George Vancouver

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George Vancouver

Captain

Captain (Royal Navy)

Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force....
George Vancouver RN

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
(June 22, 1757 – May 12, 1798) was an officer in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
, best known for his exploration of the North-West Coast of North America

Vancouver Expedition

The Vancouver Expedition was a five-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver. The expedition circumnavigated the globe, touched five continents and changed the course of history for several nations....
, including the shores of the modern day Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
, Washington

Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
and Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
. He also explored the southwest coast of Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

The cities of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in British Columbia and the second largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest region....
, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
, Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, and Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Clark County, Washington. According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's April 1, 2008 estimate, the city has a population of 162,400, making it the fourth largest city in the state....
, USA are named after him.

ouver's first naval service was to the Pacific aboard HMS Resolution

HMS Resolution (Cook)

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Early career

Vancouver's first naval service was to the Pacific aboard HMS Resolution

HMS Resolution (Cook)

HMS Resolution was a sloop-of-war of the Royal Navy, and the ship in which Captain James Cook made his second and third voyages of exploration in the Pacific....
, on James Cook's second voyage (1772-1775). He also accompanied Cook on his third voyage (1776-1779), this time aboard Resolutions sister ship, HMS Discovery
HMS Discovery (1774)

HMS Discovery was the consort ship of James Cook's third expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1776 - 1780. Like Cook's other ships, Discovery was a Whitby-built collier of 298 tons, originally named Diligence when she was built in 1774....
.

Upon his return to Britain in 1779, Vancouver was commissioned as a lieutenant
Lieutenant

Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police commissioned officer military rank.Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure....
and posted aboard the sloop
Sloop

A sloop is a sailboat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter . A sloop's fore-triangle is smaller than a cutter's, and a sloop usually bends only one headsail, though this distinction is not definitive....
HMS Martin surveying coastlines along the way. Proceeding to North America, Vancouver followed the coasts of what is now Washington and Oregon northward. In April 1792 he encountered American Captain Robert Gray off the coast of modern Oregon
Oregon

Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
just prior to Gray's sailing up the Columbia River
Gray sails the Columbia River

In May of 1792, American merchant sea captain Robert Gray sailed into the Columbia River, becoming the first recorded European ethnic groups to navigate into it....
.

Vancouver entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long forming the principal outlet for the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, connecting both to the Pacific Ocean....
, between Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
and the Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
state mainland on April 29, 1792. His orders included a survey of every inlet and outlet on the west coast of the mainland, all the way north to Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
. Most of this work was done from small boats powered by both oars and sail because maneuvering larger sail-powered vessels in uncharted waters was generally impractical and dangerous due to strong tidal currents.

Vancouver was the first European to enter Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West Vancouver, British Columbia and the North Vancouve...
(beyond Stanley Park), the main harbour area of the present day City of Port Moody. This was on June 13, 1792. He named it after his friend Sir Harry Burrard. He surveyed Howe Sound
Howe Sound

Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound , actually a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver....
and Jervis Inlet
Jervis Inlet

Jervis Inlet is a principal inlet of the British Columbia Coast, about northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It stretches from its head at the mouth of the short Skwakwa River to its opening into the Strait of Georgia near Texada Island....
over the next nine days, befor command and Whidbey as sailing master. A new vessel was purchased for this expedition and named HMS Discovery
HMS Discovery (1789)

HMS Discovery was a Royal Navy ship best known as the lead ship in George Vancouver's exploration of the west coast of North America in his 1791-1795 expedition....
after Cook's ship.

However, the Nootka Crisis
Nootka Crisis

The Nootka Crisis was a political dispute between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Spain, triggered by a series of events that took place during the summer of 1789 at Nootka Sound....
intervened, as Spain and Britain came close to war over ownership of Nootka Sound
Nootka Sound

For other uses of the word Nootka, see Nootka .'Nootka Sound' is a complex inlet or sound of the Pacific Ocean on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of British Columbia....
and, of greater importance, the right to settle the Northwest American Coast. Roberts and Vancouver joined Britain's more warlike vessels (Vancouver going, with Whidbey, to HMS Courageux). When the first Nootka Convention
Nootka Convention

For other uses of the word Nootka, see Nootka .The 'Nootka Conventions' were a series of three agreements between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Great Britain, signed in the 1790s which averted a war between the two empires over overlapping claims to portions of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America....
ended the crisis, Vancouver was given command of Discovery to take possession of Nootka Sound
Nootka Sound

For other uses of the word Nootka, see Nootka .'Nootka Sound' is a complex inlet or sound of the Pacific Ocean on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of British Columbia....
and survey the coast.

