Return to Northwest Coast of America exploration
Background: Americans in the North
Pacific
1787-1788 John Kendrick (Columbia Rediviva) and Robert
Gray(Lady Washington)
1789 Robert Gray (Lady
Washington)
1789-1790 Robert Gray
(Columbia Rediviva)
1789-1790 John Kendrick
(Lady Washington)
1790-1791 Robert Gray
(Columbia Rediviva)
1790-1791 Joseph Ingraham
(Hope)
1791 John Kendrick (Lady
Washington)
1792-1793 Robert Gray
(Columbia Rediviva)
1792-1793 Robert Haswell
(Adventure)
1792-1793 Joseph Ingraham
(Hope)
1792-1794 John Kendrick
(Lady Washington)
Other American fur trading ships
1787-1788 John Kendrick (Columbia Rediviva) and Robert
Gray(Lady Washington)
The Americans entered the Northwest Pacific in the late 1780s when two ships out of Boston
arrived. A Boston merchant, Joseph Barrell, together with a small group of other Bostonians,
had financed the expedition, which comprised the Columbia Rediviva, captained by John
Kendrick, and the Lady Washington, captained by Robert Gray.
There is uncertainty about the age of the Columbia Rediviva. Rediviva means reborn
suggesting to some that it was an old ship that had been rebuilt and not a new ship. It was
83 feet long and 212 tons burthen. The Lady Washington was a sloop and much smaller
at 60 feet length and 90 tons. The combined crews numbered about fifty men. Kendrick,
nominally in charge of the expedition, was 47 years old from Harwich, Massachusetts and had
experience on whalers. Little is known of Gray's background but he was 32 and from Rhode
Island.
Among the crew of the Columbia were Joseph Ingraham and Robert Hassell while David
Coolidge was mate of the Lady Washington. Simeon Woodruff, who had sailed with Cook on his
Third Voyage, sailed as First Mate on the Columbia but soon quarrelled with Kendrick
and left the ship at the Cape Verde Islands. Haswell kept a journal, parts of which have
been lost but the surviving parts provide the record of the voyage.
The ships left together on 1 October 1787 and sailed to the Cape Verde Islands, which they
reached on 9 November. Continuing on 21 December, they sailed down the Atlantic to arrive at
the Falkland Islands on 16 February 1788. Haswell felt Kendrick had undermined his authority
and asked to leave but he was persuaded to transfer to the Lady Washington. They departed
from Brett's Harbour on West Falkland on 28 February.
Having rounded Cape Horn, the ships were separated on 1 April. Gray and the Lady Washington
sailed on alone. Gray and other officers had already been complaining at the lack of
urgency shown by Kendrick so were secretly pleased to be parted from him. They finally
sighted the Northwest Coast on 2 August just north of Cape Mendocino. The Lady Washington
worked its way north up the coast having contact with local people, including an incident
near Tillamook where Marcus Lopius was killed. On 30 August, they entered Clayoquot Sound
on Vancouver Island where they met Wickananish, a local chief. After trading for furs, Gray
moved on 16 September to Nootka Sound.
Few local Nootka people were present in Friendly Cove having gone to their winter
villages further up the sound. There were, however, ships already at anchor including the
Felice Adventurer, captained by John Meares, and its companion, the Iphigenia
Nubiana, captained by William Douglas. Meares was about to leave for China and offered
to take letters from Gray and his crew. However, as he sailed from the sound he returned
the letters, thereby causing much anger in the Americans. This act, together with other
signs of arrogance from Meares, was an underlying reason for the distrust and coldness that
the Americans would show to the British over the next few years.
John Kendrick entered Nootka a week after Gray in the Columbia on 23 September.
Kendrick had stopped over on Juan Fernandez in the Southeast Pacific but the slow passage
had taken its toll as two men had died and most others were sick with scurvy. He chose to
take the Columbia a few kilometres north of Friendly Cove up Cook Channel to
Marvinas Bay. This little cove would become Kendrick's personal base for the next few years.
Kendrick settled in and waited for Douglas to leave the sound before he set about repairing
his ship. On 1 October, one year after their departure from Boston, Kendrick decided to
spend the winter in Nootka even though little or no trading for sea otter furs had taken
place. Slowly relations were established with local people.
1789 Robert Gray (Lady
Washington)
Gray was impatient to begin trading and, on 16 March 1789, he took the Lady Washington to
Clayoquot Sound where he spent time at Ahousat and Opitsat. Next, he moved on to Barkley
Sound and Port San Juan on the northern side of the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Through most of April, the Lady Washington plied about the entrance to the strait and
sailed a short distance down the Washington coast trading at it went with locals who
approached the ship in canoes. On 22 April, Gray re-entered Nootka to find that William
Douglas had returned from Hawaii in the Iphigenia.
At Marvinas Bay, Gray found that Kendrick and the Columbia were still not ready to go
to sea. Kendrick's lethargy and tardiness would irritate the other officers of the
expedition who were keen to be about the business of trading for furs. After quickly
restocking, Gray went back to sea on 3 May. As he left Nootka Gray met Esteban Jose Martinez
arriving from San Blas in the Princesca. Martinez had been sent by Flores, the
Viceroy of New Spain to establish a base in Nootka Sound and assert Spanish soveriegnty
over the region. Martinez stopped Gray but, after recieving assurances from the American,
allowed him to sail.
Gray turned north nad sailed north. Near Kyuquot, he sighted the San Carlos, under the
command of Lopez de Haro, which was accompanying Martinez to Nootka but Gray ignored the
Spanish ship and sailed on. The Lady Washington sailed past Cape Scott, crossed
Queen Charlotte Sound (called Pintard's Sound by the Americans) and north past Calvert and
Gose Islands. Somewhere near Aristazabal Island, the Americans saw and described women
wearing labrets (wooden discs inserted into the lower lip). On 16 May, the Lady
Washington anchored just north of Stephens Island in what Gray called Derby Sound
(Brown Passage). Four days later they sailed west to check land and a sound north of it
running to the west. They passd through the sound, Dixon Entrance, while calling the land
to the south Wasington's Island (Queen Charlotte Islands).
Having made the open sea again, Gray sailed north up the west coast of Dall Island before
being forced during a gale to take refuge in an inlet. This inlet Gray called Distress Cove.
Its exact location is uncertain but it is either Bucareli Bay or another inlet just south of
there. The Lady Washington sailed back south on 25 May and reached Langara Island.
