The One-Eyed Welshman Who Mapped Canada

In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dive into the life of David Thompson, the Welsh-born orphan who became one of the most important mapmakers in North American history. Along the way, they detour through tales of the Lake Louise Tea House, roast the bizarre social-media energy of Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry, and debate whether Thompson was more cat or rat on the Katy-cat/Katy-rat spectrum.

You’ll hear how Thompson:

• Went from a charity school in Westminster to an apprentice with the Hudson’s Bay Company
• Broke his leg, wrecked his eyesight, and still became a master surveyor
• Quit HBC when they tried to pull him off mapping and walked 130 km through a snowstorm to join the North West Company
• Helped define key sections of the Canada–US border and mapped huge swaths of the West, including the Saskatchewan River system, the Rockies, and the Columbia River
• Built a long, complicated life with his Cree-Métis wife Charlotte, traveling and mapping as a team

Plus: a small-talk detour featuring awkward chats with other people’s kids, Kenny vs. Spenny live, and aging sketch comics still acting like teenagers.

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