The Northwest Coast

About this book

"The voyages of Cook and Vancouver heralded a vast influx of irrepressible Europeans -- fur traders, whalers, administrators, visitors, missionaries, miners, botanists, and sailors -- people of every class and distinction. They came to conquer the Pacific, its islands, and its continents for 'God, gold, and glory.' They brought with them their morals, ideologies, knowledge, technology, plants, and animals. They also brought diseases, rum, and guns. They brought with them powers to build and powers to destroy." -- from the Epilogue The Northwest Coast was irrevocably changed the day that Captain James Cook sailed into Nootka Sound in 1778. Cook's discovery of the sea otter population along the coast initiated the maritime fur trade, which, in turn, led to feverish competition among several nations, especially Britain, Russia, and the United States, as well as the celebrated rivalry between Spain and Britain for control of Nootka. By 1812, a toe-hold of British empire was established and the aboriginal way of life was shattered. The Northwest Coast documents Britain's rise to pre-eminence in this far-flung corner of the empire. It shows how the relentless activities of its commercia…