Langara Island lies north of Graham Island, one of the two larger islands that make up the
Queen Charlotte Islands. Cloak Bay and Parry Passage, the two stretches of water separating
Langara from Graham offered the fur trading vessels safe anchorages and the local Haida
people were already experienced traders. Haida on Langara Island had had the first contact
with Europeans when Juan Perez visted in 1774. Over the next few days many furs were
acquired through trade with Cuneyah and his people. Gray decided to leave and, on 8 June,
sailed down the west coast of the Queen Charlottes though often in thick fog. He reached an
inlet on June 11th.
The inlet was Houston Stewart Channel, which Gray called Barrell Sound after the principal
backer of the expedition. After more trading, Gray sailed south to reach Nootka Sound on
17 June. As he passed Friendly Cove making for Marvinas Bay, Gray saw the impact of the
Spanish. The Princesca and the San Carlos were anchored but a fort had been
built on San Miguel Island to protect the cove. A British fur trader, the Princess
Royal captained by Thomas Hudson was also there, soon to be arrested by Martinez.
Martinez had already arrested the Northwest America, captained by Robert Funter. The
incidents that would nearly lead to the Nootka crisis and war between Spain and Britain
had begun. The Spanish requested that Gray take the crew of the Northwest America
away with him when he sailed.
On 24 June, Martinez formally took possession of Nootka. Kendrick had cultivated good
relations with the Spanish and his son even joined them, changing his name to Juan. The
American ships were both ready to leave and did so in early July, moving to nearby
Clayoquot Sound. Kendrick now made a strange decision as he and Gray exchanged ships. All
the furs that had been collected were transferred into the Columbia and Gray was
charged with taking them to Macao and Canton.
1789-1790 Robert Gray
(Columbia Rediviva)
Robert Gray, now in charge of the larger Columbia Rediviva, sailed from Clayoquot
Sound on 31 July 1789 bound for Hawaii. Kealakekua Bay was reached after four weeks. Gray
spent three weeks calling at most of the Hawaiian Islands before leaving for Macao. He took
on a Hawaiian, Attoo, as a cabin boy, while another, Kalehua (known as Opie), travelled with
one of the mates, Joseph Ingraham. It took nine weeks to sail via the Bashi Strait to Typa
Harbour off Macao. Once in Macao, Gray sought the instructions that Barrell had sent
independently to Macao. To trade his cargo of furs, Gray decided he must transfer to Whampoa
and Canton. The process proved very slow and not to Gray's advantage. It took until 4
January 1790 to get all his furs ashore and then more to time to take on board the cargo of
tea and china to transport back to Joseph Barrell in Boston. Before he left, word arrived
from John Kendrick in Macao, who had arrived there in late January 1790. Gray forwarded
Barrell's instructions to Kendrick but made no effort to meet Kendrick.
When the Columbia sailed from Whampoa on 12 February 1790, Gray sailed past Macao
without seeing John Kendrick. Instead, he commenced the long journey back to Boston via
the Sunda Strait, the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena, which was reached on 16 June. Two
months later Gray entered Boston Harbour on 9 August. The ship, the first United States
ship to complete a circumnavigation of the world was given an ecstatic reception on its
arrival. However, Joseph Barrell and his business coleagues were not so positive when they
learned of the poor prices received for the sea otter furs in Canton and the cost they had
paid for the merchandise brought home from Canton.
The Columbia voyage had been successful in that the ship had returned to Boston with
most of its crew intact but from a business point of view it was not so successful. However,
Barrell and his partners were not disuaded and decided to send the ship back to the Northwest
Coast on another voyage. Robert Gray was given an opportunity to redeem himself when he
was entrusted with captaincy of the Second Voyage.
1789-1790 John Kendrick
(Lady Washington)
John Kendrick finally went back to sea, now in the Lady Washington, on 30 July 1789,
when he left Clayoquot Sound and sailed northwest up the Vancouver Island coast. He
continued north and reached an inlet at the southern point of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Here he began
trading with the Haida and their chief, Koyah. An incident occurred when laundry was stolen
from the ship and Kendrick, in his attempts to recover the property imprisoned Koyah in a
cabin on board the ship. The laundry was returned and Koyah was released but his pride and
standing had been seriously compromised. The incident would have repercussions on a later
visit by Kendrick to the inlet.
Kendrick sailed south and entered Nootka Sound, where he had further contact with Martinez.
The Lady Washington left Nootka and headed for Hawaii. Although Kendrick was not a
particularly active trader, he was an astute one and he recognised that the sandalwood tree
grew on Hawaii. He reasoned that it could be the source of another lucrative trade with
Asia so he therefore left three of his crew on Hawaii with instructions to investigate the
commercial possibilities.
The Lady Washington left Hawaii and sailed on to Macao, which was reached on 26
January 1790. Kendrick was by now destitute and had few furs to trade. He sent word to
Robert Gray, who was at Canton, but Gray avoided contact with his colleague other than to
send Joseph Barrell's instructions for trading the furs. Kendrick moved his ship from the
harbour at Typa, Macao to Lark Bay (also known then as Dirty Butter Bay) on Wong Kum Island,
a few kilometres along the coast and out of the jurisdiction of the Chinese authorities so
he need not pay duties. It would be March 1791 before Kendrick finally left Macao.
1790-1791 Robert Gray
(Columbia Rediviva)
The Columbia Rediviva sailed from Boston on its Second Voyage on 1 October 1790,
exactly three years after its departure in 1787. Robert Gray was again its captain while
Robert Haswell sailed as first mate. Several others were on board who would keep records
of the voyage, including John Boit, the fifth mate and John Hoskins, the clerk. These two
both kept journals but,sadly, several volumes are missing. George Davidson sailed as ship's
painter and produced several paintings of events on the voyage. One absentee from the ship
was Joseph Ingraham who had secured his own ship, the Hope, which had already sailed
for the Northwest Coast on 17 September. Also on board was the frame for a small sloop that
would be built when the Columbia reached Nootka.
Gray followed a very similar course to the one sailed in 1787, sighting the Cape Verde
Islands and stopping over in the Falkland Islands in late January 1791. The Columbia
rounded Cape Horn on 16 February and headed up the Pacific to sight the North American
continent at about 49 14'N on 3 June. Two days later, Gray entered Clayoquot Sound and
anchored. The long passage away from land ensured there were numerous cases of scurvy on
board. Attoo soon deserted and Gray took Tootiscosettle, Wickananish's brother as
hostage to force the people to stop harboring the Hawaiian. Attoo returned but Gray's
relationship with the people of Clayoquot had soured.
