Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest Spanish claims to Alaska and the west coast of North America date to the papal bull of 1493 , and the Treaty of Tordesillas . In 1513 , this claim was reinforced by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa , the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean , when he claimed all lands adjoining this ocean for the Spanish Crown . Spain only started to colonize the claimed territory north of present day Mexico in the 18th century , when it settled the northern coast of Las Californias ( California ) . Starting in the mid - 18th century , Spain ' s claim began to be challenged in the form of British and Russian fur trading and colonization . King Charles III of Spain and his successors sent a number of expeditions to present - day Canada and Alaska between 1774 and 1793 , to counter the threat of Russian and British colonizers and to strengthen the Spanish claim . During this period of history it was important for a nation ' s claims to be backed up by exploration and the " first European discovery " of particular places . 1774 voyage of Pérez . The first voyage was that of Juan José Pérez Hernández of the frigate " Santiago " ( alias " Nueva Galicia " ) . Although intending to reach Alaska , the expedition turned back at Haida Gwaii . Pérez and his crew of 86 were the first Europeans to visit the Pacific Northwest . 1775 voyage of Heceta and Bodega y Quadra . In 1775 a second voyage of ninety men led by Lieutenant Bruno de Heceta aboard the " Santiago " , set sail from San Blas , Nayarit on March 16 , 1775 with orders to make clear Spanish claims for the entire northwestern Pacific Coast . Accompanying Heceta was the schooner " Sonora " , alias " Felicidad " , ( also known as the " Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe " ) , initially under the command of Juan Manuel de Ayala . The long " Sonora " and its crew complement of 16 were to perform coastal reconnaissance and mapping , and could make landfall in places the larger " Santiago " was unable to approach on its previous voyage ; in this way , the expedition could officially reassert Spanish claims to the lands north of New Spain it visited . Ayala took command of the packet boat " San Carlos " , alias " Toysón de Oro " , also sailing with the expedition , after its initial commander , Miguel Manrique , took ill soon after leaving San Blas . Heceta than gave Bogeda y Quadra command of the " Sonora " . Francisco Antonio Mourelle served as Bodega y Quadra ' s pilot and the two forged a strong and enduring friendship . The three vessels sailed together as far as Monterey Bay in Alta California . Ayala ' s mission was to explore the Golden Gate strait while Heceta and Bodega y Quadra continued north . Ayala and the crew of the " San Carlos " became the first Europeans known to enter San Francisco Bay . The " Santiago " and " Sonora " continued sailing north together as far as Point Grenville , named " Punta de los Martires " ( or " Point of the Martyrs " ) by Heceta in response to an attack by the local Quinault Indians . The vessels parted company on the evening of July 29 , 1775 . Scurvy had so weakened the crew of the " Santiago " that Heceta decided to return to San Blas . On the way south he discovered the mouth of the Columbia River between present day Oregon and Washington . Juan Pérez , who was serving as Heceta ' s pilot , died during the voyage south . Bodega y Quadra , in the " Sonora " , moved up the coast according to the expedition ' s orders , ultimately reaching the latitude 58° north on August 15 , and entering Sitka Sound near the present - day town of Sitka , Alaska . During the return voyage south Bodega y Quadra discovered , named , and explored a portion of Bucareli Bay on the west side of Prince of Wales Island . During Bodega y Quadra ' s voyage numerous " acts of sovereignty " were performed . Many place names were given , including Puerto de Bucareli ( Bucareli Bay ) , Puerto de los Remedios , and Mount San Jacinto , renamed Mount Edgecumbe by British explorer James Cook three years later . 1779 voyage of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra . A third voyage took place in 1779 under the command of Ignacio de Arteaga with two armed corvettes : the " Favorita " under Arteaga , and the " Princesa " under Bodega y Quadra . With Arteaga on the " Favorita " was second officer Fernando Quiros y Miranda , surgeon Juan Garcia , pilot Jose Camacho , and second pilot Juan Pantoja y Arriaga . With Bodega y Quadra on the " Princesa " was second officer Francisco Antonio Mourelle , surgeon Mariano Nunez Esquivel , pilot Jose Canizares , and second pilot Juan Bautista Aguirre . The expedition ' s objective was to evaluate the Russian penetration of Alaska , search for a Northwest Passage , and capture James Cook if they found him in Spanish waters . Spain had learned about Cook ' s 1778 explorations along the coast of the Pacific Northwest . In June 1779 , during the expedition of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra , Spain entered the American Revolutionary War as an ally of France , precipitating a parallel Anglo - Spanish War , which continued until the 1783 Treaty of Paris . Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra did not find Cook , who had been killed in Hawaii in February 1779 . During the voyage Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra carefully surveyed Bucareli Bay then headed north to Port Etches on Hinchinbrook Island . They entered Prince William Sound and reached a latitude of 61° , the most northern point obtained by the Spanish explorations of Alaska . They also explored Cook Inlet , and the Kenai Peninsula , where a possession ceremony was performed on August 2 , in what today is called Port Chatham . Due to various sicknesses among the crew Arteaga returned to California without finding the Russians . Throughout the voyage , the crews of both vessels endured many hardships , including food shortages and scurvy . On September 8 , the ships rejoined and headed south for the return trip to San Blas . Although the Spanish were normally secretive about their exploring voyages and the discoveries made , the 1779 voyage of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra became widely known . La Perouse obtained a copy of their map , which was published in 1798 . Mourelle ' s journal was acquired and published in London in 1798 by Daines Barrington . After these three exploration voyages to Alaska within five years there were no further Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest until 1788 , after the Treaty of Paris ended the war between Spain and Britain . During the war Spain dedicated the port of San Blas to the war effort in the Philippines . Voyages of exploration were suspended . Support of Alta California , which depended upon San Blas , was minimal . By 1786 Alta California had become nearly self - supporting and peace with Britain was restored , making further voyages to Alaska possible . 1788 voyage of Martínez and Haro . In March , 1788 , two ships were sent north from San Blas to investigate Russian acitivity . Esteban José Martínez , on the " Princesa " , was in command of the expedition , accompanied by the " San Carlos " under Gonzalo López de Haro , with José María Narváez serving as Haro ' s pilot . The ships arrived at Prince William Sound in May . Following evidence of Russian fur trading activity the ships sailed west . In June Haro reached Kodiak Island and learned from the natives that a Russian post was nearby . On June 30 , 1788 , Haro sent Narváez in a longboat to look for the Russian post at Three Saints Bay . Narváez found the post , becoming the first Spaniard to make contact with a large contingent of Russians in Alaska . Narváez took the Russian commander , Evstrat Delarov to meet Haro on the " San Carlos " , then returned him to his outpost . Delarov gave Narváez a Russian map of the Alaskan coast and indicated the locations of seven Russian posts containing nearly 500 men . Delarov also told Narváez that the Russians intended to occupy Nootka Sound , on the west coast of Vancouver Island . After this meeting Haro sailed east and joined Martínez at Sitkinak Island . Using the information acquired from Delarov , the expedition sailed to Unalaska Island , where there was a large Russian post , also called Unalaska , under the command of Potap Kuzmich Zaikov . Martínez arrived on July 29 , Haro on August 4 . Zaikov gave Martínez three maps covering the Aleutian Islands . He also confirmed that the Russians planned to take possession of Nootka Sound the next year . Zaikov explained that two Russian frigates were already on their way , and a third which was to sail to Nootka Sound . He was referring to the 1789 expedition of Joseph Billings , but greatly exaggerating its mission . The visit to Unalaska marks the westernmost point reached during the Spanish voyages of exploration in Alaska . The Spanish expedition left Unalaska on August 18 , 1788 , heading south for California and Mexico . Due to increasing conflict between Martínez and Haro , the ships broke off contact within three days sailed south separately . Martínez had allowed this but ordered Haro to rejoin him at Monterey , California . But during the voyage south Haro , with support from Narváez and the other pilots , declared his ship no longer under Martínez ' s command . They sailed back to San Blas on their own , arriving on October 22 , 1788 . Martínez spent a month in Monterey waiting for Haro . He arrived at San Blas in December , where he found himself faced with charges of irresponsible leadership . He soon regained favor and was placed in charge of a new expedition to occupy Nootka Sound before the Russians did . This expedition took place in 1789 , culminating in the Nootka Crisis . 1789 settlement in Nootka Sound . Following up on the 1788 voyage to Alaska , Martínez and Haro were ordered to preemptively take possession of Nootka Sound before the Russians or British could . Events at Nootka Sound in 1789 lead to the Nootka Crisis . During the summer of 1789 Martínez sent José María Narváez to explore the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the " Santa Gertrudis la Magna " ( formerly the " Northwest America " , a British vessel captured earlier by Martínez at Nootka Sound ) . Narváez found the Strait of Juan de Fuca to be a large inlet with much promise for further exploration . By the end of the year Martínez abandoned Nootka Sound . 1790 Spanish base in Nootka Sound . The Nootka Crisis became a major international incident nearly leading to war between Spain and Britain . As the process unfolded , the Viceroy of New Spain decided it was important to establish a permanent base at Nootka Sound . Three ships sailed to Nootka Sound , with Francisco de Eliza as the overall commander and captain of the " Concepción " . Manuel Quimper captained the " Princesa Real " ( the Spanish name for the British vessel " Princess Royal " , captured by Martínez in 1789 ) . Salvador Fidalgo captained the " San Carlos " . The first settlement in present - day British Columbia was built on Nootka Sound , Santa Cruz de Nuca as well as Fort San Miguel , manned by soldiers of the First Company of Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia , under Pedro de Alberni . After getting settled , Eliza dispatched Fidalgo and Quimper on exploration voyages . Fidalgo was sent north and Quimper south . 