A native of the Hebrides, Mackenzie was obsessed by Peter Pond's idea a practical water route existed between Lake Athabasca and the Pacific. His first attempt to find the route in 1789 led him down the river that bears his name to the Arctic Ocean. A second attempt, via the Peace and Fraser Rivers, brought him to the sea near Bella Coola in July 1793. This first crossing of the continent north of Mexico suggested an alternative to the elusive North-West Passage that had defeated the skill and courage of explorers through three centuries. *Note: This designation has been identified for review. A review can be triggered for one of the following reasons - outdated language or terminology, absence of a significant layer of history, factual errors, controversial beliefs and behaviour, or significant new knowledge.