George Vancouver
June 22, 1757 – May 12, 1798
Nickname	crisis
Allegiance	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Captain

Captain George Vancouver RN (June 22, 1757 – May 12, 1798) was an officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of North America, including the Pacific coast along the modern day Canadian province of British Columbia and the American states of Alaska, Washington and Oregon. He also explored the southwest coast of Australia. He was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, in England. is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1798 (MDCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the historical state called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1927). ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1798 (MDCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... North American redirects here. ... Main articles: History of Canada, Timeline of Canadian history Canada has been inhabited by aboriginal peoples (known in Canada as First Nations) for at least 40,000 years. ... A province is a territorial unit, almost always a country subdivision. ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... , Kings Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. ...

Early career

Vancouver traveled to the Pacific aboard HMS Resolution, on James Cook's second voyage (1772-1775). It was Vancouver's first naval service. He also accompanied Cook on his third voyage (1776-1779), this time aboard Resolution's sister ship, HMS Discovery. Resolution and Adventure with fishing craft in Matavai Bay by William Hodges, painted 1776, shows the two ships at anchor in Tahiti in August 1773. ... Captain James Cook may refer to: James Cook - British explorer, navigator, and map maker Captain James Cook (TV miniseries) - 1987 Australian television miniseries This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... HMS Discovery was the consort ship of James Cooks third expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1776 - 1780. ...

Upon his return to Britain in 1779, Vancouver was commissioned as a lieutenant. He was then posted aboard the sloop HMS Martin, on patrol in the English Channel. In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... For the military definition of sloop see: Sloop-of-war. ... For the Thoroughbred racehorse of the same name, see English Channel (horse). ...

A statue of George Vancouver outside Vancouver City Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Vancouver next served on the 74-gun ship of the line, HMS Fame. The Fame was involved in the British victory in the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1304x1936, 277 KB)A statue of George Vancouver (what he was thought to look like) outside Vancouver City Hall. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1304x1936, 277 KB)A statue of George Vancouver (what he was thought to look like) outside Vancouver City Hall. ... The statue of George Vancouver outside of Vancouver City Hall. ... Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Fame was a British Royal Navy ship. ... The Battle of the Saintes, 12 April 1782: surrender of the Ville de Paris by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1783, shows Hoods Barfleur, centre, attacking the French flagship Ville de Paris, right. ...

While serving on the West Indies station, Vancouver put the surveying and cartographic skills he learned under Cook to use surveying Port Royal and Kingston Harbour, assisted by Joseph Whidbey. The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ... Cartography or mapmaking (in Greek chartis = map and graphein = write) is the study and practice of making maps or globes. ... Port-Royal was a Cistercian convent in Magny-les-Hameaux, in the Vallée de Chevreuse southwest of Paris that launched a number of culturally important institutions. ... Kingston Harbour is the seventh largest natural harbour in the world. ... Joseph Whidbey (1757- October 9, 1833) was a member of the British Royal Navy who served with on the Vancouver Expedition 1971-1975, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. ...

In 1789, the Royal Navy was planning another voyage to the Pacific, to further survey the valuable South Pacific whaling grounds^[1]. It was to be commanded by Henry Roberts, another of Captain Cook's protégés, with Vancouver as his second in command and Whidbey as sailing master. A new vessel was purchased for this expedition and named HMS Discovery after Cook's ship. Henry Roberts (1757- 1796) was an officer in the British Royal Navy who served with Captain Cook on his last two voyages. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Master Mariner is the official title of someone qualified to command a ship; the qualification is colloquially called a Masters Ticket. The term was introduced in the mid 19th century, and is usually held by the chief officer/first mate as well as the captain). ... HMS Discovery was a Royal Navy ship in which George Vancouver explored the west coast of North America in his 1791-1795 expedition. ...

