During theAge of Discovery, theSpanish Empire undertook several expeditions to thePacific Northwest of North America. Spanish claims to the region date to thepapal bull of 1493, and theTreaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494. In 1513, this claim was reinforced by Spanish explorerVasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to sight thePacific Ocean, when he claimed all lands adjoining this ocean for theSpanish Crown. Spain only started to colonize the claimed territory north of present-day Mexico in the 18th century, when it settled the northern coast ofLas Californias.
Starting in the mid-18th century, Spain's claims in the Pacific Northwest began to be contested by theBritish andRussians, who establishedfur trading posts and other settlements in the region.King Charles III of Spain and his successors sent several expeditions fromNew Spain to present-dayCanada andAlaska between 1774 and 1793 to strengthen the Spanish claims. These efforts would eventually come to naught when Spanish claims in the region were ceded to theAmerican government in the 1819Adams–Onís Treaty.
The first voyage was that ofJuan José Pérez Hernández of the frigateSantiago (aliasNueva Galicia[1][2]). Although intending to reach Alaska, the expedition turned back atHaida Gwaii. Pérez and his crew of 86 were the first known Europeans to visit thePacific Northwest.
In 1775, a second voyage of ninety men led by LieutenantBruno de Heceta aboard theSantiago, set sail fromSan Blas, Nayarit on March 16, 1775 with orders to make clear Spanish claims for the entire Northwestern Pacific Coast. Accompanying Heceta was theschoonerSonora, aliasFelicidad,[1] (also known as theNuestra Señora de Guadalupe), initially under the command ofJuan Manuel de Ayala. The 36-foot (11 m) long[3]Sonora and its crew complement of 16 were to perform coastal reconnaissance and mapping, and could make landfall in places the largerSantiago was unable to approach on its previous voyage; in this way, the expedition could officially reassert Spanish claims to the lands north ofNew Spain it visited. Ayala took command of thepacket boatSan Carlos, aliasToysón de Oro,[1] also sailing with the expedition, after its initial commander, Miguel Manrique, took ill soon after leaving San Blas. Heceta then gaveBodega y Quadra command of theSonora.[4]Francisco Antonio Mourelle served as Bodega y Quadra's pilot and the two forged a strong and enduring friendship.[5]
The three vessels sailed together as far asMonterey Bay inAlta California. Ayala's mission was to explore theGolden Gate strait while Heceta and Bodega y Quadra continued north. Ayala and the crew of theSan Carlos became the first Europeans known to enterSan Francisco Bay. TheSantiago andSonora continued sailing north together as far asPoint Grenville, namedPunta de Los Martires (English: "Point of the Martyrs") by Heceta in response to an attack by the localQuinaultIndians.[1] The vessels parted company on the evening of July 29, 1775. Scurvy had so weakened the crew of theSantiago that Heceta decided to return to San Blas. On the way south he discovered the mouth of theColumbia River between present-dayOregon andWashington. Juan Pérez, who was serving as Heceta's pilot, died during the voyage south.[1]
Bodega y Quadra, in theSonora, moved up the coast according to the expedition's orders, ultimately reaching thelatitude 59° north on August 15, and enteringSitka Sound near the present-day town ofSitka, Alaska. During the return voyage south Bodega y Quadra discovered, named, and explored a portion ofBucareli Bay on the west side ofPrince of Wales Island.[4]
During Bodega y Quadra's voyage numerous "acts ofsovereignty" were performed. Many places were named by the Spanish, including Puerto de Bucareli (Bucareli Bay), Puerto de Los Remedios, and Mount San Jacinto, which was renamedMount Edgecumbe byBritish explorerJames Cook three years later.[4]
A third voyage took place in 1779 under the command ofIgnacio de Arteaga with two armedcorvettes: theFavorita under Arteaga and thePrincesa under Bodega y Quadra. With Arteaga on theFavorita was second officer Fernando Quiros y Miranda, surgeon Juan Garcia, pilot Jose Camacho, and second pilot Juan Pantoja y Arriaga. With Bodega y Quadra on thePrincesa was second officer Francisco Antonio Mourelle, surgeon Mariano Nunez Esquivel, pilot Jose Canizares, and second pilot Juan Bautista Aguirre.[6] The expedition's objective was to evaluate the Russian penetration of Alaska, search for a Northwest Passage, and captureJames Cook if they found him in Spanish waters. Spain had learned about Cook's 1778 explorations along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. In June 1779, during the expedition of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra, Spain entered theAmerican Revolutionary War as an ally of France, precipitating a parallelAnglo-Spanish War, which continued until the 1783Treaty of Paris. Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra did not find Cook, who had been killed in Hawaii in February 1779.[6]
During the voyage, Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra carefully surveyed Bucareli Bay, then headed north toPort Etches onHinchinbrook Island. They enteredPrince William Sound and reached a latitude of 61°, the most northern point obtained by the Spanish explorations of Alaska. They also exploredCook Inlet, and theKenai Peninsula, where a possession ceremony was performed on August 2, in what today is called Port Chatham. Due to various sicknesses among the crew, Arteaga returned to California without finding the Russians.[4]
Throughout the voyage, the crews of both vessels endured many hardships, including food shortages and scurvy. On September 8, the ships rejoined and headed south for the return trip to San Blas. Although the Spanish were normally secretive about their exploring voyages and the discoveries made, the 1779 voyage of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra became widely known.Lapérouse obtained a copy of their map published in 1798. Mourelle's journal was acquired and published in London in 1798 by Daines Barrington.
