A plaque in St. John’s Park near the corner of Anderson Avenue and St. Cross Street was unveiled in 1939 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. It commemorates Thomas Simpson. Born in Scotland, Simpson became, in 1829, secretary to Sir George Simpson. In 1837, with Peter Warren Dease, he led an expedition down the Mackenzie River and along the Arctic coast to Point Barrow and back to winter at Fort Confidence. The party descended the Coppermine River in 1838 and again in 1839, exploring the coast between Point Turnagain and the Back estuary. Simpson displayed outstanding qualities of leadership, skill, and courage.
In 1840, having set out from Fort Garry to visit England, Simpson died of a gunshot wound near the Turtle River, on an ox cart trail between Pembina and Fort Abercrombie, in what is now North Dakota.
Thomas Simpson commemorative plaque (July 2017)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91979, W97.12532
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Simpson (1808-1840)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
Red River District miscellaneous records, B.235/z/3 fos. 549-556, 1M902, PDF pages 696 (Hargrave), 698-702 (Bruce), Flett (704-706), Logan (708-711), Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba.
Simpson, Thomas National Historic Person, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Parks Canada.
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
We thank George Penner, Cully Gause, and Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 October 2022
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