To the Coast of New Albion - Yaquina Head - Newport, Oregon - Oregon Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

A history sign located along the north edge of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse parking lot.
Text of sign:

To the Coast of New Albion

In 1776 King George III of England sent Captain James Cook to find the fabled Northwest Passage. The explorer hoped to find a navigable trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Cook sailed toward the Northwest coast, also known as New Albion. He anchored near here on the stormy afternoon of March 6, 1778. Given the extreme weather conditions, he chose “Cape Foulweather” as the name of the headland visible in the distance.
In time, Cook sailed north, trading with coastal tribes, mapping the coast, and searching in vain for an ocean shortcut to Europe. Though he failed to find the Northwest Passage, his charts and journals sparked political and commercial interest in the region. They spurred a fur trading boom and strengthened England’s claim to the Pacific Northwest.
“On the 6th at noon . . . we saw two seals and several whales; and at day-break, the next morning the long-looked for coast of New Albion was seen. . . .” — Captain James Cook, describing his arrival near Yaquina Head in March 1778.

Text of image captions:

Italian mapmaker Antonio Zatta produced this fanciful map of the Northwest coast in 1776. Relying solely on his imagination, he drew tropiccal fegetation and animals and nonexistent lakes and rivers. He also depicted a false Northwest Passage ffrom the Pacific coast to Hudson’s Bay.

Portrait of Captain James Cook, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland (ca. 1770).
Cook’s logbook refers to North America as New Albion, a name coined by another sea captain, Sir Francis Drake. Albion is an ancient name for the island of today’s Great Britain.

Watercolor of Cook’s ship HMS Resolution by Henry Roberts, an officer onboard.

Captain James Cook’s 1778 exploration of the Northwest coast produced this realistic map. His route is marked by a dashed line. Cook’s voyage greatly expanded European knowledge of the region.

Historic Topic: Pioneer Group Responsible for placement: BLM Marker Type: Trail Region: Coast County: Lincoln State of Oregon Historical Marker "Beaver Board": Not listed Web link to additional information: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/25/2017 Volcanoguy visited it