0:00:00 > 0:00:00- 888
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- 888- - 888
0:00:04 > 0:00:07- He travelled alone, - far from the eyes of the world...
0:00:08 > 0:00:12- ..and brought little-known - parts of the world into view.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17- He found a place in - the land of eternal snow...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20- ..out of reach of civilisation.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25- The land of the Mandans, - the fabled Welsh Indians...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- ..and of many more tribes.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32- He would learn more about their land - than the Indians knew themselves.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51- Far from his homeland, he was - an adventurer in a strange land.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55- Welshman David Thompson...
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- ..was the greatest geographer - and cartographer ever to have lived.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03- He mapped over - four million square miles...
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- ..of the wild expanses - of North America.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16- As an old man, in 1854, he penned - a document titled 'The Travels'.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- There he recorded his adventures...
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- ..along the rivers that - flow down from the Rockies.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29- The work also reveals - the insurmountable obstacles...
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- ..that he faced inside himself.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- He lived among the indigenous tribes - of North America...
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- ..for nearly thirty years, growing - to respect their way of life.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- Yet, Thompson would be - a key figure...
0:01:48 > 0:01:52- ..in the destruction - of that way of life.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07- "The Earth is divine and alive.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- "The Indians cannot - define its nature.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16- "The forests, the ridges - and the rugged hills...
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- "..and the lakes and rivers, - all make incarnate Manitou.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22- "Manitou is the god of the Indians.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27- "The rivers, in particular, - live with the fish that breed."
0:02:30 > 0:02:34- David Thompson's roots were far away - on the other side of the world...
0:02:35 > 0:02:40- ..in Wales, another mountainous land - of rivers winding down to the sea.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48- And a land of legend and poetry...
0:02:48 > 0:02:52- ..to which the sea and rivers - and lakes were central.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- New forces and values were rushing - through Wales in the 18th century.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- The country was caught - between two crosswinds...
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- ..the Methodist Revival - and the Industrial Revolution.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14- London was also changing - and expanding...
0:03:15 > 0:03:18- ..and attracting increasing numbers - from Wales in search of work.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- Among them were - David Thompson's parents.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28- They settled in Westminster, one of - London's less healthy districts...
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- ..on the banks of - the polluted river Thames.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- David Thompson was born in - the parish of St John's...
0:03:38 > 0:03:40- ..on April 30th 1770.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- The parish register - was signed with an "X"...
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- ..by the father, Dafydd ap Tomos, - and the mother, Anne Rice.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49- He was born and bred in London.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- But David Thompson was a Welshman...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- ..who kept his Welsh lilt - to his dying day.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- But London was a city of poverty - and of affluence, side by side.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- Beaverskin hats were fashionable - among the wealthy...
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- ..and the fur trade in Hudson Bay - prospered as a result.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16- The price of one hat was a year's - wages to David Thompson's parents.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- The family income disappeared with - the unexpected death of the father.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- The mother and two sons may well - have ended up in Gin Lane...
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- ..were it not for - the intervention of fate...
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- ..that would lead David Thompson - throughout his life.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43- His mother found a place for him - at the Grey Coat Hospital School...
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- ..in the protective shadow - of Westminster Abbey.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- Rather than beg on the streets...
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- ..the young boy would be educated - for a career in the Royal Navy.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59- He learned to write, - and was taught mathematics...
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- ..and thoroughly educated - in seafaring knowledge.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- Thompson was a lonely boy...
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- ..living on the fringes - of privileged English society.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- But he found solace in the - expansive Westminster Abbey...
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- ..at the heart of the great Empire - that had claimed his homeland.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- Here, he could retreat - into his own imagination...
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- ..and relive his mother's stories - of legendary Welsh heroes...
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- ..such as Arthur - and his sword Excalibur...
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- ..and the enchanted Isle of Avalon.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- But the old world - was rapidly disappearing.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- The 18th century was a century - of great revolutions...
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- ..in the areas of geography, - astronomy and science...
