The
first explorer to report the existence of a strait between the Olympic
peninsula and Vancouver Island was not Spanish however. He was
Greek and his name was Apostolos Valerianos. In 1592, he was sailing
for Spain
and is better known as Juan de Fuca.
With
Don Pedro Alberni, the Spanish were the first European settlers in
British Columbia, at Yuquot in Nootka Sound, on the West coast of
Vancouver Island.
Spanish stamp, 1967
Extensive Spanish exploration at the end of the 18th
century left dozens of Spanish names to geographic locations, islands,
inlets, straits, sounds, points, reefs, channels, mountains, bays,
rivers, coves and cities.
Some places were named by Spanish captains after Spanish navigators (Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, Sebastian Ruiz de Apodaca, Cayetano Valdés, Don Manuel Flores, Don Pedro Alberni,
Alejandro Malaspina, Dionisio Alcalá Galiano).
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Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra (1743-1794)
Names were sometimes deformed (Texada Island after Felix de Tejada, Gabriola Island after "Punta de Gaviola" given by Jose Maria Narvaez).
A few names were given after people who never visited the region
(Tofino after Don Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel, Cortes Island after Hernando Cortés). Some places were also named after ships (Saturna
Island), saints (San Josef Bay), shapes (Redonda Islands) or animals
(Ballenas Islands). Some names were
translated from English to Spanish (Esperanza Inlet called Hope Bay by James Cook).
Don Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel (1732-1795)
Jefe de Escuadra de la Armada Española
Some Spanish names were given by English captains (John Parry named Cayetano Point after Cayetano Valdes, Valdes Island was named by Richards, Juan de Fuca Strait by Barkley).
| Spanish names were usually not given to minor places. Most of the
biggest islands of the Strait of Georgia have Spanish names: Sonora
Island, Quadra Island, West and East Redonda Islands and Cortes Island
are the largest islands of the north of the Strait, Texada Island is
the big island of the middle of the Strait. Gabriola Island, Valdes
Island, Galiano Island and Saturna Island are also big islands of the
south part of the Strait.
Dionisio Alcalá Galiano (1762-1805)
Flores Island is the largest island on the
West Coast of Vancouver Island. Inlets usually have native or English names. However
major inlets also have Spanish names: Esperanza Inlet between Kyuquot
Sound and Nootka Sound, Tofino Inlet in Clayoquot Sound, Alberni Inlet
in Barkley Sound and Port San Juan on Juan de Fuca Strait. Port Alberni
and Tofino are also famous although cities usually have English names.
References
www.allaboutspace.com/explorers/1500b.shtml
www.rootsweb.com/~canbc/bc_placenames.htm
www.museonavalmadrid.com/tour/
contenido/sala_18/artes.html
http://cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/page_328.asp
www.fuenterrebollo.com/Forjadores-America/
historia2.html
www.galianoisland.com/education.php
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Le Journal 
