In 1778, Captain Cook was the first European to set foot on what is now British Columbia when his two ships, Resolution and Discovery, visited an inlet on the western coast of Vancouver Island. On account of the warm reception he received from the natives, Cook named the place ‘Friendly Cove.’ The crew of the Boston didn’t receive quiet the same treatment when they stopped at Friendly Cove in March of 1803.

John Salter, captain of the Boston gave Maquina, the chief of the Nootka Indians, a double-barreled gun, and the following day the chief returned to the Boston with several wild ducks he had shot along with the gun, which the chief had broken. Maquina said the gun was bad, which offended Salter, and Salter in turn offended the chief.

Maquina returned the following day with several of his men seeking revenge for his maltreatment and, after being allowed aboard the Boston, massacred its crew. Out of the ship’s twenty-seven crewmen, only two survived, John Jewitt and John Thompson, who were both below decks at the time of the attack. Jewitt and Thompson were held captive for twenty-eight months before being rescued by the brig Lydia in the summer of 1805.

Jewitt kept a journal during his time with the Nootkas, and in 1815 published a book titled A Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt. The book is now known as White Slaves of the Nootka.

Ray Williams, a descendant of Maquina’s tribe, still lives at Friendly Cover during the summer. His welcome to the cove is friendly, but you will be asked to pay at least $10/person as a landing fee.