Mackenzie River

Named after Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who explored it from Great Slave Lake to the Arctic in 1789. It was known at one time as Disappointment River. Its ultimate source is in Thutage Lake, the headwaters of the Finlay in northern British Columbia. Its total length from Thutage Lake to the sea is 2525 miles. The Hudson's Bay Company has the following trading-posts on the main stream: Fort Providence, near entrance of Great Slave Lake; Fort Simpson, at the mouth of the Liard; Fort Wrigley, in lat. 63°; Fort Norman, at the mouth of Great Bear River; Fort Good Hope near the Ramparts; and Fort MacPherson on Peel River. The Company now operates a steamer from Fort Smith, on Slave River, to the Arctic Ocean. Index : MS Alexander Mackenzie discovers and explores, 37-48; "Great River," 53; Mackenzie refers to as "River Disappointment," 55. Bib. : Mackenzie, Voyages ; Franklin, Narrative of Second Expedition ; Richardson, Arctic Searching Expedition ; Cameron, The New North .