After these three exploration voyages to Alaska within five years, there were no further Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest until 1788, after theTreaty of Paris ended the war between Spain and Britain. During the war, Spain dedicated the port of San Blas to the war effort in the Philippines. Voyages of exploration were suspended. Support of Alta California, which depended upon San Blas, was minimal. By 1786 Alta California had become nearly self-supporting and peace with Britain was restored, making further voyages to Alaska possible.[6]
In March 1788, two ships were sent north from San Blas to investigate Russian activity.Esteban José Martínez, on thePrincesa, was in command of the expedition, accompanied by theSan Carlos underGonzalo López de Haro, withJosé María Narváez serving as Haro's pilot. The ships arrived atPrince William Sound in May. Following evidence of Russian fur trading activity, the ships sailed west. In June Haro reachedKodiak Island and learned from the natives that a Russian post was nearby.[7]
On June 30, 1788, Haro sent Narváez in a longboat to look for the Russian post atThree Saints Bay. Narváez found the post, becoming the first Spaniard to make contact with a large contingent of Russians in Alaska. Narváez took the Russian commander,Evstrat Delarov to meet Haro on theSan Carlos, then returned him to his outpost. Delarov gave Narváez a Russian map of the Alaskan coast and indicated the locations of seven Russian posts containing nearly 500 men. Delarov also told Narváez that the Russians intended to occupyNootka Sound, on the west coast ofVancouver Island.
After this meeting Haro sailed east and joined Martínez atSitkinak Island. Using the information acquired from Delarov, the expedition sailed toUnalaska Island, where there was a large Russian post, also calledUnalaska, under the command ofPotap Kuzmich Zaikov. Martínez arrived on July 29, Haro on August 4. Zaikov gave Martínez three maps covering theAleutian Islands. He also confirmed that the Russians planned to take possession of Nootka Sound the next year.[7] Zaikov explained that two Russian frigates were already on their way and a third was to sail to Nootka Sound. He was referring to the 1789 expedition ofJoseph Billings, but greatly exaggerating its mission.[8][9] The visit to Unalaska marks the westernmost point reached during the Spanish voyages of exploration in Alaska.
The Spanish expedition left Unalaska on August 18, 1788, heading south for California and Mexico. Due to increasing conflict between Martínez and Haro, the ships broke off contact within three days sailed south separately. Martínez had allowed this but ordered Haro to rejoin him atMonterey, California. But during the voyage south Haro, with support from Narváez and the other pilots, declared his ship no longer under Martínez's command. They sailed back to San Blas on their own, arriving on October 22, 1788. Martínez spent a month in Monterey waiting for Haro. He arrived at San Blas in December, where he found himself faced with charges of irresponsible leadership. He soon regained favor and was placed in charge of a new expedition to occupy Nootka Sound before the Russians did.[7] This expedition took place in 1789, culminating in theNootka Crisis.
Following up on the 1788 voyage to Alaska, Martínez and Haro were ordered to preemptively take possession ofNootka Sound. Events at Nootka Sound in 1789 led to theNootka Crisis. During the summer of 1789 Martínez sentJosé María Narváez to explore theStrait of Juan de Fuca in theSanta Gertrudis la Magna (formerly thenorthwest America, a British vessel seized earlier by Martínez at Nootka Sound, later calledSanta Saturnina). Narváez found the Strait of Juan de Fuca to be a large inlet with much promise for further exploration. By the end of the year, Martínez abandoned Nootka Sound.
The Nootka Crisis became a major international incident nearly leading to war between Spain and Britain. As the process unfolded, the Viceroy of New Spain decided it was important to establish a permanent base at Nootka Sound. Three ships sailed to Nootka Sound, withFrancisco de Eliza as the overall commander and captain of theConcepción.Manuel Quimper captainedPrincesa Real (the Spanish name for the British vesselPrincess Royal, captured by Martínez in 1789).Salvador Fidalgo captained theSan Carlos. The first settlement in present-day British Columbia was built on Nootka Sound,Santa Cruz de Nuca as well asFort San Miguel, manned by soldiers of the First Company ofFree Company of Volunteers of Catalonia, underPedro de Alberni. After getting settled, Eliza dispatched Fidalgo and Quimper on exploration voyages. Fidalgo was sent north and Quimper south.