Gray decided to leave and sailed north on 16 June 1791. He reached the Scott Islands before
putting into Columbia Cove in Nasparti Inlet, southeast of the Brooks Peninsula. On 8 July,
the Columbia reached Houston Stewart Channel (Barrell Sound) at the south end of the
Queen Charlotte Islands. Gray learned of the laundry incident between Kendrick and Koyah,
teo years earlier. He unsuccessfully tried to leave on the 12th and was later visited by
Ucah, a chief from the east side of the islands. Gray managed to sail on the 17th and went
round into Hecate Strait.
Sailing north, Gray met Joseph Ingraham in the Hope on 23 July. The next day the
Columbia was off Bonilla Island (Hatchs' Island) before sailing down the outer coast
of Banks Island. Gray anchored off the southern end of Banks Island and sent Haswell in a
small boat through to investigate Nepean Sound. On 30 July, Gray sailed west across Hecate
Strait back to the Queen Charlotte Islands where he met and traded with Cumeshewa in the
inlet named after this chief. Continuing north on 1 August, Gray passed Point Rose and
sailed into Clarence Strait where a gale forced him to take refuge. He anchored at a place
he called Port Tempest and it is thought that this was near the Guard Islands at the
northwestern end of Revillagigedo Channel. Explorations were made in the small boat
including a visit to Salmon River (possibly Ward Cove) down Revillagigedo Channel. They met
local people, Haida like the people on Queen Charlotte Islands, from Cholmondeley Sound
on the other side of Clarence Strait.
The Columbia sailed on 8 August and crossed over the entrance of Kaasan Sound. The
people here were Tlingits and the Americans observed the relationship between the Tlingit and
Haida. On 12 August, three of the Columbia's crew were murdered ashore, including one
of the mates, Joshua Caswell. The place was called Murderer's Cove and it is thought to be
between Kaasan Sound and Scowl Bay. Caswell's body was retrieved and Gray retreated to Port
Tempest to bury the body.
Gray sailed south on 15 August and the next day met Samuel Crowell in another Boston fur
trading vessel, the Hancock. Crowell had left Boston only a month after Gray so
carried little news. The two ships sailed together and entered Masset Sound (Hancock's
River) on the north coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The Hancock soon left and
the Columbia followed on the 20th. Rounding Point Rose, Gray was visited by the
Hope's longboat off Cumeshewa Inlet on 22 August. The next day, he headed south for
Vancouver Island. Avoiding Nootka, Gray entered Clayoquot Sound on the 29th to find
Kendrick and the Lady Washington already there.
1790-1791 Joseph Ingraham
(Hope)
Joseph Ingraham sailed as mate on the original Columbia - Lady Washington
voyage that left Boston in 1787. While the Columbia's crew were in Canton in January
1790, Ingraham met Thomas Perkins, a Boston merchant about to return to America. The two
men met again back in Boston and Perkins offered Ingraham the command of a small brig to
sail to the Northwestern Coast to trade for sea otter pelts. The Hope, a brig of 70
tons, was quickly readied and it sailed on 17 September 1790 from Boston. The ship only
carried a crew of fifteen men and included Kalehua (Opie), the Hawaiian, who Ingraham was
returning home.
The Hope sailed two weeks before Robert Gray set off on his Second Voyage in the
Columbia Rediviva and the two ships followed a very similar course down the
Atlantic via the Cape Verde and Falkland Islands. Ingraham took the Hope into
Berkeley Sound (Puerto Soledad) on East Falkland on 8 January 1792, where he was
entertained by the Spanish. The ship after being careened and repaired sailed on the 15th,
just before Gray arrived on West Falkland. The Necker under Captain Jonathan Hawes
was met at sea on 22 January and the two ships rounded Cape Horn together on the 25th.
However, they were separated ina gale on 4 February.
The Hope struck a course to the northwest and, on 15 April 1791, two islands in the
Southern Marquesas were sighted. After sailing between Hiva Oa (Dominica) and Tahuata (Santa
Christina) on the 16th, Ingraham anchored off the west coast of Tahuata, close to where
James Cook had been in 1774. He stayed two days and then sailed north. Over the next two
days Ingraham became the first outsider to see the islands that make up the Northern
Marquesas. He gave them the following names though none of the names have been retained:
Adams (Ua Pou), Washington's (Ua Huka), Federal (Nuku Hiva), Knox's (Eiao), Hancock's
(Hatutaa), and Franklin's (which probably was the northern part of Nuku Hiva).
Ingraham left the Marquesas on 21 April and headed north toward the Hawaiian Islands. The
Hope arrived to be off Hilo on Hawaii on 20 May and proceeded round the north of the
island. Ingraham anchored the ship at Kohala where he was visited, first by Kiana and then
by Kamehameha, the future King of all Hawaii. Ingraham was suspicious of their motives and,
having left Kalehua (Opie) on shore, he sailed off through the channel between Maui and
Kahoolawe. On the 26th, Ingraham met three men that William Douglas had put ashore from
the Grace to collect sandalwood. Waikiki Bay on Oahu, Kauai and Nihau were all
visited quickly before the Hope sailed for the Northwest Coast on 1 June.
The southern end of the Queen Charlotte Islands were sighted on 28 June and, as the Hope
needed repairs, Ingraham put into an inlet. His descriptions, the co-ordinates he gives and
the chart he drew all conspire to make identification of this inlet very difficult. He
describes an island (his Dorr's Island) at the entrance to the inlet and causing there to be
two channels into it. It is possible that the inlet is Gowgaia Sound. Ingraham called it
Magee's Sound, honouring James Magee, one of the owners in Boston, who would appear a month
later captaining the Margaret. The principal owner, Thomas Perkins, was also
remembered when the northern entrance was called Port Perkins.
The Hope left Magee's Sound on 7 July and sailed north up the west coast of the Queen
Charlotte Islands. Fog enveloped the coast making it difficult for Ingraham to establish
his position. On the 8th, he took the Hope into an inlet behind what proved to be
an island. Ingraham called it Young Frederick's Island, after his son, and his crew called
the inlet Port Ingraham. However, it is probable that the island was the same one visited by
Dixon six years earlier and called by him Hippa Island, the name it still carries. Port
Ingraham is now Hippa Passage while there is an Ingraham Bay a few kilometres to the north.