However, the Nootka Crisis intervened, as Spain and Britain came close to war over ownership of Nootka Sound 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 ended the crisis, Vancouver was given command of Discovery to take possession of Nootka Sound and survey the coast.^[2] Nootka Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and a natural harbour on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. ... Several ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Courageous or Courageux (the French spelling). ... The Nootka Convention was a treaty between Spain and Great Britain in 1790 that averted a war between the two countries over overlapping claims to portions of the northwestern coast of North America. ... Nootka Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and a natural harbour on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. ...

Vancouver's 1791-1795 explorations

A life sized statue covered in gold of George Vancouver on top of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria

See Also: Vancouver Expedition Image File history File links Size of this preview: 468 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (571 × 731 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 468 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (571 × 731 pixel, file size: 2. ... Located in Victoria, British Columbia and officially opened in 1898 with a 500-ft long facade, central dome, two end pavilions, and a gilded bronze statue of Captain George Vancouver, the British Columbia Parliament Buildings are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. ... This article is about the city of Victoria. ... The Vancouver Expedition (1791-1795) was a five-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver. ...

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 just prior to Gray's sailing up the Columbia River. Robert Gray (May 10, 1755 – July, 1806) was an American merchant sea-captain and explorer. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Robert Gray (sea-captain). ...

Vancouver entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between Vancouver Island and the Washington state mainland on April 29, 1792. His orders included a survey of every and outlet on the west coast of the mainland, all the way north to Alaska. 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. The Strait of Juan de Fuca separates Vancouver Island of British Columbia from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ...

Vancouver was the first European to enter Burrard Inlet (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 and Jervis Inlet over the next nine days, before returning to Point Grey (now the site of the University of British Columbia) on June 22, 1792 (Vancouver's 35th birthday). Here he unexpectedly met a Spanish expedition led by Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés y Flores 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, under command of Francisco de Eliza, the year before. For three weeks they cooperatively explored Georgia Strait and the Discovery Islands area before going their separate ways. Indian Arm extends north (to the upper right of the photo) from Burrard Inlet, in this view from the southeast at Burnaby Mountain. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... // Description Howe Sound is a fjord situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, Canada, fronting on one of the citys suburbs, West Vancouver. ... Jervis Inlet is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. ... The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Canadian public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Dionisio Alcalá Galiano Dionisio Alcalá Galiano (1760, Cabra, Córdoba, Spain – October 21, 1805) was a Spanish naval officer, cartographer and explorer. ... Cayetano Valdés y Flores (1767-1834) was a Spanish naval officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, fighting for both sides at different times due to the changing fortunes of Spain in the conflict. ... José María Narváez was a Spanish explorer and navigator whose main field of action was the Pacific Northwest. ... Francisco de Eliza was a Spanish navigator and explorer. ... The Strait of Georgia (also known as Georgia Strait and the Gulf of Georgia) is a 240 km (150 mi)-long strait between Vancouver Island (as well as its nearby Gulf Islands) and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. ... The Discovery Islands are the islands in the Discovery Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland in British Columbia. ...

After the summer surveying season ended in November, Vancouver went to Nootka on Vancouver Island, 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.^[3] The Nuu-chah-nulth (pronounced New-cha-nulth) (also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, West Coast, T’aat’aaqsapa, Nuuchahnulth) people are indigenous peoples of Canada. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... Captain Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra, Marina real, circa 1785. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ...

In October 1792, he sent Lieutenant William Robert Broughton with several boats up the Columbia River. Broughton got as far as the Columbia River Gorge, sighting and naming Mount Hood. William Robert Broughton was a British naval officer in the late 18th century. ... The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. ... The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... This article is about the tallest mountain in Oregon. ...

After a visit to Spanish California, Vancouver spent the winter in further exploration of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

The next year, he returned to British Columbia, 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. Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944...

In 1794, he first went to Cook Inlet, 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 by way of Cape Horn, returning in September 1795, thus completing a circumnavigation. Cook Inlet, showing Knik and Turnagain Arms The Cook Inlet or Nuti Inlet is a large inlet of the Gulf of Alaska in south-central Alaska. ... Baranof Island, also sometimes called Baranov Island or Sitka Island, is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle, in Alaska. ... Cape Horn from the South. ... “Round the world” redirects here. ...

