Sir Alexander Mackenzie (c. 1764 – 1820) was a Scottish-born explorer remembered as one of the great explorers of North America since he led two important expeditions in the Canadian Arctic: in 1789, starting from Lake Athabasca he managed to reach the Arctic after descending the Mackenzie River by canoe (which today honors his memory) in a long journey of more than 4800 km (round trip) through inhospitable and totally unknown lands; and in the 1792-1793 season, he was the first westerner who managed to complete the first transcontinental journey, further north than Mexico, of which there is record, anticipating the expedition of Lewis and Clark by more than 10 years.