0:05:50 > 0:05:54- ..with political revolutions - in America and France.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Thompson was part - of the great movement...
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- ..to discover the world - and to change the world.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08- Having lost its American colonies - in the War of Independence...
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- ..there was less work to be found - in England's Navy.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- The boy was bought by the Hudson's - Bay Company for five pounds.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- Thompson worked as a company clerk - in the wilds of northern Canada...
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- ..aged only fourteen at the time.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- "Now, we charted our course - across the western ocean.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- "As we approached the American isles - we encountered several icebergs.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- "The Hudson channel - was so locked in ice...
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- "..it took almost a month - to pass through."
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- The ship anchored on - the western shore of Hudson Bay.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- When it set sail after a fortnight, - it left the boy behind.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- "While the ship was still moored, - the distance between myself...
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- "..and my parent and acquaintances - seemed of little consequence.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- "But as I watched the ship - sail away and out of sight...
0:07:15 > 0:07:17- "..the distance became immeasurable.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23- "I bade a long and sad farewell - to a sacred and noble land...
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- "..exiled forever."
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- Thompson had come to work - in Churchill Factory...
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- ..and his superior there - was Samuel Hearn.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42- Hearn was then busy - recording his own memoirs...
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- ..and the task of setting them - to paper fell to Thompson.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- The Churchill Factory - records for 1784-85...
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- ..have survived in the - Hudson's Bay Company archives.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- At the end of the records, the - copy is annotated, "Boy writing".
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- That boy was undoubtedly Thompson.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- The many Indian tribes - that lived in the interior...
0:08:14 > 0:08:18- ..brought fur for the traders - in exchange for metal implements.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- Thompson came to the conclusion - that he had much to learn.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- He was astounded by the Indians' - knowledge of the land around them.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- "The Indians constantly - took note of everything.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- "How a tiny stone - had been slightly moved.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- "How a twig was bent or snapped.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46- "How a mark was left on the ground.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- "To them, it was - a clearly legible language.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- "I was eager to learn this language.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- "I took careful note - of everything they showed me."
0:09:00 > 0:09:04- The first nations believed in living - as one and in balance with nature...
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- ..and nobody was given - land ownership.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- The Creator made the land...
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- ..and the Creator - would return us to the land.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Our spirits would move on.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- Thompson had read - of the first nations...
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- ..and knew they lived - in a separate world.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- He also knew that world - would rapidly disappear...
0:09:34 > 0:09:38- ..as traders occupied the interior - from their coastal settlements.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42- This world was about - to become paradise lost.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- Perhaps he could learn - of that way of life...
0:09:46 > 0:09:47- ..before it disappeared forever.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- Looking back on his life - with the wisdom of age...
0:09:59 > 0:10:04- ..David Thompson clearly - remembered his first encounter...
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- ..with the fast flowing rivers - of the west.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- He knew his hopes of becoming - a ship's captain were now futile...
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- ..but he was determined - to master the canoe.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- The Indians made these vessels - using the bark of birch trees...
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- ..which grew on - the shores of Hudson Bay.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30- Thompson realised he would have - to master more than one craft...
0:10:30 > 0:10:32- ..if he was to become a fur trader.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- How do use a canoe, - and how to treat wood.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40- He also realised he would have - to learn the Indian languages...
0:10:41 > 0:10:42- ..in order to bargain with them.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- He learned of contact made with - the Blackfoot and Piegan tribes...
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- ..which traditionally hunted - along the Saskatchewan river...
0:10:59 > 0:11:04- ..a thousand miles west where but - a few white men had ever ventured.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- FRENCH VOYAGEUR SONG
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- Thompson would travel - deep into the interior...
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- ..with a band of voyageurs, - half French and half Indian.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- The voyageurs knew the rivers - flowing down from the Rockies...
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- ..like the back of their hand.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- FRENCH VOYAGEUR SONG
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Thompson was just - seventeen at the time.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- He was about to venture deeper - into this strange land...
