Early Mission Valley explorer, mapmaker commemorated
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The skies were blue, the wind was blowing, the Missions were dusted with snow and the view of Flathead Lake was magnificent, much as it may have been 200 years ago when David Thompson, Canadian explorer, mapmaker, surveyor and fur trader, visited western Montana. According to his journals, Thompson first saw Flathead Lake, which he called Lake Four in his writings, on March 1, 1812 at 1:25 p.m.
Legend has it the place Thompson first viewed the lake was on the south shore near the present-day McAlpine ranch in Polson.
With permission from the current landowner, a group of Thompson enthusiasts, sponsored by the Polson Flathead Historical Museum, joined author Carl Haywood for a trek to the area to commemorate Thompson’s visit.
Haywood, a Thompson scholar and retired forester, wrote “Sometimes Only Horses to Eat,” a book about Thompson’s years establishing Saleesh House, a trading post near Thompson Falls. From 1807 to 1812, Thompson lived in the area, exploring, establishing trading relationships and mapping the land.
Reviewers of the book credit Haywood with highlighting Thompson as a person as well as a surveyor and explorer. Haywood also contends that previous information put Saleesh House on the wrong side of the river. Haywood and his wife Linda also located Thompson’s Kootenai River crossing spot below Libby Dam.
On March 1, 200 years ago, Thompson was camped near Dixon. He borrowed some horses and, led by Le Gauche (Left Hand), his guide, headed north. His journals describe the going being muddy, with the ground thawing, although the horses made good time, (about 4 hours and 15 minutes). This trip might take a present day person driving a car about half an hour.
Author Carl Haywood, Bill Weikel, a professional land surveyor and engineer, and photographer Norm Jacobsen presented a program that painted a vivid picture for listeners of Thompson’s adventurous visit to Western Montana and his trials establishing Saleesh House. Thompson and his group nearly starved and had to eat horses and dogs to survive, thereby explaining the title of Haywood’s book. Haywood said historians estimate Thompson traveled 50,000 to 55,000 miles during his career. Haywood also stated he believes Thompson and Le Gauche first saw Flathead Lake from a promontory near the intersection of North Reservoir Road and Back Road south of Polson, instead of the south shore of the lake.
Weikel brought a sextant, an octant, antique compasses and a clock to talk about historical surveying methods and equipment and the laborious math that went into that work.
Thompson made many sketches, complete with scales for distance and legends identifying cliffs, rocks and trees.
One sketch Jacobsen believes took Thompson approximately two to five years to complete. Due to the vast changes in the landscape over the past 200 years, it cost Jacobsen 16 trips from Missoula to locate and then photograph the same spot.
Those interested in learning more about David Thompson, should read Haywood’s book or contact the Flathead Historical Museum.
