Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/26

Rh Balboa believed that Darien was the northern headland of South America around which ships could sail, and he hoped to find a sailing course through that headland for ships bound to India. But his hopes were not realized because the passageway which he sought remained closed until the opening of the Panama Canal by the Americans four centuries later. In the hope of finding the western entrance of the passage-way, Balboa built ships, which were the first to sail along the Pacific Coast. This was the beginning of the explorations along the west coast of North America, which nearly three centuries later resulted in the discovery of the Oregon River. Balboa's voyage failed to meet the expectations of his sovereign, and in 1517, he suffered one of those political deaths common among Spaniards in those times. Further explorations were conducted during the same period by Cortez, Governor of Mexico, who had already attained distinction as a conqueror of the natives, having gained Mexico for Spain. Upon hearing of Balboa's expedition, he also desired to become a noted explorer. Not being a sailor, Cortez provided men and ships to sail under Ulloa, and constructed a good naval station for them on the west coast of Mexico.

Ulloa Discovers Lower California. After exploring the Gulf of California, (1539), Ulloa, who sailed under the direction of Cortez, rounded the southern cape of Lower California, which had been discovered in 1534, and sailed northward along the coast half the length of the peninsula