This historic monument itself has a history. Its original location was by the Castlegar-Robson ferry ramp. In November of 1977 It was moved for the second time, overlooking the Kinnard Bridge.
In 2000, it was originally accepted that to move the entire monument would be too costly an undertaking, and the plan was to relocate the plaque only.
Walter Volovsek found a way to have the whole monument moved. Generous support from Castlegar Public Works, Peter Kiewit Sons Co, Dell Transport, Wesley Construction and Parks Canada it was moved to its current location.
This is a perfect location for the monument as it is very close to the location where Thompson camped on the night of September 5th, 1811.
David Thompson was a fur trader, surveyor and map maker and is thought to be the "greatest land geographer who ever lived." Born on April 30, 1770 in Westminster, Middlesex, Thompson learned navigation, surveying, and mathematics at a young age. He was recruited by the Hudson’s Bay Company at the tender age of 14 and set sail in 1784 for Canada, never to return to England.
During his career, he mapped almost four million square kilometers of North America. See a further biography on David Thompson below.
The text on the plaque reads as follows:
DAVID THOMPSON ON THE COLUMBIA
Competition for furs had forced the North West Company to expand to the Pacific Slope by 1800. To avoid costly transcontinental transport from Montreal the company needed a coastal depot on a navigable river. To this end David Thompson surveyed the Columbia River between 1807 and 1812, building a string of inland posts along its course. By 1813, when the Nor' Westers bought Astoria, the Pacific Fur Company's post at the river mouth, Thompson had proved the Columbia to be a navigable supply route to the interior.
David Thompson
He is called the greatest land geographer who ever lived, and my personal favourite Canadian historical figure. His name was David Thompson, and his impact on Canada is nothing short of immense.
David Thompson was born on April 30, 1770 in Westminster, Middlesex to Welsh immigrants David and Ann Thompson.
Sadly, the young child Thompson would never know his father, as his father died when David was only two. This left his mother having to take care of the family, and with nearly no resources, she was forced to place David and his older brother in the Grey Coat Hospital in London, which was a school for the poor and orphaned. As it turned out, that may have been the best thing for him.
Thompson quickly showed that he had a talent for navigation, surveying, and mathematics. His education would include using nautical instruments, making navigational calculations using the sun, moon, and tides, taking land measurements and sketching landscapes.
He would be recruited by the Hudson’s Bay Company when he was 14 and set sail in 1784 for Canada, never to return to England. This was accomplished because the treasurer of Grey Coat paid for Thompson, five Pounds or 760 Pound today, to apprentice with the company. Upon joining the Hudson’s Bay Company, Thompson became an indentured servant for seven years to be trained as a clerk. On May 28, 1784, he would leave England, never to return.
It was with the Hudson’s Bay Company, while working as a clerk, that he would find his calling...
...For the next two seasons, he would map and establish trading posts in the future states of Montana, Idaho, Washington and in Western Canada. The establishment of these posts allowed the North West Company to begin trading in the Columbia Basin drainage area. The maps that Thompson produced in this area were of such high quality that they were still used in the 20th century...
Read on at Canadian History Ehx