Ingraham describes meeting Haida women with labrets in their lower lips. Moving on,
Ingraham reached Cloak Bay at the northwetsern point of the Queen Charlotte Islands.
To help trade, Ingraham had the idea to fashion collars from iron and they soon proved
popular. He stayed here for a few days dealing with Haida chief Cow. A brig was sighted in
Dixon Entrance that proved to be the Hancock, Captain Crowell, out of Boston. Sailing
on the 19th, the Hope went via Virago Sound to Point Rose and turned south down
Hecate Strait. They met Ingraham's old ship, the Columbia with Robert Gray on the
23rd. Ucah, a chief from the east coast of Moresby Island, visited the ship and Ingraham
followed him to his inlet, probably Collison Bay between Skinkuttle Inlet and Carpenter Bay.
After three days trading, Ingraham sailed across Hecate Strait towards the mainland.
On 28 July, the Hope entered an inlet, which proved to be uninhabited and a poor
anchorage. Ingraham called it Bay of Disappointment, left and headed back to the Queen
Charlotte Islands. The bay is probably Weeteeam Bay at the southwestern end of Aristazabal
Island. Near Cape St. James, the local chief, Koyah, who had suffered at the hands of John
Kendrick a few week earlier, came out to the Hope. Ingraham sailed on up the coast
until he was off Juan Perez Sound. Chief Kanskeeni guided him into the sound where they
traded for a day. Next, Ingraham entered another inlet to the north, that of chief
Cumeshewa. Trade was brisk and a good relationship developed between Cumeshewa and
Ingraham so the ship stayed for three weeks. They also were visited by and traded with
Skidegate, a chief from just to the north. While at Cumeshewa Imlet, the Columbia was
seen off shore and Ingraham sent out the longboat and offered to take mail.
Ingraham left Cumeshewa Inlet on 29 August and transferred back to Ucah Inlet. However,
there was little to trade so Ingraham decided to sail for Hawaii and left the Northwest
Coast on 2 September 1791. Hawaii was sighted on 6 October and, two days later, Ingraham
met Captain Crowell and the Hancock near Kohala Point. The Hope continued
west and quickly called in at Waikiki on Oahu. They sailed from the Hawaiian Islands on 12
October and reached Macao on 22 November.
There, the Americans found that there were problems between the Chinese and the Russians so
the Chinese had stopped all trade in sea otter pelts. Ingraham and other traders were stuck
with their furs unless they could find other illegal outlets with the prospect of selling
at much reduced prices. In Lark's Bay, the Hope was along side the Grace, the
Hancock, the Gustavus, and the Solide, all with the same problem of how
to dispose of their cargo. Added to which, Ingraham was ill and he was attended by Claude
Roblet, a surgeon from the French ship, the Solide.
John Kendrick and the Lady Washington arrived in Macao on 7 December, followed by
William Rogers in the Fairy. Captain Coolidge of the Grace and Ingraham
purchased a small boat to carry their furs up to Whampoa and Canton but, on the 15th, the
furs returned unsold. Ingraham, Coolidge and Rogers sent their furs back up to Whampoa on
31 December and Ingraham followed two days later. He returned to Macao on 26 February 1792.
1791 John Kendrick (Lady
Washington)
John Kendrick had arrived destitute in Macao on 26 January 1790 with only a few furs to
trade. Robert Gray, who was already in Canton, avoided contact with his colleague other
than to send Joseph Barrell's instructions for trading the furs. Kendrick moved his ship
from the harbour at Typa, Macao to Lark Bay (also known then as Dirty Butter Bay) on Wong
Kum Island.
Kendrick showed little urgency for any sort of action. The Portuguese authorities in Macao
made things difficult for Kendrick, possibly because Kendrick had been friendly with the
Spanish at Nootka and ships, nominally under Portuguese colours, had been arrested there.At
one point Kendrick was very sick with fever. Eventually, he managed to sell his furs but
Kendrick wasted most of his money over the next 14 months in Macao. Before he sailed he
changed the Lady Washington into a brig.
The Lady Washington eventually left Macao in late March 1791,in company with the
Grace, under Captain William Douglas. Kendrick had had another of his ideas and they
sailed for Japan, which they reached on 6 May. Kendrick touched at Kashinozaki on the Kii
Peninsula. He went ashore for what was probably the first contact between Americans and
Japanese. A typhoon the next day forced Kendrick to move to Kashinoura, where he stayed
until the 17th. The Americans left but the two ships soon parted. The Lady Washington
sailed across the Pacific and entered Houston Stewart Channel (Barrell Sound) at the
southern end of the Queen Charlotte Islands on 13 June 1791.
Koyah, the Haida chief, whom Kendrick had embarrassed two years earlier, soon visited the
ship. On the 16th, Koyah and up to 50 Haida were on board the Lady Washington when
the Haida siezed guns and control. Somehow, Kendrick managed to obtain guns from below
decks and, in a dramatic fight, regained control of the ship. In the course of the fight,
about 40 Haida were killed and Koyah, who was further humiliated, soon lost his status as
a chief. After spending three more weeks in the Queen Charlotte Islands, Kendrick sailed
south and entered Nootka Sound on 12 July, taking the ship to his usual berth in Marvinas
Bay.
Martinez had been replaced as the Spanish representative in the Sound by Francisco Eliza.
Kendrick spent the next three weeks touring the upper reaches of Nootka Sound where he
acquired over 800 sea otter pelts. However, he paid very high prices and included guns in
the trade. He also bought land from Maquinna and other local chiefs. In early August,
Kendrick left Nootka via Tahsis and Esperanza Inlets and spent the night of 2 August in
Nuchatlitz Inlet. On 5 August Kendrick entered Clayoquot Sound. 24 days later, Robert Gray
and the Columbia entered the sound.
1792-1793 Robert Gray
(Columbia Rediviva)
As Robert Gray and the Columbia entered Clayoquot Sound on 29 August 1791 they saw
Malspina's two ships sailing south from Nootka. In the sound they found John Kendrick and
the Lady Washington already at anchor. Kendrick had even built a fortified camp
ashore that he called Fort Washington. Despite Gray's snubbing of Kendrick in Macao,
relations between the two men were still good. Gray still felt there was time to trade for
pelts and left the sound. As he was leaving, he sighted the French ship, Solide
passing but no contact was made.