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- ..than Samuel Hearn - had done in a lifetime.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- The band planned to travel - up the Saskatchewan river...
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- ..which means "the river - that flows swiftly" in Cree.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- Their aim was to reach the great - plains where buffalo roamed.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- For centuries, the Indians had been - dependent upon these beasts...
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- ..for food, clothing, - and even for their teepees.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- "They crossed in their thousands...
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- "..and pressed against - our row of boats.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- "We had to push them away - with our paddles...
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- "..otherwise they - would have capsized us.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- "Finally, the Rocky Mountains - came into view...
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- "..glistening white on the horizon.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- "As we neared them, - they grew ever higher...
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- "..and their snow capped peaks - seemed above the clouds.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44- "This was a frontier beyond which - even the eagle could not fly."
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- They had reached - Blackfoot country...
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- ..a tribe renowned - for their fierce fighting.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- Here, Thompson stayed in - the tent of a tribal elder...
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- ..a spiritual leader - known as Saukamapee.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- Saukamapee took Thompson - as his pupil...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- ..and spoke of a time - before the arrival of white men.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32- He described the intricate relation - between the Indians and the earth...
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- ..and the genealogy - of every living animal.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- The beavers were an ancient tribe.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- Strong and wise people.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57- No man would ever dare - to take them on in battle...
0:13:57 > 0:14:02- "Almost every night for four months - I sat at the old man's feet...
0:14:02 > 0:14:06- "..listening to stories - of which I never tired."
0:14:11 > 0:14:15- Thompson recorded native poetry - in his record books...
0:14:15 > 0:14:17- ..and did so throughout his life.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- Thompson belonged - through his own lineage...
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- ..to an ancient nation that - had its own history and culture.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- Perhaps he looked to the Indians - for spiritual direction...
0:14:35 > 0:14:38- ..and to rediscover himself.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- He learned much through - listening to Saukamapee.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- "The Indians had always been - intrigued by the stars and planets.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- "Who might live in - those bright settlements?
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- "The Indians believed they were - where spirits lived...
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- "..the spirits of people - who had lived good lives."
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- Thompson came to believe, - like the Indians...
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- ..that the earth - was a gift from the Creator.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24- He also came to believe - in the law of providence...
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- ..which would soon intervene - in his life once more.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- Finally, the time came for Thompson - to depart this place...
0:15:37 > 0:15:39- ..which was not marked on any map.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- He travelled back - a thousand miles to the east...
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- ..and to the monotony - of life in the fur factories.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- Two days before Christmas in 1788, - carrying timber to the station...
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- ..Thompson slipped on the ice - and broke his leg.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- For weeks, Thompson hovered - between life and death.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- He slowly regained his strength, - and was on his feet again by spring.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- He determined to give up - his duty as a clerk.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Once again, fate smiled upon him.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35- Philip Turnor was the only - astronomer for two thousand miles.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- He took on Thompson - as his assistant.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- The boy was too intelligent - to waste as a clerk.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49- Thompson learned the craft of - the surveyor and the astronomer...
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- ..two vital skills - for his work in the future.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- He learned how to work out - geographical location...
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- ..by looking at the stars.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- He learned to use a compass - and measuring implements.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- Philip Turnor showed him - how to avoid being blinded...
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- ..by darkening the lens - when looking into the sun.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- "The equipment I used - to survey the stars...
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- "..were a brass measuring device - with a radius of ten inches...
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- "..and a strong telescope to - follow the satellites of Jupiter.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- "I regularly used this equipment - in clear weather...
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- "..to follow the sun, the moon, - the planets and the stars."
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- Thompson had found his Excalibur, - King Arthur's magical sword.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- He was ready to face - his great adventure...
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- ..to chart the first accurate map - of the wild country...
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- ..stretching from Hudson Bay - to the Pacific.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- By studying the expansive universe, - the world became infinite.
0:18:01 > 0:18:07- The Indians now referred to him - as "the man who gazes at the stars".
