Fort Thompson Playground

Fort Thompson Playground. . , Named in honor of surveyor and fur trader David Thompson (1770-1857), the first known explorer to reach Sanders County. Born in England, young David enrolled in a London charity school for orphan boys at age 7. Upon his 14th birthday he was sent across the Atlantic Ocean to the icy shores of Hudson Bay, Canada to begin 7 years indentured servitude as clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company. He soon learned to communicate in French and native languages, explore, navigate, make maps, build trading posts, and survive in the wilds of the New World. On many occasions he received critical assistance and cooperation from North American natives. , Between 1807-1812, Thompson successfully established trade among the tribes west of the Rocky Mountains. He and his men built the region's first 4 trading posts, including one near Thompson Falls he called Saleesh House. In 1811 he located and mapped the entire course of the Columbia River. By finding the source of this legendary River of the West and following it to the Pacific Ocean, Thompson solved the mystery of the Northwest Passage - an elusive coast to coast route explorers had sought for centuries. He and his companions made this historic voyage of discovery in a large cedar plank canoe of his own invention. , By the time his career was over, the ambitious Thompson had mapped nearly 1.5 million square miles of uncharted territory of approximately 1/5th of North America. He was instrumental in establishing the first cross continental network of remote wilderness forts and trading posts and is credited with traveling over 65,000 miles by foot, horse and canoe. To this day, David Thompson is regarded as the greatest land geographer of all times.