|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HBC SS Beaver |
Captain Vancouver's Chart of Pacific
Northwest 1792 |
Portrait of Captain George Vancouver
(1757-1798) |
|
During the 1700s, early explorers such as the Russians
(Bering and Chirikov), the Spanish (Malaspina and Bodega
y Quadra) and the British (Cook, Vancouver and Gray)
began sailing the north Pacific coastal waters. They
came to explore and claim territories, as well as
establish trade with local natives. Some were searching
for the “Northwest Passage.” Although no such shortcut
across the top of North America existed, these early
explorers and traders did succeed in charting the last
unmapped territory in the world and certainly found a
wealth of resources—from sea otter furs to timber and
fish.
Maritime trade was eventually replaced by American and
British fur traders (notably the American Fur Company
and the Hudson’s Bay Company) who vied with each other
to open fur-trading posts, thereby establishing a claim
to the surrounding territory. These forts later grew
into towns as white settlers arrived and natives often
relocated to live nearby.
|
|
|