In 1790, Spanish explorerSalvador Fidalgo took theSan Carlos to Alaska, visiting and naming Cordova Bay and Port Valdez in Prince William Sound. He named currentCordova townsite. Acts of sovereignty were performed at both places. Fidalgo entered Cook Inlet and found the Russian post-Pavlovskaia, the Pavel Lebedev-Lastochkin Company post at the mouth of the Kenai River. Fidalgo did not stop at the post but continued west to Kodiak Island, where he noted Shelikov's post.[10] Fidalgo then went to the Russian settlement at Alexandrovsk (today's English Bay orNanwalek, Alaska), southwest of today'sAnchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, where again, Fidalgo asserted the Spanish claim to the area by conducting a formal ceremony of sovereignty.[11]
In 1790Manuel Quimper, with officers López de Haro andJuan Carrasco, sailed thePrincesa Real into theStrait of Juan de Fuca, following up on a voyage of Narváez the previous year. Quimper sailed to the eastern end of the Strait ofJuan de Fuca, discovering theSan Juan Islands and many straits and inlets. Having limited time he had to return to Nootka without fully exploring the promising straits and inlets. Contrary winds made it impossible to sail the small vessel to Nootka, so Quimper went south to San Blas instead.
In 1791Francisco de Eliza was ordered to continue the exploration of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The voyage consisted of two vessels. Eliza sailed on theSan Carlos, with Pantoja as his pilot (master). Narváez sailed on theSanta Saturnina, with Carrasco and Verdía as pilots. During the voyage, theStrait of Georgia was discovered, and Narváez conducted a quick exploration of most of it. Eliza sailed theSan Carlos back to Nootka Sound, but theSanta Saturnina, under Carrasco, failed to reach Nootka and instead sailed south to Monterey and San Blas. In Monterey Carrasco metAlessandro Malaspina and told him about the discovery of the Strait of Georgia. This meeting led directly to the 1792 voyage of Galiano and Valdés.
The King of Spain gaveAlejandro Malaspina andJosé de Bustamante y Guerra command of an around-the-world scientific expedition with two corvettes, theDescubierta andAtrevida. One of the king's orders was to investigate a possibleNorthwest Passage. The expedition was also to search forgold, precious stones, and anyAmerican, British, or Russian settlements along the northwest coast. Arriving in Alaska in 1791, Malaspina and Bustamante surveyed the coast to the Prince William Sound. AtYakutat Bay, the expedition made contact with theTlingit. Spanish scholars made a study of the tribe, recording information on social mores, language, economy, warfare methods, and burial practices. Artists with the expedition, Tomas de Suria andJosé Cardero, produced portraits of tribal members and scenes of Tlingit daily life.Malaspina Glacier, between Yakutat Bay and Icy Bay was subsequently named after Alessandro Malaspina.
In 1792Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, on theSutil, andCayetano Valdés y Flores, on theMexicana, sailed from San Blas to Nootka Sound, then circumnavigatedVancouver Island. An account of the voyage of Galiano and Valdés, in contrast, was published in Spain and widely promoted, overshadowing the more significant voyage of Malaspina, who had become a political prisoner shortly after returning to Spain.
Jacinto Caamaño, commander of the frigateAránzazu, sailed to Bucareli Bay in 1792. Juan Pantoja y Arriaga served as his pilot. Caamaño conducted a detailed survey of the coast south toNootka Sound onVancouver Island. By 1792 much of the coast had already been visited by European explorers, but some areas had been overlooked, such as the southern part ofPrince of Wales Island. A number of Caamaño's place names in the area have survived, such as Cordova Bay,Revillagigedo Channel, Bocas de Quadra, and in what is now calledCaamaño Passage,Zayas Island (named for his second pilot, Juan Zayas).[12][13]
No report on Caamaño's voyage was published until long after and his discoveries remained obscure, althoughGeorge Vancouver apparently met Caamaño and obtained copies of his maps, especially of areas north ofDixon Entrance. Vancouver later incorporated some of Caamaño's place names into his atlas.
In 1793, Francisco de Eliza and Juan Martínez y Zayas surveyed the coast between theStrait of Juan de Fuca and theSan Francisco Bay. They also explored the mouth of theColumbia River.[14]
After these numerous expeditions, Spain claimed the areas they explored as part ofNew Spain, calling this specific region "Territorio de Nutca". TheNootka Crisis with Britain in 1789 and the subsequentNootka Conventions caused Spain to decrease its presence in the North Pacific. It later transferred its claims in the region to the United States in theAdams-Onís Treaty of 1819.
The only Spanish official expedition to Nootka Sound after the conventions with Britain and before the treaty with the United States took place in 1796, when one of the ships from San Blas, theSutil, made a stopover at the inlet. There they found Scottish activistThomas Muir, then an escapee fromBotany Bay prison, on board the American fur trading vesselOtter, and carried him toMonterey.[15][16]
In 1957, the Spanish government presented stained glass windows commemorating the Nootka conventions to the church ofFriendly Cove as a gift to theNuu-chah-nulth people.[17]
Today, Spain's legacy in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest endures as several place names, such asBallenas Islands,Quadra Island,Fidalgo Island,Spanish Banks,Malaspina Glacier,Cordova Bay,Padilla Bay,Bucareli Bay,Sutil Channel,Cordero Channel,Laredo Sound,Haro Strait,Hernando island,Sonora Island,Cortes Island,Gravina Island, andRevillagigedo Island, or the towns ofZeballos,Port Angeles,Valdez, andCordova.[18]
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