Gray spent a week off Cape Flattery and Classet collecting a small number of pelts. He also
collected criticism from his officers for his poor seamanship when he nearly wrecked the
Columbia. He then returned to Clayoquot to secure a safe anchorage where he could
spend the winter. The location chosen was a small cove in Lemmen Inlet in Meares Island,
about five kilometres northeast of Opitsat. The Columbia was securely anchored in
the cove as it was intended to repair the ship over the winter. The Lady Washington
briefly joined them before Kendrick sailed for Hawaii on 29 September 1791.
Gray's other task was to build the small sloop, the frame of which he had carried from
Boston. The keel of the sloop was laid at the beginning of October at the same time as Gray
began his own fortified camp, Fort Defiance, in the cove. Joseph Barell had suggested the
name "Nootka" for the sloop but Gray decided upon Adventure instead. While Kendrick
enjoyed good relations with the Clayoquot people, Gray was remembered less
fondly and, indeed, there was still some resentment for the way he had treated Wickananish
and his family in the past. As the winter progressed several small incidents occurred
including one where Attoo, the Hawaiian, became aware of an intended attack. It was
averted but Gray determined to punish the local people for it.
The Adventure was launched on 23 February 1792 and Robert Haswell was given command
of the sloop. When both ships were ready to sail, the fort was dismantled so nothing would
be left for the Clayoquots and, on 27 March, Gray sent John Boit to set fire and destroy
the village at Opitsat. The people had already deserted the village so there was no loss of
life but the action was one of several violent events that mar Gray's record. The
Adventure and the Columbia sailed out of Clayoquot Sound on 2 April and
immediately separated. The Adventure sailed north.
The Columbia headed south passing Cape Flattery and, by the 11th, had reached Cape
Blanco at 42 56'N, where Gray turned back. He was off Willapa by 22 April and near
Teakwhit Head on the 27th. The next day Gray encountered the British ship, the
Discovery, commanded by George Vancouver, heading for Nootka Sound. On 7 May, Gray
entered an inlet on the Washington coast at 46 58'N. Local Chehalis men attacked the
Columbia but Gray's men sank the canoe, killing about 20 men. Gray stayed for four
days in the inlet, which was called Gray's Harbor. He sailed south on 11 May and the next
day discovered another inlet just to the south at 46 7'N.
Gray sent his pinnace into what was a river mouth and then followed in the Columbia.
This was the same river seen by the Spanish explorer, Hezeta, 17 years earlier and called by
him Bahia de la Asuncion. Gray's was the first European or American ship to cross the bar
and enter the river's estuary and the river was, therefore, called the Columbia. The
Columbia was anchored off Chinoak and spent a week in the river mouth. Gray traded
with the local Chinook people and had the ship repaired near Point Adams.
Gray's visit had dramatic repercussions in later years as it was used the United States
Government to endorse its claims to the Oregon Territory over those of the British by right
of priority.
The Columbia left the Columbia River on 20 May and sailed north along the coast of
Vancouver Island to enter St. Patrick Harbor on the 25th. The ship was surrounded by local
canoes and trading took place. After three days, Gray moved to nearby Nasparti Inlet and
anchored in Columbia Cove. A canoe approached the ship and and a fight ensued, in which
the Americans fired on the canoe killing about 25 local men. (The news of this event was
carried to Nootka where the local people complained to the Spanish.) Gray decided to leave
and left on 30 May.
Gray took the Columbia round Cape Scott and entered Queen Charlotte Sound (the
Americans called it Pinchard's Sound). They sailed east and anchored on the Sound's
southern shore, possibly close to Beaver Harbor. Two boats were sent ashore on the 7 June
but they were attacked. Once again the Americans fired and several locals were killed. On
13 June Gray sailed and cleared Queen Charlotte Sound on the 14th. He had arranged to meet
Haswell in the Adventure and, on the 17th, the two ships met off Cape Scott. Both
ships entered Nasparti Inlet where all pelts were transferred to the Columbia.
The ships sailed north together on 24 June 1792 but, on the 27th, the Columbia hit
rocks somewhere off Millbanke or Laredo Sounds. It was decided to head north to Derby
Sound but during a gale on the night of the 29th the two ships separated. Gray headed for
the Queen Charlotte Islands where he tried to enter Barrell Sound (Houston Stewart Inlet).
They encountered the Margaret from Boston, under Captain James Magee, on 3 July and
the Margaret accompanied the Columbia south to Nasparti Inlet on Vancouver
Island. The two ships arrived there on the 5th and remained for five days while the
Columbia was repaired.
Leaving on 10 July, Gray and Magee sailed south to Clayquot Sound, which they entered the
next day. From the 17th, Gray made several attempts to enter Nootka Sound, finally being
successful on 24 July. The Columbia stayed at Friendly Cove for a month undergoing
proper repairs. During this time Gray met Maquinna again and became friends with Bodega y
Quadra, who had arrived to represent Spain in diplomatic negotiations with the British.
Gray furnished Bodega with a signed statement about events in Nootka beyween Martinez and
the British that he had witnessed. Gray's statement supported the Spanish argument.
Friendly Cove was busy with various fur trading vessels coming and going, including the
Hope, the Butterworth, Prince Lee Boo, and Three Brothers.
The Columbia sailed on 24 August for another rendezvous with the Adventure. It
was off the Queen Charlotte Islands by the 28th and met the Adventure on 3 September
1792. The two ships entered Port Mongomery where they remained for ten days. As it was now
late in the season, the two ships sailed together for Nootka Sound, which they
reached on 20 September, just in time to see Bodega, the Spanish Commander, as he left
for nearby Neah Bay at the mouth of the Strait of Juam de Fuca. In Nootka, he met
Vancouver again and was able to tell him about Gray's Harbor and the Columbia River. The
two American ships departed on 22 September and followed Bodega to Neah Bay.
By 24 September, Gray had brought both his ships to the anchorage at Neah Bay. Bodega had
agreed to buy the Adventure off the Americans for 72 prime sea otter pelts on the
28 September so everything was transferred back to the Columbia. On the 30th, Gray
left Neah Bay and crossed the Strait of Jan de Fuca to San Juan, where they stocked up on
water and wood.
