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What’s with all of the Spanish place names on the west coast?
Vargas Island, Flores Island, Estevan Point, Juan de Fuca Strait, Alberni Inlet… even the town of Tofino! Have you ever wondered why there are so many Spanish names here?
Few Canadians today are aware of how strong the Spanish presence was, here on the west coast, just over 200 years ago. The Spanish were actually the first Europeans to make contact with the First Nations people here - four years before the arrival of Captain Cook.
In 1774, a frigate under the command of Juan Pérez was dispatched from the Spanish naval base of San Blas (in Mexico) to explore the coast to the north. In August of that year, the ship sailed into a small cove on the west coast of the Hesquiaht Peninsula, about halfway between Clayoquot and Nootka Sounds. Although none of the Spaniards went ashore - a strong westerly wind pushing them towards the rocky coast forced them to weigh anchor and depart - some of the Hesquiaht natives paddled out to the ship before it left. Contact was made, and gifts were exchanged.
Four years later, Captain James Cook sailed into Nootka Sound, set foot on shore here, and claimed the lands for the British crown. For nearly two decades, Britain and Spain disputed ownership of this new land. Spain had "found" it first - but, Britain argued, Spain had never actually set foot on it. After coming to the brink of war, the dispute between the two nations was finally resolved by the signing of the Nootka Convention in 1794, assigning dominion of these northern lands to the British.
Many of the place names in the region still recall that early Spanish presence here.
Hesquiaht native Dave Ignace displays some of the relics from the Spanish ships that visited his people’s territory over 200 years ago.
Alberni Inlet and the town of Alberni are named after Pedro de Alberni, a soldier who commanded the Spanish fort on Nootka Island through the years that Britain and Spain disputed ownership of the region.
The town of Tofino is named after a Spanish hydrographer, Captain Vincente Tofiño de Sam Miguel. Tofiño never made it to the west coast - he worked mapping the coastlines of Spain and northern Africa in the late 1700s. But the early Spanish explorers of this region, Galiano and Valdés, named the inlet for him, and this name was eventually bestowed on the town that grew upon its shores.
Many of the other geographical names here: Vargas and Flores Islands, Rafael and Estevan Points, Escalante, and many more, were also named by Galiano and Valdés. And the rocky reef on the outer coast of the Hesquiaht Peninsula, that almost claimed that first European ship to visit here, is still known today as Perez Rocks.
- Photos & text by Jacqueline Windh©
