The discovery of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is surrounded by myth and debate. Some say it was discovered by Captain William Barkley in 1787, or possibly by Captain Vancouver in 1792, or, most likely, by the mysterious Juan de Fuca in 1592. These people, and even the dates of discovery, are not widely accepted, but each of these men did reach the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and each with a slightly different reason.
Juan de Fuca, whose original name was Apostolos Valerianos, was a Greek sailor, commissioned by Spain to search for the Strait of Anian, more commonly known as the Northwest Passage. If the stories are to be believed, he was the first explorer to sail into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, thinking it was the much desired passage to the Atlantic. He noted its location to be between 47 and 48 degrees north of the equator. De Fuca never went ashore, but did sail for twenty miles inland before turning around to head home.
When he returned to Acapulco, from where he had started the journey north, he waited vainly for several years to receive recompense for his services. When he was not paid he left the Spanish colonial service, returning to Europe, supposedly around the year 1596. In Venice, he spoke of his discovery to an English officer, John Douglass, who then gave de Fuca’s diary, “Relacion del Viaje de Juan de Fuca y Descubrimiento del Estrecho de Anian,” to Michael Locke. In 1604, Locke published this account of de Fuca’s voyage, which became mingled with such romantic and improbable tales that it was generally regarded as false.
By 1787, the story of Juan de Fuca’s discovery had reached Captain William Barkley. While on a trading venture for sea otter pelts in the North Pacific, he came upon an inlet between 47 and 48 degrees latitude that matched de Fuca’s description. Believing this to be the same waterway that the Greek sailor had discovered, Barkley named it after the man, calling it the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Even with this probable proof, many people still did not believe that de Fuca had ever sailed to the Pacific Northwest. It was not until 1792, when Captain George Vancouver retraced de Fuca’s route, that it was more widely accepted that the Greek sailor had actually reached the strait that now bore his name.
No matter who actually discovered the strait, it is still an impressive waterway. It separates the coastlines of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It connects the Pacific Ocean with the Georgia Strait and Puget Sounds. It is about 100 miles long and is as much as 20 miles wide. Regardless of whether it is known as the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Juan de Fuca Strait, or simply the Straits, and past history notwithstanding, today it is an integral part of life on the peninsula, and a place that everyone who lives there can appreciate.
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