Robert Gray and the Columbia sailed on 3 October 1792, leaving the Northwest Coast
for the final time. On 28 October, they saw the Sao Jose o Fenix, which was carrying
Mudge, one of Vancouver's officers, back to Britain. The next day Hawaii was sighted and
the Columbia anchored at Kealakekua Bay on the 31st. It sailed again on 1 November
to Nihau but had cleared the Hawaiian Islands by the 3rd.
On 8 December, Gray anchored the Columbia at Typa in Macao. Ther he learned that
John Kendrick was in port refitting the Lady Washington. Gray though made no attempt
to meet Kendrick and went quickly up to Whampoa, where he traded his pelts for tea, nankeen
and china. Gray completed the trading and was able to leave on 2 February 1793. Again he
passed Macao avoiding Kendrick. The Columbia now began its return journey to Boston.
It sailed via the Sunda Strait and crossed the Indian Ocean to Rodriguez Island. Gray did
not stop at Cape Town but pressed on to St. Helena, which he reached on 25 May. The island
was experiencing severe shortages so Gray sailed on. He finally reached Boston on 26 July
1793.
The voyage was again only a very limited financial success and there were suspicions that
Gray and some other members of the crew had traded pelts for their own financial gain.
Gray married Martha Atkins early the next year and they had five children. Gray worked
mainly on coasting vessels close to Boston. It is believed he died from yellow fever in
1806 on a voyage to Charleson, South Carolina.
Gray was far more active than his colleague John Kendrick but was no more successful in
his trading. Both his visits to Macao and Canton resulted in poor returns, which
disappointed his backers in Boston. He proved himself a violent man on occasions with several
incidents that left large numbers of Native Peoples dead. His greatest legacy though was
the Columbia River, which supported future United States claims to the region. .
1792-1793 Robert Haswell
(Adventure)
For the young Bostonian, Robert Haswell, the Adventure was his first command, albeit
a small one. Haswell was 23 years old but was already experienced. Leaving Clayoquot Sound
in early April 1792, the 45 ton sloop tried to sail north but was forced south and took
refuge near Sechat in Barkley Sound. On 7 April, Haswell was able to sail and headed north.
The Adventure siled close to Vancouver Island before heading over to the Queen
Charlotte Islands to pass up the west coast of those islands. On the 21st the sloop
entered Dixon Entrance where it stayed for the next few days near Virago Sound. Haswell
then went back to Langara Island where he anchored on 1 May. He spent three days trading
with the Haida chief, Cunneyah, before setting off back down the west coast of the
Charlottes. From 5 to 7 May, the Adventure put in at Port Mongomery but as there
were no local people no trading was possible and Haswell left. In Barrell Inlet (Houston
Stewart Channel) Haswell met Captain James Magee, another Bostonian, in the Margaret.
On 10 May, Haswell sailed round into Hecate Strait and anchored in Cumshewa Inlet on the 16th.
After trading for three days, he departed and crossed over to the northeast to Bonilla
Island and Derby Sound (Brown's Passage). On the 25th Haswell tried to enter Clarence
Strait but was forced back and headed, insted, through Dixon Entrance. He called in
briefly again at Langara Island and then sailed north past the west coast of Dall Island.
The Adventure put into Distress Cove on Dall Island on 28 May.
Haswell next sailed south past Forrester Island and back through Dixon Entrance. On 1 June,
he finally made it into Clarence Strait and sailed up to Port Tempest at the northwestern
end of Revillagigedo Channel, which he had visited with Gray the previous July. He anchored
here for five days before sailing south again on the 7th. The Adventure passed
Bonilla Island to be off Caamano Sound on 12 June. Haswell had arranged to meet Gray and,
on the 17th, he sighted Gray and the Columbia off Cape Scott. Both ships entered
Nasparti Inlet where all pelts were transferred to the Columbia and the sloop was
graved.
The ships sailed north together on 24 June 1792 but, on the 27th, the Columbia hit
rocks somewhere off Millbanke or Laredo Sounds. It was decided to head north to Derby
Sound but the Columbia disappeared. The Adventure searched in vain for a day
before sailing on to the agreed rendezvous at Derby Sound (Brown's Passage) where Haswell
waited until 6 July. He then crossed to Masset on the north coast of the Queen Charlotte
Islands.
In Masset, Haswell learned of a French fur trader, the Flavie, under Captain M.Magon,
and met Captain Thomas Cole in the Florinda. On 14 July, Haswell sailed north and
five days later reached Cape Edgecumbe on Krusof Island. After a day in Norfolk Sound
(present Sitka Sound) he turned south and put into Port Banks on Baranof Island. Sailing
south on the 28th, he met Captain Hugh Moore in the Phoenix. On 3 August Haswell
was back in Masset where he found the Flavie at anchor. Haswell transferred to nearby
Langara Island on the 8th, where he found another American ship, the Grace, under
Captain R. Coolidge.
More ships arrived over the next few days. They were the Portuguese Sao Jose o Fenix,
the Hope and the Jackal. Haswell sailed into Dixon Entrance on 24 August
before turning and passing down the wesy coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands to be off
Port Montgomery (Big Bay?) on 2 September. This was another rendezvous with Captain Gray,
who appeared the next day. The two ships entered Port Mongomery where they remained for
ten days.
As it was now late in the season, the two ships sailed together fro Nootka Sound, which they
reached on 20 September, just in time to see Bodega, the Spanish Commander, before he left
for nearby Neah Bay at the mouth of the Strait of Juam de Fuca. After quickly calling in at
Nootka, the two American ships followed Bodega to Neah Bay.
Bodega bought the Adventure off the Americans for 72 prime sea otter pelts on the
28 September so Haswell had to transfer everything back to the Columbia and resume
his position on that ship. After returning to Boston in July 1793, Haswell sailed to the
East Indies twice before entering the United States Navy in 1799 as a Lieutenant on the
Boston. Leaving the Navy in 1801, Haswell took command of the trading vessel,
the Louisa, and sailed from Boston in August 1801. The ship and all hands were lost at
sea.
