Joseph Smith was a British fur trader and explorer who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company and was among the first Europeans to explore the interior of Canada from Hudson Bay. Starting as a laborer in 1753, he later embarked on significant explorations, adopting Indigenous ways and becoming the first European to document certain aspects of Cree life and buffalo hunting. His journeys included travels to Cedar Lake, the Assiniboine River, and Lake Athapapuskow, contributing to the opening of western Canada to European trade. Smith established a family with a Cree woman near Nipawin but died in 1765 while returning from an expedition.

Joseph Smith (explorer) - Wikipedia