1802 Alberta Map
A map exhibiting all the new discoveries in the interior parts of North America
The location of Edmonton Ho. (Edmonton House) in early 1802 was not in the city’s current downtown core. Instead, it was located about 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of modern-day Edmonton, near the present-day city of Fort Saskatchewan.
Map Description
This historical map, titled "A map exhibiting all the new discoveries in the interior parts of North America," was compiled by the prominent British cartographer Aaron Arrowsmith and published in London in 1802. It offers a fascinating look at the continent during an era of intense fur trade exploration.
The map illustrates the major river systems, coastlines, and mountain ranges known to European geographers at the time. Notably, the western and northern interior regions—including what is now western Canada—show detailed river networks mapped by traders from the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, contrasted against vast blank spaces where European exploration had not yet reached.
Interesting Alberta Facts (1802)
- The Fur Trade Rivalry Intensifies: In 1802, the region that would become Alberta was the frontline of a fierce economic war between the North West Company (NWC) and the XY Company (a breakaway faction of the NWC). To compete for the trade of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the NWC operated Fort Augustus while the XY Company built the rival Fort de l'Isle along the North Saskatchewan River.
- Peter Fidler's Mapping Expeditions: Around this time, famed Hudson's Bay Company surveyor and mapmaker Peter Fidler was actively exploring and charting the southern regions of Alberta. The precise geographical data he gathered about the Saskatchewan and Churchill River systems was directly sent back to London, heavily influencing the accuracy of Aaron Arrowsmith's updated map editions.
- No Borders, Just Districts: In 1802, the province of "Alberta" did not exist. The northern and central parts of the region were known to Europeans as part of Rupert's Land (controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company), while the rugged, mountainous west was broadly referred to as the North-West Territory.
Description and Facts by Gemini - AI can make mistakes.
Source:
Arrowsmith, A. & Puke, J. (1802) A map exhibiting all the new discoveries in the interior parts of North America. [London: A. Arrowsmith] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3300.ct000584/