Talk:Rosario Strait

message: Great map, as on Haro Strait; interesting to see "northern Puget Sound" to the strait's right (Bellingham and Chuckanut Bays and - ? - what's the other one?).  I wanted to comment on this:
:Following the Oregon Treaty it was assumed by the British to be the route of the deepest channel to the open sea from the 49th Parallel boundary's terminus in the middle of the Georgia Strait, and is in fact the shortest shipping route. Haro Strait, west of the San Juan Islands, which is wider though somewhat longer, was the American preference for the boundary and its eventual location following the arbitration of the dispute over the San Juan Islands, known as the Pig War.
It was not only shorter, it was the more sheltered route, and without the rough currents and more exposed weather of the Haro Straits.  In one of th sources I'veusedd this last half-year, I came across something about the Americans not even knowng about Haro STrait until after the agreement was made, ie. 1846 not 1858; it would be interesting to know which route the bulk of the vessel traffic from Victoria to yale/Douglas went, huh?  Anyway, there's a clause in the oregon Treaty, I don't know how long it was observed, even maybe today though I doubt it, guaranteeing BC-/British-bound vessels right of commercial navigation in all waters south of the 49th, ie. Rosario and the waterways of the San Juans, presumably to the mouth of Puget Sound; the idea was unimpeded navigation.  The British had the same right on the Columbia, largely unusuable after the loss of the territory it ran though;  was because of the Express that they wanted that, and also in the hope that Colville/Shepherd an d Pend Oreille and the other Southern Interior forts north of hte line could continue profitable business with/for Fort Vancouver..  Anyway, it's interesting that hte US would assert the Straits as a boundary based on something they'd signed when they didn't know it existed (Haro STrait I mean).  I think it was in the preamble/introduction to J.B.Kerr's Biographical Sketches etc linked on Francis Jones Barnard  As in my edit comments, San Juan Island was the crux of t he argument, and the strategic value of a large high ground within shelling distance of the colonial capital....do I need to go on?  But it wasn't just that;, the British wanted to keep Rosario because they knew it to be the safer route; a pity the British didn't stipulate Rosario Strait in 1846, which ttey could have have, slly ninnies.  BC would have actually had so many square more miles of sunshine....Skookum1 (talk) 02:34, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Bellingham Bay and Samish Bay (no page on that one), with Chuckanut Bay being the tiny one in between (no page), and then Padilla Bay the next one to the south. Northern Puget Sound in quotes is right -- these bays are not connected to Puget Sound except via Rosario  and Juan de Fuca Straits (with perhaps an exception for Padilla Bay via the narrow, dredged Swinomish Channel). Puget Sound proper really only begins south of Fidalgo Island, even if Americans will sometimes call even Boundary Bay part of Puget Sound, even though it is clearly off the Strait of Georgia. ...on Rosario being a better route than Haro -- I'd never thought about which was an easier route, but it is interesting how the Narváez favored Rosario Strait in 1791 (he had passed through Haro Strait, but for his main voyage took Rosario both coming and going), as did Galiano in 1792. I'm not sure about Vancouver, but I suspect he didn't know anything about either strait and explored them both. Also curious is how Henry Kellett made the British name for the Strait of Georgia official, but decided to keep the Spanish name, moving it to what's now Rosario Strait. He could have renamed Haro Strait instead. I wonder whether he felt Rosario Strait more deserving. Pfly (talk) 06:23, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Comments

message: I think there have been notabel vessels anmed Rosario Strati; not as notably as haro Straits but I'll check into it.Skookum1 (talk) 02:34, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Vessels