When David Thompson died on this day, February 10, 1857, the fur trader, astronomer and surveyor had traveled some 55,000 miles and surveyed 1.9 million square miles of North America.

Yet by his death at the age of 86, he was nearly blind and bankrupt. Much of his data and maps had been used without credit or payment to the explorer. Following his death, David Thompson slipped into obscurity. It was not until the 1916 publication of his Narrative, an account of his travels, that he was re-discovered.

In honor of the explorer who made the first map of the present-day region of North Dakota, the Great Northern Railroad donated land and erected a monument near Verendrye, ND overlooking the Souris River Valley. The granite monument was gifted to the state of North Dakota and dedicated July 17, 1925.

Written by Christina Sunwall

Sources:
Archives of Ontario: David Thompson Map Maker, Explorer and Visionary Online Exhibit- http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/thompson/index.html
Northwest Journal (ISSN 1206-4203): The Life of David Thompson- http://www.northwestjournal.ca/V1.htm
Smithsonian American Art Museum: Art Inventories Catalog- http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!309341!0#focus
A Traveler's Companion to North Dakota State Historic Sites, J. Signe Snortland, ed., (Bismarck, ND: State Historical Society of North Dakota; 1996)

This text and audio may not be copied without securing prior permission from North Dakota Public Radio.