Page 6 West Vancouver Historical Society January2002 FEATURE PRESENTATION REPORT By: Anne Vernon END OF THE NORTHERN MYSTERY: Europeans andFuca, 1790-1792 For the second time in a row we have had an eminent historian as speaker at our general meetings. As usual, the evening's lecture was a great treat and everyone present found the information imparted covered a fascinating period Was the mystery solved? Read on. Robin Inglis, director of the North Vancouver Museum & Archives is a historian who specialises in the history of Spanish exploration of these northern waters and he certainly knows his subject. Most of us at this meeting learned a lot as Robin guided us through a maze of intertwining voyages. His was no easy task as so many famous names and different nationalities were involved. However, by the end of the evening we better understood the legacy left by these enterprising and brave men. Names like Bering, Perez, Martinez, Quadra, de Fuca, Quimper, Malaspina, Galiano, Valdez, Cardero, several French naval officers and, of course, our own Cook and Vancouver. We saw slides of maps and of early drawings of native peoples and their villages and we learned of many beauti- fully carved artifacts which were traded between the "explor- ers" and the "native peoples". â€... The "Northern Mystery" was, of course, the lure of the North West Passage.............†What drove these explorers on to such exertions over and over again? Dreams of the fabulous riches which would accrue to which ever nation found the fabled North West Passage first was certainly a part of it; national prestige and interest another; but surely love of adventure and the thrill of being the first European to set foot in unchartered lands must have also loomed in many a brave heart. The "Northern Mystery" was, of course, the lure of the North West Passage, which many were seeking both by land and by sea. It fell to George Vancouver to solve it at last. The Russians were the first to explore and set up fur trading stations on the continent on what is now known as Alaska. They were quickly followed by the Spaniards, who were disturbed by the idea of "foreigners" living in their part of the world. (The Pope had divided the whole world between Spain and Portugal - Spain having the Pacific and the Americas and Portugal having the remainder!) One of the most interesting pieces of information to come from the evening was that, although many sea voyages had been made by both Spanish and English naval explorers, and a great deal of information gathered about the "native peoples" who inhabited the land, their plants, carvings and music, the incredible richness of the furs which they pro- duced, no one seemed to realise that there was such a place as Vancouver Island. The fact that all ships in the late 1700's were driven by sail, and that dense fogs seemed to be normal on the coast at that time, (all that was seen by the sailors were heavily forested slopes, and a few sandy bays and beaches), probably accounted for this omission. However, it was quite some time before the English and Spanish navies met in these waters, but meet they did off Point Grey, the two captains being Vancouver and Malaspina. Fortunately good relations were established and they decided to explore together and share information (with the English sailing the outer passage and the Spaniards the inner passage) before it was realised that there was in fact a large island lying fairly close to the mainland. Of course these explorers who "discovered" the west coast of North America were not the first people to be there. It has recently been proven that native peoples inhabited this part of the world for 4,500 years. In fact there is a native saying that ".... we woke up one morning and discovered Cook!" The first contact between the native peoples and Europeans was a mixed blessing for the local population. Certainly much trade resulted from the meetings, but guns and a different level of violence also came in with the strangers. Again, there is a saying about the first contacts, "This story makes some dance and others weep." As in most things in life there are, however, upswings as well. In recent years maps have been discovered in the Spanish archives which clearly dilineated native villages, with names and geographical sites clearly marked. Interestingly, the late Chief Macquinna, who has been to Spain many times in connection with celebrations of Spanish exploration anniver- saries, has been able to learn several facts about his culture and people which had been lost over the centuries. Many trading posts, forts and villages were established by English, French and Spaniards. In fact Alberni, who was in charge of the army detachment which settled at Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound, organised a garden where fresh fruits and vegetables were grown - a blessing to sailors whose diets usually left a lot to be desired. â€... Spanish maps were used by America in their favour when dividing the West coast...†After their War of Independence ended, a push was made for more land by the Americans and, even although the Hudson's Bay Company had well-established forts and trading interests from Alaska to Southern California. Old charts and Spanish maps were used by Americans in their favour when dividing the West coast up between America and Canada. This accounts for the somewhat twisted border where it runs through the Gulf Islands. Vancouver never changed any Spanish place names if he knew that they had "found" that part of the land first! If he had only known... One last piece of information - Alexander MacKenzie, who came by land, was on the coast at almost the same time as George Vancouver, who came by sea. They each had travelled thousands of miles from home but missed each other by only 10 days! In the end, after all the arguing and polittcing, what a legacy these heroes left us.