The Alaska citizen., 1910-08-06

from the south where they had es- tablished themselves on the coast of California. Reports of these Rus sian encroachments led the viceroy of Mexico to send out several sue cessiye expeditions to explore the coast and where they found it unin- habited 10 plant the arms of Spain Perez a Spanish ensign. discovered the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1774. and the following year Lieutenant Quadra explored as far north as Cross Sound
 The first important systematic sur yey any part of what is now known as Alaska was made by Captain Cook. the great English navigator Cook sailed from England with two vessels in 1776. His first landfall on the Alaskan coast was in May. 177S. near Mount Edgecumbe, previously discovered by BodeEa y Quadra Thence he sailed westward, exploring Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet as far as Unalaska, where he was received very kindly by band of Russian traders It is of interest to note that an American in Cooks vessel, John Ledyard, was the first to interview the Russians.
 Cook now entered Boring sea and continued his surveys of the coast toward the north, through Bristol Bay. Norton Sound, and Boring Strait until he was checked by the Arc tic ice pack. This he skirted west ward to where it impinged on the Siberian mainland at q point which he named Cape North, whence he re turned to the south along the Si- berian coast. The winter was spent in the Hawaiian Islands, and there the famous navigator met his death The following year his vessels set out again under the command of Clerke, in an attempt to extend the surveys further north, but the ice pack again interfered before they had penetrated much farther than before
 Cook had been unsuccessful in finding the water passage to Hudson Bay which he sought, but in the course of single summer he had accomplished many times as much as all the previous explorers. His voyage outlined the larger coastal features of Alaska, from about lati- tude 5S degrees 10 1o degrees; de tinitely established the fact that there was no land connection be- tween America and Asia, and con vinced the navigator himself of the futility of seeking a waterway to the Atlantic. a conclusion which was in part based on Hearne's eXplora- tion in 1771 from Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Coppermine river. This last result was not generally acknowledged and it remained for one of Cooks officers, Vancouver to bring the final proof - not even then accepted by the theoretical geo. graphers - about fifteen years lat CT.
 Great as was Cooks contribution to the geography of the Alaskan coast, perhaps of still more lasting importance was his inauguration of a new era in the explorations of the Alaskan seaboard. The vague and haphazard reports of the previous explorers were replaced by concise charts and accurate observations, many of which have stood the test of more detailed investigation Sev- eral officers who accompanied Cook and were trained in his methods re- turned in later years to the Alaskan coast and continued the work of exploration.
 Though some of the promyshleniki had reached Kodiak as early as 1762 it was not until after Cooks voy- age that, finding the sea otters were becoming relatively scarce among the Aleutians and the voyages less prof itable, they began to seek new hunt ing grounds on the northeast. Up to this time the fur gathering had been in the hands of individuals or small, weak companies, and hence but little concerted effort had been made. In 17S1 a company of east ern Siberian merchants was formed for exploiting the American fur trade The leader of this organization was Gregor Ivanovich Shelikof, who, with Ivan Golikof, controlled a ma jority of the shares. Under Sheli- kofs leadership an expedition was sent out, which, in 17S3, founded a colony at Three Saints Bay, near the southern end of Kodiak Island This was the first settlement within the limits of Alaska and was the pioneer of the Russian occupation, which was to last for three-quarters of a cen tury, until the territory was trans ferred to the United States
 In the year this colony was found ed group of trading vessels, un-