Vancouver's 1791-1795 explorations

See Also: Vancouver Expedition
Vancouver Expedition

The Vancouver Expedition was a five-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver. The expedition circumnavigated the globe, touched five continents and changed the course of history for several nations....

Departing England with two ships in April, 1791, Vancouver commanded an expedition charged with exploring the Pacific region. In its first year the expedition travelled to Cape Town, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and China, collecting botanical samples and surveying coastlines along the way. Proceeding to North America, Vancouver followed the coasts of what is now Washington and Oregon northward. In April 1792 he encountered American Captain Robert Gray off the coast of modern Oregon
Oregon

Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
just prior to Gray's sailing up the Columbia River
Gray sails the Columbia River

In May of 1792, American merchant sea captain Robert Gray sailed into the Columbia River, becoming the first recorded European ethnic groups to navigate into it....
.

Vancouver entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long forming the principal outlet for the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, connecting both to the Pacific Ocean....
, between Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
and the Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
state mainland on April 29, 1792. His orders included a survey of every inlet and outlet on the west coast of the mainland, all the way north to Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
. Most of this work was done from small boats powered by both oars and sail because maneuvering larger sail-powered vessels in uncharted waters was generally impractical and dangerous due to strong tidal currents.

Vancouver was the first European to enter Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West Vancouver, British Columbia and the North Vancouve...
(beyond Stanley Park), the main harbour area of the present day City of Vancouver. This was on June 13, 1792. He named it after his friend Sir Harry Burrard. He surveyed Howe Sound
Howe Sound

Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound , actually a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver....
and Jervis Inlet
Jervis Inlet

Jervis Inlet is a principal inlet of the British Columbia Coast, about northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It stretches from its head at the mouth of the short Skwakwa River to its opening into the Strait of Georgia near Texada Island....
over the next nine days, before returning to Point Grey (now the site of the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a Canada Public university research university with campuses in Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia....
) on June 22, 1792 (Vancouver's 35th birthday). Here he unexpectedly met a Spanish expedition led by Dionisio Alcalá Galiano
Dionisio Alcalá Galiano

Dionisio Alcal? Galiano was a Spanish naval officer, cartographer, and explorer. He mapped various coastlines in Europe and the Americas with unprecedented accuracy, using new technology such as Marine chronometer....
and Cayetano Valdés y Flores
Cayetano Valdés y Flores

File:Cayetano valdes.jpgCayetano Vald?s y Flores was a Spanish naval officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, fighting for both sides at different times due to the changing fortunes of Spain in the conflict....
and was mortified (his word) to learn they already had a crude chart of the Strait of Georgia based on the exploration voyage of José María Narváez
José María Narváez

Jos? Mar?a Narv?ez was a Spain naval officer, explorer, and navigator who is mainly remembered for his work in the Pacific Northwest. He was born in C?diz, Spain....
, under command of Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza

Francisco de Eliza y Reventa was a Spain naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest....
, the year before. For three weeks they cooperatively explored Georgia Strait and the Discovery Islands
Discovery Islands

The Discovery Islands are the islands in the Discovery Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland in British Columbia. These islands are sometimes considered to be part of the Gulf Islands....
area before going their separate ways.

After the summer surveying season ended in November, Vancouver went to Nootka
Nootka

Nootka may refer to:* The Nuu-chah-nulth indigenous peoples and their Nuu-chah-nulth language.* The place called Nootka Sound.* The island known as Nootka Island....
on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
, then the region's most important harbour, where he was to receive any British buildings or lands returned by the Spanish. The Spanish commander, Bodega y Quadra, was very cordial and he and Vancouver exchanged the maps they had made, but no agreement was reached; they decided to await further instructions. At this time, they decided to name the large island on which Nootka was now proven to be located as Quadra and Vancouver Island. Years later, as Spanish influence declined, the name was shortened to simply Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
.