0:18:20 > 0:18:20- 888
0:18:20 > 0:18:22- 888- - 888
0:18:27 > 0:18:30- Thompson's first task - as a surveyor...
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- ..was to enter the Athabasca region - in northern Saskatchewan.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- He was surveying for - the elusive north west passage...
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- ..as so many had done before him.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- For the English, the passage - would open up the riches of Asia.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- But for those who belonged to - older races such as the Celts...
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- ..this was the passage to ancient - kingdoms of myth and legend.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- But, that year, the rivers - were particularly treacherous.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- The snow caps had melted - faster than usual.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- "We rode above the falls.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22- "All we could do was let - the canoe follow the torrent."
0:19:39 > 0:19:43- In an instant, the canoe - was thrown by the torrent...
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- ..and swallowed - by the crashing water.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04- Welsh legends depict the underworld - first as a pleasant place.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11- Water has a cleansing power, - to absolve people of sins...
0:20:11 > 0:20:13- ..and it is a place of purity.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- But it's also a world of magic.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- There is an echo of very - ancient myth in all of this...
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- ..transmitted down to us in - folk tales, even in the Mabinogi.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- To the Celts, the sea and water - carried a great deal of symbolism.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- Once again, - Thompson had been rescued...
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- ..from events - that might have killed him.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- His experience at Manitou Falls - had a dramatic effect on him.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- There's something - essentially Celtic about it...
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- ..and has to do with the way the - Celts looked upon the whole world.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06- The world was secret and sacred, - possessing of a magical element.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- The creatures were sacred, trees - and birds in particular were sacred.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19- By day, Thompson was a fur trader...
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- ..dutiful to the contract signed at - Grey Coat School seven years earlier
0:21:25 > 0:21:29- But, by night, he was a naturalist - and an astronomer...
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- ..and a maker of maps - in a new world full of magic.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- He was also beginning - to feel frustrated.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- The fur trade had only profit - as its goal...
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- ..but Thompson was - a prophet among profiteers.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- A man whose vision was as expansive - as the land he surveyed.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01- In 1797, when his contract expired, - Thompson resigned...
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- ..and walked eighty miles - to join the North West Company.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- "The wind was ferocious, with - drifting snow and leaden skies.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- "I had no choice but to press on.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- HOWLING WIND AND WOLVES
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- The North West Company - and the Hudson's Bay Company...
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- ..were in competition - for the fur trade.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- Thompson's old company - never forgave him.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- The North West Company - was founded in 1783...
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- ..to open up the continent's - northern interior for trade.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- A band of independent-minded - Scottish traders were the founders.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- The company was ideal - for a man like Thompson.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59- Thompson was immediately sent to - survey the Canadian-American border.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- His task was to chart tributaries - of the Mississippi...
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- ..and establish a commercial link - with Indians south of the border.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- Thompson and his fellow travellers - reached Mandan territory.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- He noted similarities between - Mandan boats and the Welsh coracle.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- Legend told that the Mandans - were the descendants...
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- ..of Welsh pioneers - six hundred years previously.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- But David Thompson - made no mention of this...
0:23:32 > 0:23:36- ..or of other Welsh travellers - who had been there before him.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42- "There were twenty-four maidens - dancing in white buckskin...
0:23:44 > 0:23:49- "..with ornamented bands to display - their form as in a silk gown."
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- Thompson was witness - at a Mandan feast...
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- ..beginning to the sound - of sad howling...
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- ..and culminating in - a celebration of sexuality.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- The sight shamed him, particularly - as his own men took part...
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- ..in what Thompson described - as a devilish ritual.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20- Always an isolated figure, Thompson - fought with his own, rough men...
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- ..heavy drinkers who took sexual - advantage of the native women.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31- He travelled north again - to the Athabasca region...
0:24:32 > 0:24:34- ..in search of new horizons.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36- He was now aged twenty-nine.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41- He arrived at Isle a la Croix, - deep in Indian territory.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46- There he met his lifetime partner, - Charlotte Small...
