Peter Pond

Peter Pond (January 18, 1739 – 1807) was an American explorer, cartographer, merchant and soldier who was a founding member of the North West Company and the Beaver Club.

Though he was born and died in Milford, Connecticut, most of his life was spent in northwestern North America, on the upper Mississippi and in western Canada.

He operated this post, the first white man's building in present-day Alberta, for ten years[7] At Lac La Ronge, Jean-Étienne Waddens had a lucrative trade with “the Northward Indians” coming from Lake Athabasca.

Pond was examined in 1785 but was not brought to trial, most likely because Lac La Ronge lay in the territories of the HBC, beyond the jurisdiction of the Province of Quebec.

From his notes and diaries Peter Pond drew a map showing rivers and lakes of the Athabasca region, including what was known of the whole area from Hudson Bay to the Rocky Mountains and interpolating his information to the Arctic Ocean or Northwest Passage.

In 1785, one copy of Pond's map, accompanied by a detailed report, was submitted to the United States Congress[8] and a second to the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Henry Hamilton.

Pond needed financial support to carry his explorations to the limits of North America's northwest, but the British government was not forthcoming.

In the process of taking over the management of the business Mackenzie learned a great deal from Peter Pond about the Athabasca and Peace River region.