William Morrison

William Morrison (March 7, 1785 – August 7, 1866) was a Canadian fur trader and explorer who established numerous trading posts throughout Minnesota and is claimed to have been the first white person to discover Lake Itasca in 1804.

Morrison County, Minnesota is named after him and his brother, Allan.

Biography Morrison was born in Montreal. His parents were Allan Morrison, Sr. and Jane Wadin. Wadin's father was Jean-Étienne Waddens, a fur trader who was killed by Peter Pond in 1782.

He entered the fur trade in 1802, with the XY Company. By autumn of that year, Morrison had reached Leech Lake and spent the winter at a post on the headwaters of the Crow Wing River. The following winter, in 1804, Morrison discovered Lake Itasca.

The XY Company merged into the North West Company in 1805. Morrison continued to work for the company, with his yearly wages from 1812 to 1816 being reported at 1,200 livres. Morrison's territory of operations was bought by John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company. While a member of this company, Morrison was listed as a superintendent of the department and developed a reputation for starving competition out of existence. George Simpson of the Hudson's Bay Company considered Morrison as one of the best and most experienced traders in the region. He was the father of at least 16 children.