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- ..whose mother was a Cree Indian, - and her father an Irish trader.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- The two were married - in a simple ceremony.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Charlotte became known - as "woman of the paddle song".
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- She was familiar - with the wild rivers...
0:25:05 > 0:25:09- ..flowing from the mountains - to the broad plains.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13- Charlotte and Thompson would travel - thousands of miles together.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- With winter approaching, the two - travelled up the Saskatchewan...
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- ..to the foot of the range - that the Indians called...
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- .."the shining mountains, - the backbone of the world".
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- Thompson visited many stations - owned by the North West Company...
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- ..and settled in - Rocky Mountain House.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- But he was dismayed - by what he saw there.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- Personal belongings or material - wealth meant nothing to the Indians.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- But alcohol could be drunk - there and then...
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- ..and the traders could - put a premium on liquor.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- Drunkenness among the Indians - caused all kind of havoc.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- Some were killed in drunken brawls.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- One appalling story describes - a baby being torn in half...
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- ..as two drunken Indians - fought over it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23- "Whatever service - the Indians fulfil...
0:26:23 > 0:26:27- "..they are rewarded with alcohol, - sometimes over several days.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- "The men and women are all drunk, - and are utterly disgraced."
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- Thompson was also torn in two.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- His ambition was to become a partner - in the North West Company...
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- ..yet he yearned for - the world of Saukamapee.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- Perhaps he could resolve this - conflict in the Shining Mountains.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- Charlotte Small and David Thompson - returned to Saukamapee...
0:27:19 > 0:27:22- ..only to find the old man - had died the previous year.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- They established a new trading post - for the North West Company...
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- ..and at Rocky Mountain House - they settled into family life.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40- Since a young man, - Thompson had dreamed...
0:27:40 > 0:27:44- ..of making a map of the unfamiliar - land he had now charted.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48- That map would extend - all the way to the coast.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- Now, he set about the task - of realising his dream.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- Every night, he went out - to complete his picture...
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- ..of the shape and form - of this new continent.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06- With clear nights, he would work - every night for months at a time...
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- ..until he lost the sight - in one eye.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- Thompson was sent by the - North West Company in Montreal...
0:28:15 > 0:28:19- ..to chart a course - through the mountains...
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- ..that would open a trade route - to the west.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26- On May 10th, Thompson travelled - up the Saskatchewan...
0:28:27 > 0:28:31- ..which was at that time - being choked by the spring floods.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36- "The greatest obstacle was our being - constantly soaked up to the waist...
0:28:37 > 0:28:42- "..and having to travel unprotected - into the strong cold, biting winds.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47- "We faced ice cold water that - came directly from the snowcaps...
0:28:47 > 0:28:51- "..and our legs - became numb and useless."
0:28:55 > 0:28:57- Thompson reached the plains...
0:28:58 > 0:29:02- ..that were once the sacred hunting - grounds of the first nations.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06- Here, in a sheltered valley, - the last buffalo herds gathered...
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- ..and people who faced extinction - also gathered with them.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- Hunters had tracked their prey - through these mountains...
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- ..for ten thousand years.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21- The Indians drew a map of these - ancient hunting paths for Thompson.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41- Like travelling pilgrims...
0:29:41 > 0:29:46- ..they neared the place Saukamapee - called the backbone of the world.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51- The source of the river - - the rubicon.
0:29:59 > 0:30:05- "In this remarkable and forbidding - land, capped by perpetual snow...
0:30:06 > 0:30:11- "..the prospect east from the - heights was vast and uninterrupted.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16- "The naked eye could not discern - where the land ended.
0:30:17 > 0:30:22- "To the west, I saw the swell - of hills and rocky outcrops.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- "Never did I see anything - that so resembled the rolling sea...
0:30:28 > 0:30:31- "..in a fierce winter's gale."
0:30:36 > 0:30:40- Throughout his life, Thompson - strove to understand new ideas.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44- He was particularly - interested in geology...
