1770
Born on April 30 in London, England.

1777
Enrols in a London charity school, where he studies
for seven years and receives a grounding in mathematics and astronomy.

1784
Comes to Canada as an apprentice to the Hudson’s Bay Company.

1795
Appointed surveyor with the Hudson’s Bay Company.

1797
Joins the North West Company, a competitor
to the Hudson’s Bay Company.

1799
Marries Charlotte Small, a Métis woman,
with whom he has 13 children.

1811
Follows the Columbia River to its mouth at
the Pacific Ocean.

1812–1814
Prepares and publishes the Map of the North-West Territory of the Province of Canada from
actual survey during the years 1782 to 1812.

1817–1826
Surveys the Canada-United States border from
the St. Lawrence River to Lake of the Woods.

1825
Ruined by the demise of the North West Company, thereafter ekes out a living as a surveyor.

1846–1850
Writes his Travels in Western North America,
1784–1812.

1857
Dies in poverty on February 10 in Longueuil
(in present-day Quebec).