The famous Captain Cook visited Yuquot in 1778; his journal from this voyage was published in 1784. Cook described the friendship of the people of Yuquot -and the high prices he got for “Nootka furs” sold in Asia. Yuquot became a target for European and American fur traders. Tales of fortunes to be made beckoned explorers and traders from many foreign nations to Yuquot, including people from Britain, Spain, France, the United States, Hawaii, Australia and China. At the same time, people from Yuquot went overseas, including China. The Mowachaht/Muchalaht world changed forever.
Yuquot became known to outsiders, mamatni, as “Friendly Cove” and, over a ten-year period in the late 1700s, more than a hundred vessels visited. The Mowachaht people benefited greatly, managing alliances and relations with other tribes in the region to bring supplies of furs to Yuquot, and obtaining a flood of European goods in return. In particular, ta’yii ha’wilth Maquinna took advantage of his position with the mamatni, using his diplomatic skills to develop good relations with all visiting parties, even when violence threatened to break out amongst the visitors. Many traders earned enormous profits through the sale of our “soft gold,” sea otter pelts, in China.
The Spanish also built a fort at Yuquot in the late 1700s, but only after coming to an agreement for tenancy with ta’yii ha’wilth Maquinna.
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- Illustration of Chief Maquinna’s ceremonial canoe and Spanish fort, drawn in 1791.
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- Illustration of Spanish ships at Yuquot surrounded by Mowachaht canoes, 1791.
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- Chief Maquinna, drawn by Tomás de Suria, 1791.
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- Photograph of beachfront at Yuquot in 1926.
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- Photograph of Yuquot village, 1896.
