William Epps Cormack, Newfoundland pioneer and the province's greatest explorer, was the first white man to cross the interior of Newfoundland in an effort to locate the Beothuk Indians.
Cormack's cross-island journey began in 1822 on the east coast of the province in St. John's. He travelled to Trinity Bay, arriving on September 5, 1822 to begin the journey inland arriving on the west coast in Flat Bay on November 1, 1822. On reaching the western shoreline, he travelled South along the coast and to Fortune Bay, ending his four-month trek. From there he sailed to Dartmouth, England to report his findings.
He had originally set out to locate the Beothuk Indians but no contact was ever made. However, his observations and reports of the interior and coast provided England with a base for future economic development of the fishery and other industries.