Return to England and death

Vancouver faced difficulties when he returned home. The politically well-connected Naturalist Archibald Menzies complained that his servant had been pressed into service during a shipboard emergency; sailing master Joseph Whidbey had a competing claim for pay as expedition astronomer; and Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford, 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, Surrey, in southern England. Archibald Menzies (March 15, 1754 - February 15, 1852) was a Scottish physician and naturalist. ... Joseph Whidbey (1757- October 9, 1833) was a member of the British Royal Navy who served with on the Vancouver Expedition 1971-1975, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. ... Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford (February 19, 1771 - March 10, 1804) was a British peer, naval officer and wastrel, best known for bedevilling George Vancouver during and after the latters great voyage of exploration. ... 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, which it shares with neighbouring Ham. ... This article is about the English county. ...

Legacy

Navigation

Vancouver determined that the Northwest Passage 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 in Calgary and author of two books on Vancouver, states: For other uses, see Northwest Passage (disambiguation). ... One of the entry signs for Mount Royal College Mount Royal College is an undergraduate college located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ...

"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."^[4]

Vancouver, however, failed to discover two of the largest and most important rivers on the Pacific coast, the Fraser River and the Columbia 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 Mercator's World magazine (Nov/Dec 1999) that: For other uses of this name see Fraser River (disambiguation). ... The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. ... Robert Gray (May 10, 1755 – July, 1806) was an American merchant sea-captain and explorer. ...

"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...."^[5]

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 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.^[6] 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.^[7] A flash flood (also a freshet, considered archaic) is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas, rivers and streams that is caused by the intense rainfall associated with a thunderstorm, or multiple training thunderstorms. ...

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 during his 1792 trip to the Vancouver region.^[8] 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 King Kamehameha the Great ceded Hawaii to Vancouver in 1794 - as well as the Pacific Northwest.^[9] 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.^[10] Vancouver states: HMS Discovery was a Royal Navy ship in which George Vancouver explored the west coast of North America in his 1791-1795 expedition. ...

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.^[11]

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.^[10]

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."^[10] While there were hostile incidents at the end of Vancouver's last season - the most serious of which involved a clash with Tlingits at Behm Canal in southeast Alaska in 1794 - these were the exceptions to Vancouver's exploration of the US and Canadian Northwest coast.^[10] A Tlingit totem pole in Ketchikan ca. ...

Memorials

1988 stamp: Vancouver explores the coast.

2007 stamp: George Vancouver's 250th birthday.

• Various locations have been named after George Vancouver, notably Vancouver Island, the Hudson's Bay Company's 1825 Fort Vancouver and the cities of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Vancouver, Washington.
• 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 and on top of the dome of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings.
• In his home town of King's Lynn the Vancouver Quarter Shopping Centre bears his name.
• April 26, 1978 - Canada Post 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 and erected near the Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vanier Park at the opening to False Creek.
• March 17, 1988 - Canada Post 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 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.^[12]

2007 first day cover: George Vancouver's 250th birthday

"1980 Commemorative Statue to Capt. George Vancouver by Vancouver artist Alan Chung Hung."

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... Hbc redirects here. ... Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudsons Bay Company in the companys Columbia District (known to Americans as the Oregon Country). ... This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... , Kings Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. ... Located in Victoria, British Columbia and officially opened in 1898 with a 500-ft long facade, central dome, two end pavilions, and a gilded bronze statue of Captain George Vancouver, the British Columbia Parliament Buildings are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. ... , Kings Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Canada Post Corporation (French: Société canadienne des postes) is a Canadian postal service operated as a crown corporation. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Parks Canada is a Canadian government agency whose purpose is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canadas natural and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations. ... The Vancouver Maritime Musuem is a nautical museum on the Vancouver waterfront, just west of False Creek. ... False Creek is a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Canada Post Corporation (French: Société canadienne des postes) is a Canadian postal service operated as a crown corporation. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Canada Post Corporation (French: Société canadienne des postes) is a Canadian postal service operated as a crown corporation. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 525 pixelsFull resolution (856 × 562 pixel, file size: 362 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a first day cover for the sheetlet of one stamp honouring Capt. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 525 pixelsFull resolution (856 × 562 pixel, file size: 362 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a first day cover for the sheetlet of one stamp honouring Capt. ...