In October 1792, he sent Lieutenant William Robert Broughton
William Robert Broughton

William Robert Broughton was a United Kingdom naval officer in the late 18th century. As a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he commanded HMS Chatham as part of the voyage of exploration through the Pacific Ocean led by Captain George Vancouver in the early 1790s....
with several boats up the Columbia River
Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is named after the Columbia Rediviva, the first ship from the western world known to have traveled up the river....
. Broughton got as far as the Columbia River Gorge
Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south....
, sighting and naming Mount Hood
Mount Hood

Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah , is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanoes of northern Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States....
.

After a visit to Spanish California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, Vancouver spent the winter in further exploration of the Sandwich Islands
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
(Hawaii).

The next year, he returned to British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
, and proceeded further north. He got to 56°N, but because the more northern parts had already been explored by Cook, he sailed south to California, hoping to find Bodega y Quadra and fulfill his mission, but the Spaniard was not there. He again spent the winter in the Sandwich Islands.

In 1794, he first went to Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet

Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage....
, the northernmost point of his exploration, and from there followed the coast south to Baranov Island, which he had visited the year before. He then set sail for Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
by way of Cape Horn
Cape Horn

Cape Horn island is the southernmost Headlands and bays of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile.Cape Horn is widely considered to be the most southerly point of South America, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried tr...
, returning in September 1795, thus completing a circumnavigation
Circumnavigation

To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. More recently, the term has also been used to cover aerial round-the-world flights....
.

Return to England and death
Vancouver faced difficulties when he returned home. The politically well-connected Naturalist Archibald Menzies
Archibald Menzies

Archibald Menzies , 15 March 1754 – 15 February 1842) was a Scottish surgeon and Natural history....
complained that his servant had been pressed into service during a shipboard emergency; sailing master Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey

Joseph Whidbey was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–1795, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer....
had a competing claim for pay as expedition astronomer; and Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford
Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford

Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford was a United Kingdom peer, naval officer and wastrel, best known for bedevilling George Vancouver during and after the latter's great voyage of exploration....
, whom Vancouver had disciplined for numerous infractions and eventually sent home in disgrace, challenged him to a duel. Vancouver was attacked in the newspapers and assaulted on the street by Pitt; his career was effectively at an end. One of Britain's greatest navigators, Vancouver died in obscurity in 1798 at the age of 40 less than three years after completing his voyage. His modest grave lies in St. Peters churchyard, Petersham
Petersham

Petersham is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, London, which it shares with neighbouring Ham, London, England....
, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
, in southern England.

Legacy

Navigation
Vancouver determined that the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage

The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
did not exist at the latitudes that had long been suggested. His charts of the North American northwest coast were so extremely accurate that they served as the key reference for coastal navigation for generations. Robin Fisher, the academic Vice President of Mount Royal College
Mount Royal College

Mount Royal College is a public undergraduate focused Higher education institution in south-west Calgary, Canada. Comparable to the University of Calgary and SAIT in enrollment of full time undergraduate students, MRC is in a transition phase of becoming a university....
in Calgary and author of two books on Vancouver, states:
"He [ie: Vancouver] put the northwest coast on the map...He drew up a map of the north-west coast that was accurate to the nth degree, to the point it was still being used into the 20th century as a navigational aid. That's unusual for a map that early."
Vancouver, however, failed to discover two of the largest and most important rivers on the Pacific coast, the Fraser River
Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, Canada, rising near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 km , into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Vancouver, British Columbia....
and the Columbia River
Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is named after the Columbia Rediviva, the first ship from the western world known to have traveled up the river....
. (He also missed the Skeena River near Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia.) Although Vancouver did eventually learn of the Columbia before he finished his survey--from Robert Gray (sea-captain), captain of the American merchant ship which was the first to sail into the river on May 11, 1792 (Gray had first spotted the river on an earlier voyage in 1788)--the Fraser never made it onto his charts. Stephen R. Bown, noted in magazine (Nov/Dec 1999) that:
"How Vancouver could have missed these rivers while accurately charting hundreds of comparatively insignificant inlets, islands, and streams is hard to fathom. What is certain is that his failure to spot the Columbia had great implications for the future political development of the Pacific Northwest...."

