In the Path of the Explorers: Tracing the Expeditions of Vancouver, Cook, Mackenzie, Fraser and Thompson

Hans B. Neumann is a history lecturer at Scarborough College, University
of Toronto.

This book deals with the five European explorers most responsible for
making the topography and geography of the region that was later to
become the province of British Columbia known to other Europeans. Their
remarkable voyages took place between the latter part of the 18th
century and the early part of the 19th century. Two of these five giants
of Canadian exploration (James Cook and George Vancouver) were the first
to chart—accurately—long stretches of the Pacific coastline. The
remaining three (Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, and David Thompson)
explored and mapped some of the major river systems of the interior.

Neering’s text is lively and demanding. She quotes liberally from the
journals and diaries kept by each of the explorers, which lends an air
of immediacy and drama to the voyages she describes in separate chapters
on each explorer. Especially refreshing—and long overdue in popular
writings on this subject—is a strong recognition of the vital role
played by Native guides, who assisted explorers in their arduous travels
across incredibly difficult terrain.

The dynamic text is greatly enhanced and complemented by beautiful and
sparkling photographs that illustrate many of the awesome sights the
five explorers would have beheld almost 200 years ago.

Aimed at readers from secondary school upwards, this book is a sheer
delight for both the eyes and mind.