Short History of Oregon Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Sixteenth Century

The discovery of America by Columbus inaugurated an era of exploration in which Spain, then nearing the height of her national greatness, was a most active and aggressive leader. Following is a very brief summary of the discoveries and conquests by which she gained first place in territorial dominion and influence in the New World.

In 1495, three years after the memorable voyage of Columbus, the island of Hayti was conquered and named “Espanola.”

In 1511 the island of Cuba was invaded by three hundred men and conquered in the name of the King of Spain.

In 1513 Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Darien and discovered the great South Sea, of which the natives had so confidently spoken that it had already found a place on the maps of European geographers. Sever years later Magellan entered it through the straits that bear his name, and christened it “Pacific.”

1519 Cortez landed in Mexico, and with an army of nine hundred and fifty soldiers and a great cloud of Indian auxiliaries invaded the ancient kingdom of the Montezumas, which he completely subjugated in two years. He named the country “Nueva Espana.” Ten years later Pizarro entered Peru with a thousand men, and subdued and plundered that country.

In 1535 Mendoza entered Buenos Ayres at the head of two thousand men, and subjugated the country as far as Potosi, whose famous mines of silver were discovered nine years later.

In 1537 Cortez, seeking further conquests to the westward of Mexico, landed at Santa Crus, near the lower extremity of the peninsula of California, but finding neither wealth nor civilized nations, and being unable to sustain his force in such a barren land, soon abandoned his effort at colonization and returned to Mexico.

In 1541 Chile was conquered by the restless adventures of Spain.

By the middle of the sixteenth century Spain had conquered and colonized every portion of America inhabited by wealthy and semi-civilized nations, and was enjoying a revenue of almost fabulous amount from her provinces in the New World. Portugal alone, of all her rivals, had accomplished anything of a similar nature, having planted a colony in Brazil. England and France had succeeded simply in laying a foundation for a claim of dominion in North America, but, unlike their enterprising rival, received as yet no revenue from the New World.

Such, in bare outline, was the trend of events at the time of the voyages which resulted in the discovery of the coast of Oregon.

Very soon after the American continent had been discovered, and before anything was known as to its form and extent, the existence of a northwest passage from the Atlantic Ocean through the newly discovered continent to the Indian seas was surmised, and the voyages of discovery mentioned herein, and many others, were prompted by the eager desire of European nations to find such a passage. Continuous efforts to accomplish this extended over nearly three centuries, and were participated in by seven of the leading nations of the world,-England, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and the United States.

Upon this definite mission of discovery, in 1500, Gaspar Cortereal, a Portuguese navigator, explored the Atlantic coast of North America, and sailing around the coast of Labrador entered the straits which lie in the sixtieth degree of north latitude. Through these he passed into Hudson’s Bay, believing that he had entered waters which communicated with the Indian Ocean. Absurd as this supposition is in the light of our present knowledge of the earth’s surface, it was by no means so when the geographical ideas and theories prevailing at that time are considered. It must be remembered that eight years had not yet passed since the voyage of Columbus had compelled the world to accept the theory which he and a few others had for years been enthusiastically advocating,-that the earth was round and could be encompassed by traveling either east or west. Though this was now generally admitted, no one had ever actually accomplished the journey, and in consequence the distance around the globe was a matter simply of conjecture. A few years later the ideas of geographers in regard to the size of the world began to expand, and with the discovery of the South Sea all belief in the proximity of the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean vanished.

In 1520 Magellan, sailing under the flag of Spain, entered the South Sea through straits which bear his name, and bestowed the name “Pacific” upon it. The voyage was continued westward until the world had been circumnavigated, and an approximate idea of the distance around it was thus gained by geographers. Interest was immediately revived in a possible north west water way, it being then supposed that Cortereal’s passage into Hudson’s Bay led from the Atlantic into the South Sea, with the immensity of which the world had become deeply impressed since Magellan had traversed this in its broadest part. If the North American continent narrowed northward as South America had been found to do in the opposite direction, then it must be but a short distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the region of Labrador; and since a passage had been found through the land to the south-for in their ignorance of the open sea below South America geographers believed Magellan’s Straits to be simply a narrow water-way piercing the heart of the continent where it was much narrower than elsewhere-it was reasonable to suppose that a similar one existed to the north, especially since Cortereal had reported finding it. To discover this northwest passage was the desire of explorers for many years there-after. England, France, and Portugal, and Holland in later years, sought it in the Atlantic, while Spain put forth her efforts to attain the same object in the Pacific; and to these latter efforts are due the discovery of Oregon and the complete exploration of the Pacific coast.