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- ..as intellectuals began to question - a literal interpretation of Genesis.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54- Evidence could prove the world was - far older than the creation myth.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02- Thompson was attempting to write the - geological history of North America.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06- This was before geology was - recognised among the sciences.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11- The river that led to the rubicon - was the Howse...
0:31:11 > 0:31:15- ..one of the minor rivers - flowing from the Saskatchewan.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19- Today, the river's source in the - mountains is known as Howse Pass.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24- Thompson had reached the place - where two continents divided...
0:31:24 > 0:31:28- ..and where rivers sprang - to flow into three oceans.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34- "We came across a spring that - flowed away from us to the west.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39- "Its current must have joined up - with the Pacific Ocean.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44- "May God in his wisdom show us - where its gushing water flows."
0:31:51 > 0:31:55- This was rugged country, - a nightmare for a young family...
0:31:55 > 0:31:59- ..as though the valley had become - a seething mass of melted snow.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12- "At three in the afternoon, - my small daughter went missing.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16- "Failing to find her, - we concluded that she had drowned.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22- "We searched for her in the river, - but to no avail.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33- "After a short while, - Mr MacDonald found trace of her.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38- "After our long search, at about - half past eight in the evening...
0:32:38 > 0:32:43- "..we found her a mile away, - sheltering under a snow mound.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47- "Thank the Lord."
0:32:51 > 0:32:55- There was much to be thankful for, - having overcome deceptive gorges...
0:32:56 > 0:33:00- ..as a broad valley - opened up in front of them.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06- Thompson recorded their position, - and concluded they had arrived...
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- ..at the confluence of - the Blaeberry and Columbia rivers.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14- Never had the ground felt - so firm beneath his feet.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18- From then on, every river and - every spot would be new to him.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23- The next day, he travelled - up the Columbia river.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28- Little did he know that he had - discovered the river's plateau.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32- This was the river that Welshman - Merryweather Lewis had travelled...
0:33:32 > 0:33:36- ..as he sought to extend the - boundaries of the United States.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40- On his arrival there, Thompson - established Kootanae House station.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46- Thompson was unable - to find enough food.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51- With fast approaching winter, - he feared famine ahead.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56- It was essential that - they could catch fish...
0:33:57 > 0:34:00- ..but fish weren't always - in plentiful supply.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07- Then, as if in reply to a prayer...
0:34:07 > 0:34:11- ..shoals of salmon - swam upstream from the sea.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23- "The salmon tasted good, - but they had lost their fat.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26- "The meat was firm and red.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31- "The Indians heed well that which - they believe nourishes the salmon.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37- "As with all other things, they - respect the Manitou for its gifts."
0:34:43 > 0:34:46- Little wonder, in view of - his Welsh background...
0:34:47 > 0:34:51- ..that Thompson respected the - stories and beliefs of the Indians.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- It's pretty clear - that David Thompson...
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- ..felt an affinity with the Indians.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03- They respected the earth - and its creatures.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08- I like to think that he - looked upon the salmon...
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- ..as some kind of kindred spirit.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14- The salmon, so to speak, - had the kind of energy...
0:35:15 > 0:35:22- ..that could overcome every obstacle - and traverse every boundary.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28- Thompson would have also - learned something of that...
0:35:28 > 0:35:30- ..from the ancient Celtic tales.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- For example, we have the wonderful - story of 'Culhwch ac Olwen'.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40- There, the Salmon of Llyn Llyw, - the oldest among all animals...
0:35:41 > 0:35:47- ..leads and carries two - Arthurian knights on his back.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52- He carries them up the river - to Gloucester.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- Like the beaver in the tales - told by Saukamapee...
0:35:57 > 0:36:01- ..the Salmon of Llyn Llyw was strong - and wise, and far older than man.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21- Thompson arrived at - another rubicon in his life.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25- As a full partner in - the North West Company...
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- ..he opened up new territory - to trade...
0:36:28 > 0:36:31- ..and provide a new passage - to the Pacific.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- Yet, as a naturalist and a friend - to the natives of this land...
