Under the auspices of the NWC , Alexander Mackenzie discovered the Mackenzie River in 1789 .
Was the first European to reach the North - American Pacific overland , via the Bella Coola River , in 1793 .
Under the auspices of the NWC , Alexander Mackenzie discovered the Mackenzie River in 1789 and was the first European to reach the North - American Pacific overland , via the Bella Coola River , in 1793 .