[[File:A Section of a General Map of the Routes in British North America Explored by the Expedition Under Captain Palliser (1865) (2211818555).jpg|thumb|334x334px|
A Section of a General Map of the Routes in British North America Explored by the Expedition Under Captain Palliser (1865)]]
The Palliser expedition, officially the British North American Exploring Expedition, explored and surveyed the open prairies and rugged wilderness of western Canada from 1857 to 1860. The expedition was led by Irish-born explorer John Palliser, and accompanied by a party of four other men: James Hector, Eugène Bourgeau, Thomas Blakiston and John W. Sullivan. With the support of the British government and the Royal Geographical Society it became an official expedition with the stated purpose of gathering scientific information about the landscapes of British-claimed north-western North America (today's western Canada), in particular the territory of Rupert's Land, including information on the geography, climate, soil, flora and fauna, in order to discover its capabilities for settlement and transportation.
The expedition was the first detailed and scientific survey of the region between Lake Superior and the southern passes of the Rocky Mountains in British North America. The expedition provided a better understanding of the remote western frontier and the new observations and knowledge were significant for the expansion into and development of the western prairies by European settlers. The expedition's reports impacted changes in the economy, settlement, transportation, Indigenous communities and the campaign for expansionism in Canada.
Participants
The party consisted of:
- John Palliser, geographer
- James Hector, geologist, naturalist, and surgeon
- Eugène Bourgeau, botanist
- Thomas Blakiston, magnetic observer
- John W. Sullivan, mathematician and sextant observer
<gallery>
Image:JohnPalliser JamesHector.jpg|Captain John Palliser and James Hector
Image:EugeneBourgeau.jpg|Eugène Bourgeau
Image:ThomasBlakiston.jpg|Thomas Wright Blakiston
</gallery>
As well, local guides and interpreters traveled with the party and assisted it in its work.
Such was Maskepetoon, later chief of a small Cree band.
"In 1857 he was engaged by John Palliser’s expedition to act as guide from the Qu’Appelle lakes (near Fort Qu’Appelle) to the elbow of the South Saskatchewan River (near Elbow); from the expedition’s members he acquired the name Nichiwa, the Cree term for 'friend'."
Background
Views of the West
With little information about the western prairies and the frontiers of European settlement in British North America, the basis of public knowledge prior to the expedition was largely speculation. This other view was the expansionist view, which became popular in 1856 and 1857 and viewed the uncharted territory in the west as a "promised land" with many possibilities for agricultural prosperity. which showed the territories of the Hudson's Bay Company. At Red River Palliser employed a number of Métis guides to assist on the trip west. These guides also acted as interpreters, scouts and armed escorts.
In June 1857, the party explored White Fish River to determine the river connections and potential usage of the waterways along with the help of three local Ojibwas. The research conducted on the expeditions by Hind and Palliser began to redefine the landscape of western British North America in its topography and the differences in the atmosphere. The opportunities that the land provided became a priority. Palliser and Hind's expeditions and the research they conducted and the information that they contributed led to the western prairies being divided into regions based on the geography, climate, soil and agricultural potential.