1792-1793 Joseph Ingraham
(Hope)
After experiencing tremendous problems in selling his 1791 sea otter pelts, Joseph
Ingraham sailed back to the Northwest Coast. He left Macao in the Hope on 1 April
1792, in company with the Grace. They were soon forced back but left again on the
26th, this time accompanied by the Grace and the Hancock. The ships were
soon separated nad the Hope sailed on alone to reach the Queen Charlotte Islands on
2 July.
Ingraham anchored in Cloak Bay next to Langara Island. Here he met Cuneyah and undertook
some repairs to the ship. The Hancock arrived but Ingraham moved on through Dixon
Entrance, rounded Point Rose and entered Hecate Strait. He met the Grace again on the
8th. Ingraham spent the next few days calling in at some of the inlets he had frequented
successfully the previous year. He entered Cumshewa, Kanskeeni's, and Ucah's Inlet looking
for pelts. By 17 July, Ingraham was near Cape St. James and saw the Jackal in
Koyah Harbour. He joined the Jackal in the harbour but sailed again the next day
back up to Cumeshewa Inlet.
Pelts were in short supply and Ingraham sailed for Vancouver Island, reaching Kyuquot by 28
July. On the 31st he made it into Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound, which was crowded with
fur traders, Spanish Navy ships and the British storeship, the Daedalus, awaiting the
arrival of George Vancouver. Vancouver was the British representative coming to negotiate
with the Spanish over the future of Nootka Sound and the region. His Spanish counterpart
was waiting patiently for Vancouver's arrival.
Bodega quickly made friends with Ingraham and quizzed him about events that Ingraham was
witnessed between Martinez and British sailors. Ingraham and Robert Gray, who was also at
Friendly Cove wrote and signed a formal statement. On 7 August, Ingraham sailed but met
the Margaret, a sister ship from Boston, under Captain James Magee, and they returned
to Nootka together. The Hope sailed again on the 14th and headed once more for the
Queen Charlotte Islands.
Cape St. James was reached on 17 August and Ingraham was anchored in Cumeshewa Inlet on
the 18th. Pelts were still in short supply and Ingraham sailed again round to Langara
Island. On 22 August 1792, the Hope, the Grace. the Felice, and the
Adventure were anchored together and they were soon joine by the Jackal.
After trading, the Hope left with the Grace and the Adventure on 25
August and went via Masset back to Hecate Strait and the east coast of the Queen Charlotte
Islands. Ingraham put in at Skutkiss Bay where he met the Butterworth. On 2
September, the two ships transferred to Cumeshewa Inlet. The Hope continued south
and joined the ,i>Prince Lee Boo in Port Sturgis (Carpenter Bay) on the 4th.
The season was advancing and Ingraham decided to sail south. He left Port Sturgis on 7
September and went to Vancouver Island. Lopez de Haro, one of the Spanish pilots, had
to help the Hope into Nootka Sound, where Ingraham anchored on 10 September. He met
George Vancouver and reaquainted himself with Bodega y Quadra. Bodega left Nootka and, on
the 20th, Ingraham followed him across to Neah Bay at the southern side of the entrance to
the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He was present when Robert Gray sold the Adventure to
Bodega. The Hope left Neah Bay on 29 September and returned to Nootka Sound.
Vancouver was still present and Jacinto Caamano was there having arrived back from his
voyage exploring Hecate Strait and its hinterland.
The two Bosto fur traders, the Hope and the Margaret left Nootka together on
12 October 1792. The Hope sailed via Hawaii and reached Macao in January 1793. It
eventually returned to Boston. Ingraham never returned to the Northwest Coast but did
remain a sailor. On 20 August 1800, he sailed from Newcastle, Delaware, but the ship
disappeared. Ingraham left an interesting journal and some maps of his voyage.
1792-1794 John Kendrick
(Lady Washington)
In early August 1791, John Kendrick had left Nootka Sound and on 5 August he entered
Clayoquot Sound. 24 days later, Robert Gray and the Columbia entered the sound to
find Kendrick had established himself there, even building a small fort, Fort Washington.
Despite Gray's snubbing of Kendrick at Macao, relations between the two men were good.
While Gray intended to winter over at Clayoquot, Kendrick was returning to Macao and on
29 September, the Lady Wshington sailed.
Kendrick called in at Hawaii, where he once again put three men ashore, this time on Nihau
for them to investigate the possibilities of trading in sandalwood and pearls. Vancouver
would later meet these men on Oahu. Sailling on, Kendrick reached Macao in December 1791
only to find that the Chinese were not buying furs because of a dispute with the Russians.
By March 1792, Kendrick had finally found a buyer for his pelts. True to his fashion
Kendrick did nothing for a few months, remaining at Macao. Then in September, the Lady
Washington sailed, accompanied by a small tender, possibly named the Avenger.
However, they were hit by a typhoon in the South China Sea and the demasted Lady
Washington limped back to Lark's Bay, off Macao. Kendrick was still in Macao in
December 1792 when Robert Gray arrived in the Columbia.
Once again Gray ignored Kendrick and they never met again. In January 1793, John Howel
joined the ship as clerk. The Lady Washington finally left Maco in the spring of
1793 and headed via Hawaii to Clayoquot Sound, where Kendrick re-established good
relations with Wickananish, despite the problems that Gray had had a year earlier. Kendrick
left Clayoquot and on 1 December 1793 reached Hawaii where Howel left the ship. Kendrick
traded for ambergris on this visit and also traded canons and other munitions for red
feather cloaks. He and the Lady Washington were still there when
Vancouver arrived on 13 January 1794.
Kendrick returned to the Northwest Coast in the spring of 1794, reaching as far north as
Norfolk Sound, present day Sitka Sound. When Vancouver arrived at Nootka on 31 August 1794
Kendrick was at Friendly Cove having the Lady Washington repaired. He had not been
allowed to use his favourite spot at Marvinas Bay. Kendrick experienced a family reunion
as his son Juan was present in the sound as captain of the Spanish ship, the Aranzazu.
Juan kendrick was there as part of the Spanish contingent, under Jose Manuel de Alava,
hoping to resolve the Nootka matter.
Kendrick left the Northwest Coast for the last time in October 1794 when he sailed for
Hawaii. He anchored in Honlulu Harbor on 3 December where he found Captain Brown in the
Jackal and Captain Gordon in the Prince Lee Boo. The two captains and their
men had been taking part in the Battle of Kalauao between rival Hawaiian chiefs and their
supporters. On 12 December, Brown ordered a salute to be fired on the Jackal.
However, one of the canons was loaded with real shot and it struck the Lady Washington.
John Kendrick and several other men were killed.
