Alexander Roderick McLeod

Who was Alexander Roderick McLeod?

Alexander Roderick McLeod was a fur trader and explorer who began his career with the North West Company in 1802.

McLeod became a trader and brigade leader with the Hudson's Bay Company, led by Sir George Simpson, after they joined with the NWC in 1821. He was highly active in solidifying the HBC role in the Pacific Northwest and was instrumental in George Back’s Arctic expedition, as well as in establishing the Siskiyou Trail between Fort Vancouver and the Sacramento Valley of California.

Based at Fort Vancouver, McLeod explored the Umpqua and Rogue rivers in 1826-28, and was preparing his brigade for another departure in July 1828 when American explorer Jedediah Smith arrived there after most of his party were killed by Umpqua people in Oregon. Chief Factor John McLoughlin reassigned McLeod's brigade, including tracker/interpreter Michel Laframboise, to return with Smith to the Umpqua to search for survivors and try to recover Smith's horses, furs and supplies. Much of Smith's gear was recovered, including his journal, but fifteen of Smith's nineteen men had been killed. Smith's maps helped Mcleod in later explorations into northern California.