0:36:36 > 0:36:40- ..he was concerned for the future - of the rugged land he had made home.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46- With the passing years, his ties - to the first nations were weakening.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- Every dance Thompson was witness to - was now a war dance.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01- Now, in addition - to his writing pen...
0:37:02 > 0:37:05- ..Thompson carried a gun to - protect himself from the Indians.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- In 1808, he sent Charlotte - and their children back...
0:37:10 > 0:37:14- ..to the safety of the - Saskatchewan trading stations.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- As the fur trade - prospered and developed...
0:37:21 > 0:37:24- ..the lot of the native Indians - deteriorated.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26- The two things went hand in hand.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30- Commercial prosperity - and moral disintegration...
0:37:30 > 0:37:32- ..profit and drunkenness.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36- Thompson believed alcohol and guns - were the root of the problem...
0:37:36 > 0:37:40- ..and he refused to use these - destructive tools for bargaining.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47- But Thompson could not - stop the tide by himself.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51- As guns and liquor - crossed the mountains...
0:37:51 > 0:37:55- ..traders were - increasingly being killed.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58- Travel became dangerous.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02- Thompson now had to cross - the frontier far to the north...
0:38:02 > 0:38:06- ..and there he discovered - the Athabasca passage.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13- The competition for fur had now - become an international issue.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17- The Americans sent men to - establish a trading station...
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- ..at the mouth of - the Columbia river.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25- The North West Company - instructed Thompson...
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- ..to travel there ahead of them.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31- He pointed his canoe south and - set off on the journey in summer...
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- ..to travel nearly a thousand miles - to the Pacific.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44- On July 15th 1811, he reached - the estuary of the Columbia river.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49- It was the furthest extreme - of the enormous map...
0:38:49 > 0:38:52- ..that Thompson always kept - in his mind.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58- But the Americans, - with their barrels of rum...
0:38:58 > 0:39:00- ..had got there before him.
0:39:09 > 0:39:09- 888
0:39:09 > 0:39:11- 888- - 888
0:39:20 > 0:39:24- To the Americans, the only - good Indian was a dead Indian.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32- In the east, the white men quashed - any resistance from the Indians.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36- With government blessing, - wars to dispossess the Indians...
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- ..spread across the Mississippi - and to the west.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45- Through the century, - one tribe after another...
0:39:46 > 0:39:49- ..would be hounded - from their ancient lands.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56- Thompson journeyed on to the north.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01- He wanted no part of the - annihilation that was to come.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05- Yet, as he journeyed - he was surveying.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- He claimed the territory - of Columbia...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- ..most of Washington, - Idaho and modern-day Montana...
0:40:12 > 0:40:13- ..for the English Crown.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- He worried for Charlotte - and their children.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21- People of mixed race were - once considered a success...
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- ..in combining the best - of the old world and the new.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29- But now, people of - mixed race were outcast.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41- "Civilised men, particularly - those in the United States...
0:40:42 > 0:40:46- "..carried a moral hostility - towards the North American Indians.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55- "It is confidently predicted that - the redskins will soon be extinct...
0:40:56 > 0:41:00- "..as their lands are - occupied by white men.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04- "This is true of lands formerly - in possession of the redskins.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- "White men have jumped - at the opportunity...
0:41:08 > 0:41:12- "..to take them - either by deceit or violence.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18- "What does it benefit man - to gain the whole world...
0:41:19 > 0:41:21- "..if he loses his own soul?"
0:41:25 > 0:41:29- Thompson knew the time had come - for him to leave the west.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36- His mind turned to the long - journey with his family...
0:41:36 > 0:41:38- ..to the safety of Montreal.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50- "At last, I have finished surveying - this part of North America...
0:41:52 > 0:41:53- "..from ocean to ocean.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57- "Measuring the heavens - has accurately mapped...
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- "..the positions of - mountains, lakes and rivers...
0:42:01 > 0:42:05- "..and other wondrous places - in the north of this continent."
0:42:06 > 0:42:10- Thompson bade farewell to this place - after thirty-two years...
