Most students of American history are familiar that California was a part of the Spanish possessions in the Americas and then Mexico before it finally became part of the United States. But at one point early on, it was also claimed for the English - in fact, the English claimed it before they had claimed almost anything of the East Coast that would become the 13 Original Colonies.
In 1579 the famous English Sir Francis Drake landed and claimed the area for the English crown. He had a large impact on the course of the European colonization of the Americas and the ultimate rise of the United States.
What To Know About Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake was an English sea captain, explorer, slave trader, naval officer, politician, but is perhaps best known as a privateer.
Francis Drake is well known for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition from 1577 to 1580. This put him in the Pacific Ocean that had hitherto been exclusively an area of Spanish interest.
- Claimed: He Claimed Today's California For England in 1579
- Circumnavigated: Francis Drake Circumnatigated The World Between 1577 and 1580
This expedition also had the effect of inaugurating an era of conflict with the Spanish over the west coast of the Americas. He also when on to be second in command when the English successfully defeated the attempted Spanish invasion with the Spanish Armada in 1588.
- Remembered: As A Hero and As A Pirate
In England, his exploits made him a hero, but to the Spanish, he was branded as a pirate.
Claiming New Albion For England
Drake was able to successfully sack Spanish towns and plunder Spanish ships along the eastern Pacific coast colonies. He then needed to escape back to England. To do that he careened his ship and established a temporary encampment while he repaired his ship landing somewhere on the Pacific Coast.
- Landed: To Repair His Ship So That He Could Escape To England
While he was there, he had friendly relationships with the Coast Miwok people of the area. He named the area Nova Albion claiming it for Queen Elizabeth I. When he sailed away, he left behind no colony. According to the Tribal Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the encounter was one of confusion where they thought the dead were returning.
He called the new claim "New Albion: (otherwise Nova Albion). "Albion" is an archaic name for Britain.
- "Albion": An Archaic Name For Britain
After his circumnavigation, the British maritime dominance last until the 20th century when it was supplanted by the Americans with World War Two.
The extent of the claim of New Albion was vague and the location differed on different maps. After Elizabeth's death in 1603, maps started to depict the area of North America above Mexico as Nova Albion.
Location of The Landing
The location of the landing has been difficult to determine, but it is believed to be Drake's Cove in Point Reyes National Seashore just north of San Fransico. This view is partly based on porcelain shards that are thought to be the remains of Drake's cargo - as well as his contact with the Coast Miwok.
- Location: Believed To Be Drake's Cove In Point Reyes National Seashore
- Designated: National Historic Landmark
The landing site has been designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012 and as well as a California Historical Landmark in 2021.
"The designation of the Drakes Bay Historic and Archeological District recognizes the historic and archeological evidence identifying Drakes Bay as the most likely site of Francis Drake's California Landing in 1579, signifying one of the earliest instances of European contact and interaction with the native peoples on the west coast, the Coast Miwok Indians."
This is a very old landing for the English in North America. It is nearly four decades before the settlement of Jamestown.
This was one of the earliest English territorial claims in the New World. Being claimed in 1579 it predated the English claim to Newfoundland in 1583, their settlement at Roanoke Colony (the "Lost Colony" of America) in 1584, and their ultimately successful colony at Jamestown in 1607.
- Predated: New Albion Predated Almost Any Other English Claims In The Americas
Today one can visit the site, although there is not much to see apart from perhaps a few plaques. One will need to picture in one's mind's eye what happened on those days so long ago when England claimed the west coast of what is today the United States for itself.