250th anniversary commemoration

On Friday June 22, 2007, the City of Vancouver in Canada organized a celebration at the Vancouver Maritime Museum to remember the 250th anniversary of Vancouver's birth.^[13] The one-hour festivities included the presentation of a massive 63 by 114 centimetre carrot cake, the firing of a gun salute by the Royal Canadian Artillery's 15th Field Regiment and a performance by the Vancouver Firefighter's Band.^[14] is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Vancouver Maritime Musuem is a nautical museum on the Vancouver waterfront, just west of False Creek. ... Carrot Cake Carrot cake is a sweet spice cake with grated carrot mixed into the batter. ... UBIQUE (Everywhere) and QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT (Whither Right And Glory Lead) History The Royal Canadian Artillery regiment is older than Canada itself. ...

Vancouver's mayor, Sam Sullivan, officially declared June 22, 2007 to be "George Day".^[15] 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: Sam Sullivan, CM (born 1960) is the Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... (pronounced MUSS-quee-um) also spelled as XmuzkIum pronounced the same. ...

"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."^[16]

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", a city in the northeast of the Netherlands. An alternative theory claims that Vancouver is a misspelling or anglicized version of van Couwen, a Dutch family name.^[17] In the 18th century, a number of businessmen from the Coevorden area did move to England. Some of them were known as van Coevorden. Others adopted the surname Oxford, as in oxen crossing, which is approximately the English translation of Coevorden. In the 1970s, Adrien Mansvelt, a former Consul General of the Netherlands based in Vancouver, published a collation of information in both historical and genealogical journals and in the Vancouver Sun newspaper.^[18][19][20] Mansvelt's theory was later presented by the city during the Expo '86 World's Fair, as historical fact. Coevorden ( (help· info)) is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands. ... It has been suggested that Misspelling generator be merged into this article or section. ... Anglicized refers to foreign words, often surnames, that are changed from a foreign language into English. ... Last name redirects here. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... A ford, with pedestrian footbridge, on a minor road near Weimar bei Kassel in Germany The ford at Brockenhurst, leading into the village centre, following heavy rain. ... See also: consulate (disambiguation). ... Expo 86 logo The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a Worlds Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada during the summer of 1986. ... Worlds Fair is any of various large expositions held since the mid-19th century. ... History is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in geologic history of the Earth. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. ...

W. Kaye Lamb, in summarizing Mansvelt's 1973 research, observes clear evidence of close family ties between the Vancouver family of Britain and the van Couverden 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. 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, in the Province of Drenthe, 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, and some of the family were living in Vollenhove, on the Zuider Zee. 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.^[21] Coevorden ( (help· info)) is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands. ... For the Dutch footballer, see Royston Drenthe. ... Flag of Overijssel Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. ... Steenwijkerland (before 2003 called Steenwijk) is a municipality in the eastern Netherlands. ... Landsat photo The Zuider Zee (pronounced , Dutch: Zuiderzee, pronounced ) 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...

George Vancouver also identified a body of land off the Alaskan coast as 'Couverden Island' during his exploration of the North American Pacific coast presumably to honour his family's Dutch hometown of Coevorden.^[22] It is located at the western point of entry to Lynn Canal in southeastern Alaska.^[23] Couverden Island is a small island located at the western entrance to Lynn Canal in Alaska. ... Lynn Canal, Haines area of southeast Alaska The Lynn Canal is an inlet (not an artificial canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska. ...