While it is difficult to comprehend how Vancouver missed the Fraser River, much of this river's delta was subject to flooding and summer freshet
Freshet

A freshet can refer to one of two things:* A flood resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw. Whereas heavy rain often causes a flash flood, a spring thaw event is generally a more incremental process, depending upon local climate and topography....
which prevented the captain from spotting any of its great channels as he sailed the entire shoreline from Point Roberts to Point Grey in 1792. The Spanish, who preceded Vancouver in 1791, had also missed the Fraser River although they knew from its muddy plume that there was a major river located nearby.

Aboriginal relations
Vancouver generally established a good rapport with both natives and European foreigners. Despite a long history of warfare between Britain and Spain, Vancouver maintained excellent relations with his Spanish counterparts and even feted a Spanish sea captain aboard the tall ship HMS Discovery
HMS Discovery (1789)

HMS Discovery was a Royal Navy ship best known as the lead ship in George Vancouver's exploration of the west coast of North America in his 1791-1795 expedition....
during his 1792 trip to the Vancouver region. While Captain Vancouver played an undeniable role in the eventual series of upheavals in native life on the North American Pacific Coast since his explorations opened up the Northwest coast to European exploration and the long term negative impact on first nations peoples and their cultures, historical records show Vancouver himself enjoyed good relations with native leaders both in Hawaii - where native leaders ceded Hawaii to Vancouver in 1794 - as well as the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver's journals exhibit a high degree of sensitivity to natives: he once wrote of his exploration of a small island on the Alaskan coast on which an important burial site was marked by a sepulchre of "peculiar character" lined with boards and fragments of military instruments lying near a square box covered with mats. Vancouver states:

This we naturally conjectured contained the remains of some person of consequence, and it much excited the curiosity of some of our party; but as further examination could not possibly have served any useful purpose, and might have given umbrage and pain to the friends of the deceased, should it be their custom to visit the repositories of their dead, I did not think it right that it should be disturbed.

Vancouver also displayed contempt in his journals towards unscrupulous western traders who provided guns to natives by writing:
I am extremely concerned to be compelled to state here, that many of the traders from the civilised world have not only pursued a line of conduct, diametrically opposite to the true principles of justice in their commercial dealings, but have fomented discords, and stirred up contentions, between the different tribes, in order to increase the demand for these destructive engines....They have been likewise eager to instruct the natives in the use of European arms of all descriptions; and have shewn by their own example, that they consider gain as the only object of pursuit; and whether this be acquired by fair and honourable means, or otherwise, so long as the advantage is secured, the manner how it is obtained seems to have been, with too many of them, but a very secondary consideration.
Robin Fisher notes that Vancouver's "relationships with aboriginal groups were generally peaceful; indeed, his detailed survey would not have been possible if they had been hostile." While there were hostile incidents at the end of Vancouver's last season - the most serious of which involved a clash with Tlingit
Tlingit

The Tlingit are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their name for themselves is Ling?t , meaning "people". The Russian language name Koloshi or the related German language name Koulischen may be encountered in older historical literature....
s at Behm Canal
Behm Canal

Behm Canal is a Channel in the Alexander Archipelago, in the Alaska Panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska.About long, Behm Canal separates Revillagigedo Island from the mainland....
in southeast Alaska in 1794 - these were the exceptions to Vancouver's exploration of the US and Canadian Northwest coast.

Memorials

Various locations have been named after George Vancouver, notably:
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
, Canada
Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and is one of the oldest in the world. The company was incorporated by British royal charter in 1670 as The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay; it is now domiciled in Canada and has adopted the mo...
's 1825 Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver

Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trade outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District ....
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Clark County, Washington. According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's April 1, 2008 estimate, the city has a population of 162,400, making it the fourth largest city in the state....
, USA
Vancouver Peninsula
King George Sound

King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany, Western Australia....
, Australia
Vancouver Bay in Jervis Inlet was named after him when Capt. G.H. Richards resurveyed the area in 1860.

