James MacKay is a sweeping Historical Narrative of the 18th Century's most experienced Exlorer of North American Rivers. He was a Canadian Fur Trader, Explorer and Author of the first detailed map of the Missouri River which was used by the Lewis and Clark Expeditation. He was the first man to write about Roche Juene or the Yellowstone River. He was the first English speaking Official under the Spanish Rule and could speak and write in Gaelic, his native language, English, French and Spanish as well as speaking many Indian Dialects. His Journals, used by Lewis and Clark contained some of the earliest notes on the Indian Nations and their culture. He introduced the Mandan Indians to Melon seeds. Melons grown from those same seeds were served to Lewis and Clark during their stay with the Mandans. He left directions in Latitude and Longtitude of how to follow the Rocky Mountains to the crossing that would take future explorers to the Columbia River and to the Pacific Ocean. There was no river that ran from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. He was Captain-Commadant of the upper Missouri River (St. Charles District) under the Spanish Rule. Under the American Rule he was a Missouri Judge and Member of the State Legislature. The Original Map MacKay drew is in the Library of Congress and is known as The MacKay-Evans Map. MacKay was married in 1800 to Elizabeth Long who was known as Isabella MacKay. James was known as Jacque MacKay, under the French and Don Santiago MacKay under the Spanish. James and Isabella were the parents of Nine Children. Northern Times - Scotland May 23, 2003 Helen Widener is intent on enhancing the modern-day profile of prominent 18th century explorer, James MacKay, who was a native of Strath Halladale. He is credited with making the first maps of long stretches of the Missouri River and carrying out some of the earliest research of several native American Indian Tribes. On her visit last week, Mrs. Widener visited the deserted site of MacKay's family croft home at Arichlinie, near Achentoul. James MacKay, born on May 1, 1761 emigrated to Canada with his brother John soon after leaving school. He was in Canada for Fifteen years, mainly working for the Fur Companies. MacKay first got a taste for frontiersmanship in Canada and went on to explore the unforgiving terrain around the Red River, The Snake River and the Yellowstone River. He charted the then Spanish-owned territory along the Missouri from its source at Saint Charles across country over the Rockies and on to Yellowstone, which most historians believe he named. MacKay is credited with writing the first notes made about the native American Indians in the area. --Northern Times - Scotland May 23, 2003 Wellsville - Optic News, Wellsville, Mo. September 7, 2005 In December the Optic-News received a copy of a book, James MacKay, a man to cherish, written by Helen Ogden Widener. I finally got (took) the time to read the book and it was what I would call a good read said Gay Donaldson, editor of the Optic-News. Now I've passed the book to Sandy Canterbury to read and then I think we'll donate it to the Wellsville Public Library. It's interesting and we think many of our readers would think the same, she concluded. During a phone conversation with Mrs. Widener after I had finished the book, she told me the correct pronounciation of James MacKay's name. I had gone through the book thinking it ended in a long 'a' sound - like a girl's name Kay. Instead, the second syllable is pronounced with a long i sound, , making it rhyme with sky, Mrs. Donaldson added. The story is told as a young man (John Barker) listens to stories about his grandfather from his grandmother, Gram. Mrs. recently attended a book signing at the Tartan Day Celebration in St. Charles. The celebration included the naming of a street named James MacKay. The old James MacKay house was located at 1017 S. Main. The book, James MacKay, is a story based upon what is known of his life and the time period in which he lived. It is told in an oral-narrative form, which has long been used in Scotland to relate history form one generation to the next. The year is 1859 when MacKay's widow, Isabella, tells his story to their grandson, John Barker. It is extremely rare that one finds a man who has led such a diverse life and had such an impact on the history of America and yet remained almost unknown to historians. With the hiring of the MacKay brothers by Fur Trader, Robert Grant, the readers are dropped into the hazards of the colorful Canadian Fur Trade and the wild dances and strange customs of Native Americans in their villages situated along the rivers the MacKays explored. In 1789 James leaves behind the fur trade and joins his brother in New York where they watched, in facination, the Inauguration of George Washington and the birth of a new nation. It was here James met with Spanish Ambassador, Gardoqui. At the time of the meeting James gave Gardoqui a map of the Spanish owned