Thomas Simpson (explorer)

Thomas Simpson (July 2, 1808 – June 14, 1840) was an arctic explorer, Hudson's Bay Company agent and cousin of HBC governor Sir George Simpson.

Early life

Simpson was born in Dingwall, Scotland the son of magistrate Alexander Simpson (1751–1821) by his second wife Mary who had helped raise George Simpson. He was a sickly and timid youth, avoiding rough sport. He was educated with a view to his becoming a clergyman, and was sent to King's College, Aberdeen at the age of seventeen. Sir George Simpson offered him a position in the Hudson's Bay Company in 1826, which he declined in order to complete his studies. He graduated in 1828, at the age of 20, with a Master of Arts. He enrolled in a divinity class that winter with the goal of becoming a clergyman, when the offer of a position in the Hudson's Bay Company was again extended, and this time he accepted. In 1829 he arrived in Norway House to join the Hudson's Bay Company as George Simpson's secretary.

Simpson was stationed at the Red River Colony in the 1830s, serving as second officer to chief factor Christie.

Arctic Expedition

From 1836 to 1839, Thomas Simpson was involved in an expedition to chart the Arctic coast of Canada, the purpose of which was to fill in information gaps left by other expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage. The expedition consisted of 12 men. Peter Warren Dease, chief factor of the New Caledonia district of the Hudson's Bay Company was appointed head of the expedition, with Thomas as junior officer, however Dease ceded most of the responsibility for the expedition to Simpson.

The directors of the Hudson's Bay Company left detailed instructions for the expedition. The party was to leave immediately for the Lake Athabaska region and to winter at Fort Chipewyan or Great Slave Lake. At the opening of navigation in June, they were to proceed down the Mackenzie River to Fort Norman. From there, four of the party were to proceed east to Great Bear Lake to erect buildings and collect provisions for the following winter, while the remainder of the party were to head west, surveying the coast to the point at which Frederick Beechey's barge had turned back on John Franklin's second arctic expedition. At the most westerly point of their exploration, they were to leave a pillar or mound, at the base of which was to be a sealed bottle containing a brief description of the expedition to that point. The following season they were to depart from Great Bear Lake, this time eastward to survey the coast from Franklin's Point Turnagain to the Back River to a point that could be ascertained as having been reached by George Back. They were to keep a journal of their travels, a map of their surveys, a collection of new or interesting plants, minerals or objects, and to take possession of the land explored in the name of Great Britain.

Dease gathered supplies and hired men for the expedition and set of from Norway House on July 21 and reached Fort Chipewyan on September 8. Thomas spent the autumn preparing at the Red River Colony.

The party left on June 1, 1837, and arrived at Point Barrow on August 4. They wintered at Fort Confidence on Great Bear Lake and set out next spring, managing to map 100 miles of coastline, and naming Victoria Land, Cape Alexander and Cape Pelly. They again wintered at Fort Confidence, and in the spring of 1839 explored eastward. On August 16 they reached Montreal Island and discovered a cache left by George Back.

By 1839 the expedition had nearly completed the full exploration of the Northwest Passage. The party returned to Great Slave Lake in September of that year, and from there Thomas drew up a letter to the directors of the Hudson's Bay Company describing the results of the expedition, which was published in many newspapers of the day. He also transmitted a plan for an expedition to complete further exploration of the coast between the straits of the Fury and Hecla and the eastern limits of his previous explorations. To attend to preparations for this new expedition, he immediately left for the Red River Settlement, making the entire 1,910 mi (3,070 km) journey in 61 days, arriving on February 2, 1840. The annual canoes from Canada to the settlement in June of that year brought no word of the reception of his exploits, or authorization to continue exploration, as word had not reached England in time to reply at that opportunity. Without authorization from the Directors, Thomas had no authority to arrange another expedition. Instead of waiting for an entire year for word, he decided to return to England in person.

Death

Thomas left the Red River Settlement on the June 6, 1840, intending to travel to England by way of the Minnesota River. He initially set out with a group of settlers and Métis, but soon left the main party with four Métis travelling companions in order to make better time. On June 14, 1840, he and two of his travelling companions died in a shoot-out. According to the two survivors, Simpson had become increasingly anxious and even deranged during the journey, finally accusing two of the party of plotting to kill him. He shot them, and the witnesses fled, returning to the larger party, a portion of which then went to Simpson's encampment. They found him dead of gunshot wounds, his shotgun beside him. The authorities ruled it a murder-suicide.

All the witnesses agreed that Simpson shot dead John Bird and mortally wounded Legros Senior. Legros Junor and James Bruce fled to the main party. When the posse reached the site they found Legros Sr. dead and Simpson alive. Five minutes later Simpson was dead. All involved said that the wound was self-inflicted. Bruce claimed that Simpson told him that he killed the two men because they intended to "murder him on that night for his papers." The papers were sent to Sir George Simpson. Three years later, when Sir George sent the papers to Thomas' younger brother Alexander, the diary and all correspondence between Sir George and Thomas were missing. What the missing papers may have contained is unknown. A number of people have studied the evidence without reaching a conclusion.

In the mean time, the company's directors in London had sent permission for him to continue with his explorations. He had also been awarded the Royal Geographical Society’s gold medal, and the British government had announced its intention of granting him a pension of £100 a year. Instead, being accused of murder and suicide, and being disgraced in the eyes of the church, Thomas was buried in an unmarked grave in Canada.

Thomas' brother, Alexander Simpson, published Thomas' Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America, effected by the Officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, during the years 1836—39 in 1843, and later wrote The Life and Times of Thomas Simpson, the Arctic Explorer (London, 1845), in which he examine's the possibility that the travelling companions were planning to steal his notes and maps which they could have sold to the Hudson's Bay Company’s American rivals.

References

• s:Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America, effected by the Officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, during the years 1836—39, Thomas Simpson, 1843
• Dictionary of Manitoba Biography, J. M. Bumsted, 1999
• Clan Fraser Society of Canada