Statues of Vancouver are located in front of Vancouver City Hall, in King's Lynn
King's Lynn

King's Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. Over the years, the town has been known variously as Bishop's Lynn and Lynn Regis, while it is frequently referred to by locals as simply Lynn, the Celtic languages word for lake....
and on top of the dome of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings
British Columbia Parliament Buildings

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada and serve as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia....
.
In his home town of King's Lynn
King's Lynn

King's Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. Over the years, the town has been known variously as Bishop's Lynn and Lynn Regis, while it is frequently referred to by locals as simply Lynn, the Celtic languages word for lake....
the Vancouver Quarter Shopping Centre bears his name.
April 26, 1978 - Canada Post
Canada Post

Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canada Crown corporations of Canada which functions as the country's primary Postal administration....
issued a pair of 14-cent stamps to mark the 200th anniversary of Captain Cook's arrival at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. George Vancouver was a crewman on this voyage.
March 1980- A commemorative statue "Gate to the Northwest Passage" by Vancouver artist Alan Chung Hung was commissioned by Parks Canada
Parks Canada

Parks Canada is a Government of Canada agency that is mandated to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's nature and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations....
and erected near the Vancouver Maritime Museum
Vancouver Maritime Museum

The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a Maritime museum devoted to presenting the maritime history of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Arctic....
in Vanier Park
Vanier Park

Vanier Park is a municipal park located in Vancouver, BC's Kitsilano neighbourhood. It is home to the Vancouver Museum, the Vancouver Maritime Museum, the City of Vancouver Archives, and the H.R....
at the opening to False Creek
False Creek

False Creek is a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver. It separates downtown from the rest of the city. It was named by George Henry Richards during his Hydrographic survey of 1856-63....
.
March 17, 1988 - Canada Post
Canada Post

Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canada Crown corporations of Canada which functions as the country's primary Postal administration....
issued a 37-cent stamp inscribed Vancouver Explores the Coast. It was one of a set of four stamps issued to honour Exploration of Canada - Recognizers.
June 22, 2007 - Canada Post
Canada Post

Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canada Crown corporations of Canada which functions as the country's primary Postal administration....
issued a $1.55 stamp to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Vancouver's birth. The stamp has an embossed image of Vancouver seen from behind as he gazes forward towards a mountainous coastline. This may be the first Canadian stamp not to show the subject's face.

250th anniversary commemoration
On Friday June 22, 2007, the City of Vancouver in Canada organized a celebration at the Vancouver Maritime Museum
Vancouver Maritime Museum

The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a Maritime museum devoted to presenting the maritime history of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Arctic....
to remember the 250th anniversary of Vancouver's birth. The one-hour festivities included the presentation of a massive 63 by 114 centimetre carrot cake
Carrot cake

Carrot cake or Passion Cake, is a sweet cake with grated carrot mixed into the batter . The carrot softens in the cooking process, and the cake usually has a soft, dense texture....
, the firing of a gun salute by the Royal Canadian Artillery's 15th Field Regiment and a performance by the Vancouver Firefighter's Band.

Vancouver's mayor, Sam Sullivan
Sam Sullivan

Sam Sullivan, Order of Canada is a former mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
, officially declared June 22 2007 to be "George Day". The Musqueam native elder Larry Grant who also attended the festivities acknowledged that some of his people might disapprove of his presence here but noted:

"Many people don't feel aboriginal people should be celebrating this occasion...I believe it has helped the world and that's part of who we are. That's the legacy of our people. We're generous to a fault. The legacy is strong and a good one, in the sense that without the first nations working with the colonials, it [B.C.] wouldn't have been part of Canada to begin with and Britain would be the poorer for it."

Origins of the family name
There has been some debate about the origins of the Vancouver name. It is now commonly accepted that the name Vancouver derives from the word van Coevorden, meaning "from Coevorden
Coevorden

Coevorden is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands. During the municipal reorganisation in the province in 1998, Coevorden merged with Dalen, Sleen, Oosterhesselen and Zweeloo....
", a city in the northeast of the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
. This city is apparently named after the "Coeverden" family of the 13 - 15th Century. An claims that Vancouver is a misspelling or anglicized version of van Couwen, a Dutch family name
Family name

A family name or last name is a type of surname and part of a personal name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world....
. In the 16th century, a number of businessmen from the Coevorden area (and the Netherlands in general) did move to England. Some of them were known as van Coeverden. Others adopted the surname Oxford
Oxford

Oxford is a City status in the United Kingdom, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. It has a population of 151,000. The rivers River Cherwell and River Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre....
, as in oxen crossing
Ford (crossing)

A ford is a place in a watercourse that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading, on horseback, or in a wheeled vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low....
, which is approximately the English translation of Coevorden.. However this is NOT the exact name of the noble family mentioned in the history books that claim Vancouver's noble lineage: that name was Coeverden not Coevorden.

