The Savages occupied a land so
large
that the old world bears no comparison to it.
The Metis numbers would continue to grow
during this formative period of
Canadian Spanish history.
B.C. HISTORY 1700-1789
B.C. HISTORY Return to MAIN B.C. index
1600
Alonso de Posada a Franciscan Father was ordered in 1685 to write a report about the lands and peoples north of the Rio Grande. He drew on many reports now lost, he described the travels of numerous obscure Spanish explorers during the early 1600's. He described the routes to Kansas and Utah. He was the first to make mention of the Great Salt Lake in Utah that the natives called Teguayo. The Mexicans call the lake Copalla. The Aztec ancient tradition suggests the Natives of Mexico, Guatemala and Peru originated at Lake Copalla. The State name Utah is derived from the Ute People's word Eutaw meaning in the mountain tops or high up.
William Adams an Englishman is shipwrecked in a Dutch vessel and was teaching geography of America to the Japanese. He was also teaching European methods of shipbuilding.
1601
It was noted that Europeans were ill at ease in the interior of America and very slow to learn the necessities of life, like how to use canoes, snowshoes and basic survival skills. It is noteworthy that thousands of Europeans had spent a 100 years on the shores of America and only the Spanish had penetrated into the interior of the continents. Based on the experience of the French there must have been hundreds if not thousands of Europeans who became runners of the woods during this period of time.
Juan de Onate (1550-1630) met the Kansa People in Kansas who were hunting the buffalo.
1602
Sepastan (Sabastian or Sebastin) Vizcaino (1550-1615) of Spain sails up the west coast of North America, and Juan Martin de Auguilar of his expedition, sails to Oregon Territory and discovers the Columbia River. Some suggest he didn't quite get this far north. Most maps however call it the "River of the West". This is his second voyage in search of the Northwest Passage, the first being 1596. Some suggest it was one of his ships that was blown north to southern Oregon, Sepastan was trying to establish a colony in California. Some suggest he sailed north to 43 degrees.
1604
Juan de Onate, (1550-1630), a Spanish colonizer of New Mexico, explored along the Colorado River.
1610
August 1: Twenty three Japanese merchants under the leadership of Tanaka Shosake and Shuya Ryusai visited Mexico City, Mexico. Their route is not known.
1614
January 22: A Japanese trading vessel with a 180 man crew visited Zacatulu, Mexico. Their route is not known.
1617
A Japanese Junk of Mogome is at Acapulco, Mexico. The Japanese have known of the America coast for the past 17 years.
1630
The Hawaii People have a legend about two white men who came on shore and remained.
1639
The seaport at the mouth of the Okhotsk River on the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia was established this year. Others suggest it was not founded until 1647 and was used for expeditions to America. The Okhotsk Peoples occupied this area since 600 A.D.
The Okhotsk speak of people from the east who crossed the straits in boats or on the ice in trade.
1640
Bartholomew de Fonte claimed to have discovered the northwest passage from the western side. Most consider this claim as mythical.
1641
A Russian expedition is believed to have explored the west coast of America this year. It is noteworthy that Okhotsk, Russia on the Pacific coast was established in 1639.
1648
Semen Ivanovich Dezhnev (1605-1673) with Feodor Alekseev Popov sailed from the mouth of the Kolyma River (East Siberian Sea) around the Chukchi Peninsula (northern point of Siberia) and down into the Dezhnev Sea (Bering Sea) becoming the first to observe the Dezhnev Strait (Bering Strait) and prove America was not part of Asia. Many erroneous give this credit to Vitus Jonassen Bering (1681-1741). Seven ships with 90 men were included in the Dezhnev expedition but only two ships returned.
It is believed the this year or earlier Russian promyshlenniki from eastern Siberia had crossed the Bering strait to fish otter and walrus. Rumors had circulated in Russia for a century of these abundant lands (America).
1680
A transpacific Spanish galleon was shipwrecked at Nehalem Bay, Oregon about this time and the fate of the crew is unknown..
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