Nisbet documents Thompson's journeys

Noted biographer Jack Nisbet visited Libby Friday evening, bringing his vast knowledge of the travels of David Thompson with him.

Nisbet’s presentation, sponsored by Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, detailed Thompson’s travels through the Kootenai Valley, from the headwaters of the great river to its terminus near Creston, B.C.

Nisbet illustrated Thompson’s journeys from 1807 to 1812, provided detailed accounts of his circular path around the Cabinet Mountains and showing the maps Thompson drew of the area.

Thompson’s incredibly detailed maps, drawn more than 200 years ago, provided the first detailed survey of this region and the unique geology that results in the flow of the Kootenai River. With his vivid descriptions and the personal excitement he communicated to the audience, Nisbet brought the journeys of Thompson to life.

University of Winnipeg professor Andrew Corso took Thompson’s original maps, drawn on several sheets to create a map six feet high and 10 feet wide, and created a super-high definition scan. Nisbet used those scans to document the various journeys of Thompson through the Kootenai valley.

At one point in the presentation Nisbet projected a map drawn by Thompson side by side with a photograph taken by astronaut John Phillips from the International Space Station. Although not exact, there were very few differences between the two images.

Nisbet is the author of two books about the travels of David Thompson: “Sources of the River,” and “The Mapmaker’s Eye.” Nisbet is a teacher and naturalist and lives with his wife in Spokane, Wash.