `` the Stargazer . '' Over Thompson 's career , he travelled some 90,000 kilometres ( 56,000 mi ) across North America , mapping 4.9 million square kilometres ( 1.9 million square miles ) of North America along the way . For this historic feat , Thompson has been described as the `` greatest land geographer who ever lived . '' </P>
<P> David Thompson ( 30 April 1770 -- 10 February 1857 ) was a British - Canadian fur trader , surveyor , and map - maker , known to some native peoples as Koo - Koo - Sint or `` the Stargazer . '' Over Thompson 's career , he travelled some 90,000 kilometres ( 56,000 mi ) across North America , mapping 4.9 million square kilometres ( 1.9 million square miles ) of North America along the way . For this historic feat , Thompson has been described as the `` greatest land geographer who ever lived . '' </P>
who was the explorer who opened up the fur trade route to the great lakes
who was the explorer who opened up the fur trade route to the great lakes
David Thompson
David Thompson