In the 1970s, Adrien Mansvelt, a former Consul General
Consul general

A consul general heads a consulate general and is a consul of the highest rank serving at a principal location and usually responsible for other Consul offices within a country....
of the Netherlands based in Vancouver, published a collation of information in both historical and genealogical journals and in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. Mansvelt's theory was later presented by the city during the Expo '86 World's Fair
World's Fair

Universal Exposition or Expo is the name given to various large public exhibitions held since the mid-19th century. They are the third largest event in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact, after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games....
, as historical fact. Mr. Mansvelt's theories, however, are based on many assumptions and possibilities that may be flawed. Genealogy
Genealogy

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigree of its members....
is the study or investigation of ancestry and family history, with undeniable proof of traceability through family lineage of birth, marriage and death records. Mr. Mansveld bases his research on no such proof and uses the words "assumed" "possible" and "may" time and again throughout his essay. (see ) This problematic information was then used as rock solid proof for Mr. W. Kaye Lamb to write his book "A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and Round the World, 1791-1795" W. Kaye Lamb, in summarizing Mansvelt's unsubstantiated 1973 research, suggests evidence of close family ties between the Vancouver family of Britain and the van Coeverden family of Holland as well as George Vancouver's own words from his diaries in referring to his Dutch ancestry:

"As the name Vancouver suggests, the Vancouvers were of Dutch origin. Popular theory suggests that they were descended from the titled van Coeverden family, one of the oldest in the Netherlands. By the twelfth century, and for many years thereafter, their castle at Coevorden
Coevorden

Coevorden is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands. During the municipal reorganisation in the province in 1998, Coevorden merged with Dalen, Sleen, Oosterhesselen and Zweeloo....
, in the Province of Drenthe
Drenthe

Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east....
, was an important fortress on the eastern frontier. George Vancouver was aware of this. In July 1794, he named the Lynn Canal 'after the place of my nativity' and Point Couverden (which he spelt incorrectly) 'after the seat of my ancestors.' Vancouver's great grandfather, Reint Wolter van Couverden, was probably the first of the line to establish an English connection. While serving as a squire at one of the German courts he met Johanna (Jane) Lilingston, an English girl who was one of the ladies in waiting. They were married in 1699. Their son, Lucas Hendrik van Couverden, married Vancouver's grandmother, Sarah...In his later years he probably anglicized his name and spent most of his time in England. By the eighteenth century, the estates of the van Couverdens were mostly in the Province of Overijssel
Overijssel

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics classification of NL21....
, and some of the family were living in Vollenhove
Vollenhove

Vollenhove is a village in the Netherlands province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, southwest of Steenwijk....
, on the Zuider Zee
Zuider Zee

The Zuiderzee was a shallow inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 meters and a coastline of about 300 km....
. The English and Dutch branches kept in touch, and in 1798 (the date of Vancouver's death) George Vancouver's brother Charles would marry a kinswoman, Louise Josephine van Couverden, of Vollenhove. Both were great-grandchildren of Reint Wolter van Couverden."

George Vancouver also identified a body of land off the Alaskan coast as 'Couverden Island
Couverden Island

Couverden Island is a small island located at the western entrance to Lynn Canal in Alaska. It was first identified by the British sea captain George Vancouver during his 1792-1794 exploration of the Pacific Northwest, Alaskan and Canadian Pacific coasts....
' during his exploration of the North American Pacific coast presumably to honour his family's Dutch hometown of Coevorden. It is located at the western point of entry to Lynn Canal
Lynn Canal

The Lynn Canal is an inlet into the mainland of southeast Alaska.The Lynn Canal runs about 90 miles from the inlets of the Chilkat River south to Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage....
in southeastern Alaska.

