Overview
Beginning in 1786, Captain John Meares of Great Britain bravely explored and charted routes in the North Pacific, but his bold attempt to dominate the rich new fur trade between the Northwest Coast and Asia was frustrated when the Spanish navy seized his ships off Vancouver Island in 1789. His appeal to Parliament nearly resulted in war between England and Spain. Meares also built the first ship on the Northwest Coast and brought the first Chinese and a Hawaiian prince to the area, but missed the opportunity to explore Puget Sound or discover the Columbia River. Hence, he was ""almost a hero.""Meares' story is a fascinating glimpse into the period when the great European maritime powers and the newly-established United States vied for geographical knowledge, empire, and control of the Indian fur trade.
Full Product Details
Author: J. Richard Nokes ,
David L. Nicandri ,
Richard J Nokes
Publisher: Washington State University Press
Imprint: Washington State University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.20cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.535kg
ISBN: 9780874221558
ISBN 10: 0874221552
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 December 1998
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Temporarily unavailable
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Reviews
Immensely readable and meticuiously researched.
"""[Almost a Hero] is immensely readable and meticulously researched."" --Times Colonist ""[John Meares is] the most interesting of all the early explorers of the North Pacific Coast."" --Lewis A. McArthur, author, Oregon Geographic Names ""No name in Northwest Coast history conjures up more conflicting perspectives than that of John Meares."" --Barry M. Gough, Wilfrid Laurier University, author, The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and Discoveries to 1812"
[Almost a Hero] is immensely readable and meticulously researched. --Times Colonist [John Meares is] the most interesting of all the early explorers of the North Pacific Coast. --Lewis A. McArthur, author, Oregon Geographic Names No name in Northwest Coast history conjures up more conflicting perspectives than that of John Meares. --Barry M. Gough, Wilfrid Laurier University, author, The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and Discoveries to 1812
Author Information
J. Richard Nokes, a World War II navy veteran and long-time Oregonian editor, resides in Tigard, Oregon. He also is the author of Columbia's River: The Voyages of Robert Gray, 1787-1793 (Washington State Historical Society, 1991.) Former Washington State Historical Society Director David L. Nicandri is an expert in Pacific Northwest exploration history.