When Cortez had subjugated Mexico he at once began constructing vessels on the western coast of Central America for service in the Pacific Ocean. His voyaging resulted in the discovery and temporary colonization of Lower California, the discovery of the Colorado River, and the knowledge that the Sea of Cortez, or the Vermilion Sea, was a gulf, the one now known as the Gulf of California.

The first attempt to pass around the southern extremity of the peninsula of California and follow the outer coast northward was made in 1859. At this time the twenty-eighth degree of north latitude was reached. Another navigator in 1542 went as far as the thirty-eighth degree; and Bartolome Ferrelo, in March, 1543, reached the farthest point to the northward, which is given by some authorities as latitude 44°, and by others as 43°. Other historians, including Bancroft, do not accord him even so high a latitude as 43°. However, this makes by little difference, as he progressed as far as Rogue River and possibly to the Umpqua River, and can safely be credited with the discovery of Oregon, so far as sailing along its coast without making a landing or even drawing a chart of its outline may be deemed to constitute a discovery. Lack of provisions, and the ravages of the dreaded scurvy among his crew, compelled Ferrelo to abandon the effort to proceed farther.

In 1564 the Philippine Islands were subdued and taken possession of in the name of the Spanish monarch. In a few years an enormous revenue was derived from this new dependency, which was for nearly a quarter of a century monopolized by Spain. Cargo after cargo crossed the Pacific, and not a hostile sail was to be seen on the bosom of the ocean. On the Atlantic side, however, things wore a different aspect. Armed fleets were necessary to protect Spain’s merchantmen from the men-of-war sent out to cut them off in times of national disputes, and from the piratical crafts that infested the West Indies at all seasons. These “freebooters,” or “buccaneers,” plied their calling in the Atlantic even in times of peace, with the full knowledge and even encouragement of their sovereigns. They well knew the value of the cargoes carried from the Philippines in the unarmed galleons, and sought diligently for some route into the Pacific other than the dangerous Straits of Magellan.

At last, however, unable to find the long sought passage, buccaneers invaded the Pacific by the dreaded Straits of Magellan, and the security of Spanish shipping in the South Sea vanished forever.

The pioneer of this plundering band was Francis Drake, an English seaman of much renown, a daring spirit and an expert mariner. With three vessels he thus passed into the Pacific, in 1579, upon a mission of plunder. An East India galleon with its precious cargo fell into the hands off the California coast, and then, with his vessel loaded with plunder, he sailed northward to search for the Straits of Anian, which were supposed to lead into the Atlantic, and thus reach England by a new route. He failed utterly to find any such passage, though how thoroughly he searched the coast is unknown; and even the extent of his voyage to the north is a matter of much dispute. By some authorities it is given as latitude 43°, and by others as 48°. If Drake did not proceed beyond latitude 43°, then he made no further progress north than did the Spaniard Ferrelo thirty-five years before, and was not entitled to the honor of discovering any new region on the Pacific coast. In the nature of things this controversy can never be settled, and Drake and Ferrelo will ever bear the divided honor of the discovery of Oregon.

Drake bestowed upon California the name “New Albion,” in honor of his native land.

In 1595 the Spanish monarch, Philip II., issued a mandate to the Mexican viceroy, ordering him to make a survey of the Pacific coast at his own expense. The reasons given for this royal order were twofold: to search for the Straits of Anian; and to find a suitable harbor of refuge for vessels in the Philippine trade, the latter belonging mostly to his Majesty.

The viceroy of Mexico did not feel an in the Straits of Anian or the California coast deep enough to render him eager to explore them at his own expense, as commanded by the king; but not daring to disobey the royal dictum, a few feeble attempts were made to comply with the king’s command, the only one deserving mention here being the voyage of Viscaino, in 1602, which proceeded north as far as latitude 42°, where Viscaino observed a large white bluff, upon which he bestowed the title of “San Sebastian.” Discouraged by the unfavorable weather and the terrible sufferings of his crew from scurvy, Viscaino returned to Mexico as quickly as possible. For several years thereafter Viscaino persistently urged the viceroy and also the king to continue these explorations, but he died before success had attended his efforts.

For a century and a half thereafter Spain made no further attempt to explore the coast of California. On their home voyage the East India vessels first sighted land in the vicinity of Cape Mendocino, and then followed the coast south to Mexico; but north of that the Pacific coast of North America remained unkown for ages. The secret of this apparent apathy was the unwillingness of the viceroys to explore new regions at their own expense.