Others present on Vancouver's voyage

• Archibald Menzies, naturalist, assumed duties of expedition doctor
• William Broughten
• Zachary Mudge
• Peter Puget
• Joseph Baker
• Robert Barrie
• Spelman Swaine
• Edward Roberts
• Joseph Whidbey
• Honorable Thomas Pitt (nephew of the Prime Minister)
• Thomas Manby
• Towereroo

See Muster Table of His Majesties Sloop The Discovery^[24] Archibald Menzies (March 15, 1754 - February 15, 1852) was a Scottish physician and naturalist. ... William Robert Broughton was a British naval officer in the late 18th century. ... Zachary (variously Zacharia or Zechariah) Mudge (January 22, 1770-1852) was an officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for serving in the historic Vancouver Expedition. ... Peter Puget was an officer in the British Royal Navy. ... Joseph Baker (1767- 1817) was an officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for his role in the mapping of the Pacific Northwest Coast of America. ... Sir Robert Barrie (5 May 1774 – 7 June 1841) was a British naval officer noted for his service in the War of 1812. ... Joseph Whidbey (1757- October 9, 1833) was a member of the British Royal Navy who served with on the Vancouver Expedition 1971-1975, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. ... Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford (February 19, 1771 - March 10, 1804) was a British peer, naval officer and wastrel, best known for bedevilling George Vancouver during and after the latters great voyage of exploration. ... Towereroo (1772? - d. ...

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 of London, England

The Hakluyt Society is a society named after Richard Hakluyt. ...

References

The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper published in British Columbia by the Pacific Newspaper Group Inc, a CanWest Global Communications Company. ... The BC Geographical Names Information System (BCGNIS) is a geographic name database for British Columbia, which is run and maintained by the Base Mapping and Geomatic Services Branch of the Integrated Land Management Bureau. ... 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

George Vancouver

• Burial and Marriage records of the Vancouver family - All Saints' Church, King's Lynn
• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• George Vancouver (1757-1798), Explorer, illustrations in the National Portrait Gallery
• Discoverers Web
• The True Meaning of Vancouver
• Web exhibit of two letters by George Vancouver and his commission to 4th Lieutenant
• Gary Little's interactive Google map showing the path Vancouver followed during his 11-day survey of the southwest coast of British Columbia
• Coevorden: What connection does Vancouver have with Coevorden, an industrial town of about 20,000 in the northeast Netherlands?, The History of Metropolitan Vancouver website, Retrieved on June 11, 2007

Further reading

1. Vancouver A Life: 1757-1798 by George Godwin. Published by D. Appleton and Company, 1931.
2. Adventures in Two Hemispheres Including Captain Vancouver's Voyage by James Stirrat Marshall and Carrie Marshall. Published by Telex Printing Service, 1955.
3. The Life and Voyages of Captain George Vancouver by Bern Anderson. Published by University of Washington Press, 1966.
4. Captain Vancouver: A Portrait of His Life by Alison Gifford. Published by St. James Press, 1986.
5. Journal of the Voyages of the H.M.S. Discovery and Chatham by Thomas Manby. Published by Ye Galleon Press, 1988.
6. Vancouver's Voyage: Charting the Northwest Coast, 1791-1795 by Robin Fisher and Gary Fiegehen. Published by Douglas & McIntyre, 1992.
7. On Stormy Seas, The Triumphs and Torments of Captain George Vancouver by B. Guild Gillespie. Published by Horsdal & Schubart, 1992.
8. Captain Vancouver: North-West Navigator by E.C. Coleman. Published by Tempus, 2007.
9. Sailing with Vancouver: A Modern Sea Dog, Antique Charts and a Voyage Through Time by Sam McKinney. Published by Touchwood Editions, 2004.
10. 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.
11. A Discovery Journal: George Vancouver's First Survey Season - 1792 by John E. Roberts. Published by Trafford Publishing, 2005.
12. With Vancouver in Inland Washington Waters: Journals of 12 Crewmen April-June 1792 edited by Richard W. Blumenthal. Published by McFarland & Company, 2007.