0:42:11 > 0:42:15- ..since he first arrived in - this vast and remote land as a boy.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22- When war broke out between - Canada and America in 1812...
0:42:22 > 0:42:26- ..Thompson returned to work - on a map of the North West...
0:42:26 > 0:42:28- ..at the request of his partners.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31- He mapped over - four million square miles...
0:42:32 > 0:42:34- ..of this wild and unfamiliar land.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38- He kept notes during - all of his travels...
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- ..on locations, places, - words and figures...
0:42:42 > 0:42:46- ..that would recreate a picture - of the landscape in his mind.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- In 1814, he brought all his notes - and measurements together...
0:42:51 > 0:42:54- ..to create a remarkably - beautiful map.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01- Thompson could now retire as a full - partner in the North West Company.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06- He lived for a while - as a country squire.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12- Fate or providence sustained him - through difficult years...
0:43:12 > 0:43:16- ..but was unkind towards him - during his final years.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20- The British government handed back - territories in Columbia to America.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35- Some of his children fell ill - with intestinal parasites...
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- ..and two of them died.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49- The two sides of David Thompson - became apparent.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51- While concerned for his wife...
0:43:51 > 0:43:55- ..he prepared a coffin - for one of his children.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59- He accurately noted the length - of three feet and nine inches.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03- The humane, compassionate side - and the meticulous, scientific side.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13- Towards the end of his life, - Thompson went bankrupt.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17- The North West Company was - taken over by his old foes...
0:44:18 > 0:44:19- ..the Hudson's Bay Company.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24- Now, with failing eyesight, - he sought work with his old company.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27- He was rejected, but accepted - some surveying duties...
0:44:28 > 0:44:32- ..by some of the company's employees - building houses in Montreal.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- But there was no welcome - for Charlotte, the half-caste...
0:44:36 > 0:44:38- ..in the homes of these people.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42- During his life, Thompson overcame - many geographical obstacles...
0:44:42 > 0:44:46- ..but failed to overcome the social - obstacle at the end of his life.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52- There are sad stories of Thompson - knocking on the affluent doors...
0:44:53 > 0:44:58- ..asking for loans, only to have - doors rudely slammed in his face.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11- He had to pawn his winter coat, - and even his cartographic tools.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16- He opened up a continent, - but every door was closed to him.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25- At the end of his life, he decided - to write his autobiography.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- He had a great story to tell, - the heroic adventure...
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- ..of this Welsh naturalist, - the mapmaker's epic.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39- He titled his autobiography - 'The Travels'.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43- It started with his arrival - on the shore of Hudson Bay...
0:45:44 > 0:45:47- ..a boy fresh from Grey Court School - seventy years previously.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51- He tried to sell his maps - and his autobiography...
0:45:51 > 0:45:53- ..but nobody was interested.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58- Thompson died on February 10th 1857.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05- Like the ancient salmon, - and the Salmon of Llyn Llyw...
0:46:06 > 0:46:10- ..he returned to - the source of the river.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15- Three months later, - Charlotte followed her husband.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20- They were both buried - by their children...
0:46:20 > 0:46:22- ..in Mount Royal cemetery, Montreal.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28- In many ways, - Thompson was the first Canadian.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31- He loved the land and its people...
0:46:31 > 0:46:35- ..and carried a great vision - for the future of Canada.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41- For some years, - all mention of Thompson ceased.
0:46:41 > 0:46:47- He disappeared completely, - until another pioneer, J B Tyrell...
0:46:47 > 0:46:50- ..discovered the maps and notebooks.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55- Tyrell concluded that Thompson - was the greatest geographer ever...
0:46:56 > 0:46:58- ..in the history of the world.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04- "The man who gazes at the stars."
0:47:18 > 0:47:22- The Celtic Isle of Avalon, and the - Shining Mountains of the Indians...
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- ..are actually the same place.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30- Neither one nor the other - can be found on any map.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57- S4C subtitles MMIII
0:48:57 > 0:48:59