John Howel, who was present, took over command of the Lady Washington and left
Hawaii immediately. This proved a wise move as the Hawaiians turned on Captains Brown and
Gordon who were both killed. The Lady Washington arrived in Macao in early 1795,
where it was sold.
Other American fur trading ships
As well as the fur traders detailed above, the following ships were in Northwest Coast
waters in the late 1780s and early 1790s. Either the information about these ships and
their voyages is sketchy or their role in the exploration of the coast is not
sufficiently important to warrant longer discussion.
The Amelia was a 150 ton brig from Providence, Rhode Island, which visited the
Northwest Coast in 1793, commanded by a Captain called Owen. It had originally been a
French vessel called theEmilie and had sailed from the Ile de France (Mauritius) in
July 1792. The crew all had scurvy when the brig arrived Nootka Sound. It was in the sound
when the Chatham, under Puget, visited in May 1793 and was still there when the
Jefferson arrived in June. The two ships left together on 29 June and sailed for
Alaska.En route from Alaska to China, Owen died and was replaced by Trotter. The
Amelia was captured by the British at Macao.
Simon Metcalfe was the Captain of the Eleanora, a 190 ton brig from New York that
may have been on the coast as early as 1788. It was reported to have carried a crew of 12
Americans and 45 Chinese. The brig was in Macao in early 1780 as Metcalfe bought a 26 ton
schooner, which he called the Fai American. He plced it and its crew of five under
the command of his 18 year son, Thomas Metcalfe. The two vessels sailed from Macao together
on 5 June. The ships were separated by a storm.
The Fair American sailed to Unalska and then made its way south. It reached Nootka
Sound on 20 October, only to be arrested by Esteban Martinez. The schooner was placed in
the charge of Juan Kendrick and it and its crew were sent south to San Blas. They were
released early in 1790 and Metcalfe sailed the schooner to Hawaii. Tragedy struck as
Hawaiians siezed the Fair American and killed all the men except one, Isaac Davis,
the mate.
Meanwhile, Metcalfe senior and the Eleanora had sailed to trade in the Queen
Charlotte Islands though it had no reported contact with other ships. They were seen by the
Spanish off Nootka before they headed to Hawaii. In February 1790, they were at Maui when a
boat was stolen and a crew member killed. Metcalfe in revenge killed opened fire killing
about 100 men and wounding many more. He transferred back to Hawaii, where he learned about
the fate of the Fair American and his son. Metcalfe was himself killed in 1794. The
Eleanora was captured by Haida at the Queen Charlotte Islands and the whole crew
killed, including Metclafe's other son.
The Grace was a 85 ton schooner operating under an American flag. It was captained
by William Douglas, who had previously captained the Iphigenia Nubiana in this region.
It first appeared in 1790 before returning to Macao via Hawaii, where Douglas put two men
ashore on Kauai to investigate the possibilities of trading in sandalwood. He left Macao
again in early 1791 when he accompanied the Lady Washington, under John Kendrick, to
Japan. After leaving Japan, the two ships were separated and the Grace continued
across to the Northwest Coast. Douglas died at sea in late 1791 on the way back to China.
R.D. Coolidge, who had previously been mate on the Lady Washington took over the
command. It sailed from Macao in company with the Hope and the Hancock on 26
April 1792. It spent the season in the north, away from Nootka.
The Hancock was a 157 ton brig from Boston, commanded by Samuel Crowell. It left
Boston in November 1790 and sailed via Hawaii. In Hawaii, Crowell managed to avoid an
attempt to attack and capture them. The Hancock arrived on the Northwest Coast in
July 1791. It headed up to Dixon Entrance and ventured into Clarnece Strait where it built
and launched a small sloop it had carried from Boston. Whilst here there was an incident in
which several local people were killed. This was virtually at the same time and very close
to the incident when men in Robert Gray's command were killed. At the end of the season,
Crowell sailed to China calling at Hawaii on the way. He left Macao on 26 April 1792 with
the Hope and the Grace to be at the Queen Charlotte Islands on 3 July. It
probably wintered on the Northwest Coast as it was noted by Puget on the Chatham in
May 1793.
Elias Newbury was in command of the Jane, which arrived on the coast on 6 July 1793,
having left Boston on 29 December 1792. The schooner was seen by the Jefferson near
the Queen Charlotte Islands in late July. It left for China and then returned to Boston,
arriving there on 10 August 1794.
The Jefferson was a 153 ton Boston ship under the command of Josiah Roberts. It left
Boston in November 1791 and spent time sealing in the Southern Ocean before heading to the
Maequesas. Roberts built a 90 ton schooner in Resolution Bay (Vaitahu) on Tahuata. It was
called the Resolution and one of John Kendrick's sons, Solomon, was its second
officer. The two ships sailed north and arrived on the Northwest Coast in May 1793. They
then traded north along the coast as far as Bucareli Bay. Roberts dispatched the
Resolution south to the Columbia River.
The Jefferson proceeded slowly south to Barkley Sound where it found the
Resolution, which had already been to the Columbia River and successfully traded
there. Roberts sent the schooner back again but this time it could not enter the river and
returned to Barkley Sound. The two ships wintered over in the sound. In 1794, the
Resolution left Barkley Sound once more headed to the Columbia River, never to be
seen again by its companions. It had gone north to the Queen Charlotte Islands where it was
captured and all its crew killed, including Solomaon Kendrick. The Jefferson
independently went north in 1794 to the Queen Charlotte Islands where it traded. On 17
August, it left the Northwest Coast and sailed to hawaii and China. Roberts and the
Jefferson eventually reached Boston.
The 150 ton Margaret was another Boston owned ship. It left Boston on 24 October
1791 and arrived on the coast in 1792. It was in the Queen Charlotte Islands in the April.
Towards the end of the year its captain, James Magee, took the ship into Nootka Sound.
Magee was sick and requested permission to remain ashore from Bodega, the Spanish officer
in charge. While the Margaret went off to do more trading, Magee started a profitable
sideline selling liquour. The Margaret had also carried the frame of a tender vessel
and Magee left a small group of men in Nootka over the winter to build and launch a schooner.
Magee, meanwhile, took the Margaret across the Pacific via Hawaii. He was back though
on the coast by 9 April 1793 and proceeded to have a successful yaer acquiring over 3,000
sea otter pelts. He returned to Boston having sold the pelts on the way in China.
Select Bibliography.
Return to Northwest Coast of America exploration