Page:A History of the Pacific Northwest.djvu/32

 Diego July 16, 1769, and a fort or presidio was built near it. Thus the process of the missionary and military occupation was begun. Monterey was occupied the next year and that place became the capital of Upper California. Other missions and presidios were founded from time to time.

Explorations of Perez, 1774. The first exploring ship, the Santiago, sailed from Monterey under Juan Perez June 11, 1774. Perez had instructions to sail to the sixtieth parallel before making his landfall. But running short of water, he put about to the east on July 15th and on the 20th reached the coast near the present southern limits of Alaska. He named the place Santa Margarita. Perez now decided to abandon the attempt to reach a higher latitude, and turned to explore the land southward to California. Dropping down some six degrees, he ran into a "C" shaped harbour which he named San Lorenzo, a roadstead which later became famous under the name of Nootka Sound. Many points on the Oregon and California coasts were seen by Perez on his voyage southward, which terminated at Monterey August 27.

Heceta's discovery. Perez had made a general exploration of the entire northwest coast from the parallel of 42° to 54° 40', but he had failed to reach the region visited by the Russians. In the following year a new expedition was fitted out under the command of Captain Bruno Heceta. Heceta had instructions requiring him to reach latitude 65°. At a point near Fuca's Strait, the present Point Grenville, he landed and per-