Others present on Vancouver's voyage

Archibald Menzies
Archibald Menzies

Archibald Menzies , 15 March 1754 – 15 February 1842) was a Scottish surgeon and Natural history....
, naturalist, assumed duties of expedition doctor
William Broughten
William Robert Broughton

William Robert Broughton was a United Kingdom naval officer in the late 18th century. As a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he commanded HMS Chatham as part of the voyage of exploration through the Pacific Ocean led by Captain George Vancouver in the early 1790s....
Zachary Mudge
Zachary Mudge

Zachary Mudge was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for serving in the historic Vancouver Expedition....
Peter Puget
Peter Puget

Peter Puget was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of Puget Sound....
Joseph Baker
Joseph Baker (captain)

Joseph Baker was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his role in the mapping of the Pacific Northwest Coast of America during the Vancouver Expedition of 1791-1795....
Robert Barrie
Robert Barrie

Sir Robert Barrie was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland naval officer noted for his service in the War of 1812....
Spelman Swaine
Edward Roberts
Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey

Joseph Whidbey was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–1795, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer....
Honorable Thomas Pitt
Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford

Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford was a United Kingdom peer, naval officer and wastrel, best known for bedevilling George Vancouver during and after the latter's great voyage of exploration....
(nephew of the Prime Minister)
Thomas Manby
Towereroo
Towereroo

Towereroo was the first Hawai'ian to visit Europe. He was returned to Hawai'i by the Vancouver Expedition in 1792.An inhabitant of Molokai, in 1788 Towereroo went aboard Princess Royal as translator and passenger....

See Muster Table of His Majesties Sloop The Discovery

Works by George Vancouver

Voyage Of Discovery To The North Pacific Ocean, And Round The World In The Years 1791-95, by George Vancouver ISBN 0-7812-5100-1. Original written by Vancouver and completed by his brother John and published in 1798. Edited in 1984 by W. Kaye Lamb and re-named "The Voyage of George Vancouver 1791 - 1795." W. Kaye Lamb's later analysis of Vancouver's exploration was published by the Hakluyt Society
Hakluyt Society

Founded in 1846, the Hakluyt Society is a registered charity based in London, England which seeks to advance knowledge and education by the publication of scholarly editions of primary records of voyages, travels and other geographical material....
of London, England

Further reading

Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver by Stephen R. Bown. Published by Douglas & McIntyre 2008.
Vancouver A Life: 1757-1798 by George Godwin. Published by D. Appleton and Company, 1931.
Adventures in Two Hemispheres Including Captain Vancouver's Voyage by James Stirrat Marshall and Carrie Marshall. Published by Telex Printing Service, 1955.
The Life and Voyages of Captain George Vancouver by Bern Anderson. Published by University of Washington Press, 1966.
Captain Vancouver: A Portrait of His Life by Alison Gifford. Published by St. James Press, 1986.
Journal of the Voyages of the H.M.S. Discovery and Chatham by Thomas Manby. Published by Ye Galleon Press, 1988.
Vancouver's Voyage: Charting the Northwest Coast, 1791-1795 by Robin Fisher and Gary Fiegehen. Published by Douglas & McIntyre, 1992.
On Stormy Seas, The Triumphs and Torments of Captain George Vancouver by B. Guild Gillespie. Published by Horsdal & Schubart, 1992.
Captain Vancouver: North-West Navigator by E.C. Coleman. Published by Tempus, 2007.
Sailing with Vancouver: A Modern Sea Dog, Antique Charts and a Voyage Through Time by Sam McKinney. Published by Touchwood Editions, 2004.
The Early Exploration of Inland Washington Waters: Journals and Logs from Six Expeditions, 1786-1792 edited by Richard W. Blumenthal. Published by McFarland & Company, 2004.
A Discovery Journal: George Vancouver's First Survey Season - 1792 by John E. Roberts. Published by Trafford Publishing, 2005.
With Vancouver in Inland Washington Waters: Journals of 12 Crewmen April-June 1792 edited by Richard W. Blumenthal. Published by McFarland & Company, 2007.

External links

, illustrations in the National Portrait Gallery

- Etymology of his name

, The History of Metropolitan Vancouver website, Retrieved on June 11, 2007