1790 voyage of Fidalgo . In 1790 , Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo took the " San Carlos " to Alaska , visiting and naming Cordova Bay and Port Valdez in Prince William Sound . Acts of sovereignty were performed at both places . Fidalgo entered Cook Inlet and found the Russian post Pavlovskaia , the Pavel Lebedev - Lastochkin Company post at the mouth of the Kenai River . Fidalgo did not stop at the post but continued west to Kodiak Island , where he noted Shelikov ' s post . Fidalgo then went to the Russian settlement at Alexandrovsk ( today ' s English Bay or Nanwalek , Alaska ) , southwest of today ' s Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula , where again , Fidalgo asserted the Spanish claim to the area by conducting a formal ceremony of sovereignty . 1790 voyage of Quimper . In 1790 Manuel Quimper , with officers López de Haro and Juan Carrasco , sailed the " Princesa Real " into the Strait of Juan de Fuca , following up on voyage of Narváez the previous year . Quimper sailed to the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca , discovering the San Juan Islands and many straits and inlets . Having limited time he had to return to Nootka without fully exploring the promising straits and inlets . Contrary winds made it impossible to sail the small vessel to Nootka , so Quimper went south to San Blas instead . 1791 voyage of Eliza . In 1791 Francisco de Eliza was ordered to continue the exploration of the Strait of Juan de Fuca . The voyage consisted of two vessels . Eliza sailed on the " San Carlos " , with Pantoja as his pilot ( master ) . Narváez sailed on the " Santa Saturnina " , with Carrasco and Verdía as pilots . During the voyage the Strait of Georgia was discovered , and Narváez conducted a quick exploration of most of it . Eliza sailed the " San Carlos " back to Nootka Sound , but the " Santa Saturnina " , under Carrasco , failed to reach Nootka and instead sailed south to Monterey and San Blas . In Monterey Carrasco met Alessandro Malaspina and told him about the discovery of the Strait of Georgia . This meeting led directly to the 1792 voyage of Galiano and Valdés . 1789 - 1794 voyage of Malaspina and Bustamante . The King of Spain gave Alejandro Malaspina and José de Bustamante y Guerra command of an around - the - world scientific expedition with two corvettes , the " Descubierta " and " Atrevida " . One of the king ' s orders was to investigate a possible Northwest Passage . The expedition was also to search for gold , precious stones , and any American , British , or Russian settlements along the northwest coast . Arriving in Alaska in 1791 , Malaspina and Bustamante surveyed the coast to the Prince William Sound . At Yakutat Bay , the expedition made contact with the Tlingit . Spanish scholars made a study of the tribe , recording information on social mores , language , economy , warfare methods , and burial practices . Artists with the expedition , Tomas de Suria and José Cardero , produced portraits of tribal members and scenes of Tlingit daily life . Malaspina Glacier , between Yakutat Bay and Icy Bay was subsequently named after Alessandro Malaspina . 1792 voyage of Galiano and Valdés . In 1792 Dionisio Alcalá Galiano , on the " Sutil " , and Cayetano Valdés y Flores , on the " Mexicana " , sailed from San Blas to Nootka Sound , then circumnavigated Vancouver Island . An account of the voyage of Galiano and Valdés , in contrast , was published in Spain and widely promoted , overshadowing the more significant voyage of Malaspina , who had become a political prisoner shortly after returning to Spain . 1792 voyage of Caamaño . Jacinto Caamaño , commander of the frigate " Aránzazu " , sailed to Bucareli Bay in 1792 . Juan Pantoja y Arriaga served as his pilot . Caamaño conducted a detailed survey of the coast south to Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island . By 1792 much of the coast had already been visited by European explorers , but some areas had been overlooked , such as the southern part of Prince of Wales Island . A number of Caamaño ' s place names in the area have survived , such as Cordova Bay , Revillagigedo Channel , Bocas de Quadra , and in what is now called Caamaño Passage , Zayas Island ( named for his second pilot , Juan Zayas ) . No report on Caamaño ' s voyage was published until long after and his discoveries remained obscure , although George Vancouver apparently met Caamaño and obtained copies of his maps , especially of areas north of Dixon Entrance . Vancouver later incorporated some of Caamaño ' s place names into his atlas . 1793 voyage of Eliza and Martínez y Zayas . In 1793 Francisco de Eliza and Juan Martínez y Zayas surveyed the coast between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Francisco Bay . They also explored the mouth of the Columbia River . Legacy . In the end Spain withdrew from the North Pacific and transferred its claims in the region to the United States in the Adams - Onís Treaty of 1819 . Today , Spain ' s legacy in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest endures as a number of place names , such as Malaspina Glacier , Revillagigedo Island , the towns of Valdez and Cordova , and numerous smaller features .