Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra facts for kids
Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra (born May 22, 1743 – died March 26, 1794) was a Spanish naval officer. He was born in Lima, Peru. He worked at the Spanish Naval Department base in San Blas, which was part of New Spain (now Mexico). As a navigator, he explored the Northwest Coast of North America, going as far north as present-day Alaska.
Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra joined the Spanish Naval Academy in Cádiz when he was 19. Four years later, in 1767, he became an officer with the rank of Frigate Ensign. In 1773, he was promoted to Ship Ensign. In 1774, he became a Ship Lieutenant.
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Family Background
Bodega y Quadra was born in Lima, Peru. His father, Tomás de la Bodega y de las Llanas, was from Biscay, Spain. His mother, Francisca de Mollinedo y Losada, was from Lima, Peru. Her parents were from Bilbao in Spain. His family had Basque roots. He studied at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru.
Pacific Explorations
1775 Journey
In 1775, the Spanish explored the Pacific Northwest. This was led by Lieutenant Bruno de Heceta. It followed an earlier trip in 1774 by Juan Pérez. He had not been able to reach and claim the upper northwest coast for Spain. The 1775 expedition had two ships. These were the Santiago, commanded by Hezeta, and the schooner Sonora. The Sonora was commanded by Lieutenant Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra. Bodega y Quadra was given a lower position as second officer on the Sonora. This was despite having more training than others. He was not promoted to a senior role because he was not born in Spain. This kind of prejudice was common at the time.
The Spanish explorers were told to map the coast. They also had to go ashore to claim new lands for Spain. A very important goal was to find any Russian settlements. The ships left San Blas, New Spain, on March 16, 1775. Their journey was slow because of illnesses like scurvy. They also faced storms and the Sonora was not a good sailing ship.
On July 13, 1775, they reached Point Grenville and Destruction Island in Washington. Bodega y Quadra was looking for a safe place to anchor. He accidentally sailed the Sonora over what is now called Sonora Reef. He quickly warned the Santiago not to follow. The wind and tide trapped the Sonora near the reef. The Santiago anchored a few miles south. The Sonora caught the eye of a nearby Quinault village. Many Quinault people visited the ship. They traded with the crew and gave them food.
The next morning, a group from the Santiago went ashore. They quickly performed a ceremony to claim the land. Some Quinault people watched this. Later that morning, Bodega y Quadra sent six sailors ashore. They were to collect water and wood. A large group of Quinault people appeared. They attacked and killed the shore party. Bodega y Quadra could not help because the sailors had taken the ship's only boat. At noon, he tried to sail away from the shallow waters. Progress was slow because there was little wind and many crew members were sick. Nine large canoes with about 30 Quinault people followed. They came alongside the Sonora. They made signs of friendship, but Bodega y Quadra did not trust them. The Quinault in one canoe tried to board the Sonora. Bodega y Quadra's crew fired their guns. Many Quinault were killed.
Bodega wanted to get revenge for his lost sailors. But Hezeta stopped him. He reminded Bodega that they were only allowed to use force to defend themselves. Experts on the Quinault people believe the attack happened because the Quinault understood the land-claiming ceremony. They likely saw the large cross placed on the beach as a powerful act.
After this sad event, and with many crew members sick, Hezeta decided to return to New Spain. But Bodega y Quadra refused to go back. He wanted to complete the mission of finding the Russians. He continued north on the Sonora. He reached almost Sitka, Alaska, at 59° north latitude, on August 15, 1775. He did not find any Russians. On his way back south, he landed once to claim the coast for Spain. This trip showed the Spanish that Russian settlements were not very common in the Pacific Northwest. Bodega y Quadra was able to draw the first accurate map of North America's west coast.
1779 Journey
On February 11, 1779, two corvettes, the Princesa and Favorita, left San Blas again. They were led by Lieutenant Ignacio de Arteaga and his second in command, Lieutenant Bodega y Quadra. Their job was to explore the northwest coast. They were told not to interfere with any English explorers they might find. They mapped every bay and inlet. They were looking for the Northwest Passage. They went north to 58°30′ before bad weather in Alaska made them turn back. They finished the important task of claiming the Pacific Northwest for Spain.
The expedition anchored in Port Etches, near Prince William Sound. This harbor was named "Puerto de Santiago" on July 23, 1779. The name honored Saint James, the patron saint of Spain. His feast day is July 25. While anchored, the Spanish held a formal ceremony to claim the land. All officers and priests went ashore. They raised a large cross while cannons and muskets fired. They sang hymns and said prayers. After a sermon, a formal document of possession was written and signed. The claim to Puerto de Santiago was important for many years. It supported Spain's claim to control the North Pacific up to 61°17′N.
In 1780, Bodega y Quadra was promoted to Frigate Captain. This was to recognize his achievements during the 1779 voyage.
Trip to Peru
In 1780, Bodega was ordered to sail to Peru. He needed to get mercury, which was used in Mexican silver mines. The supply of mercury had dropped because ships were used for a war with Britain. After many delays, Bodega sailed the old frigate Santiago from San Blas on June 5, 1781. The trip was difficult. They faced strong winds and bad weather. The Santiago took on so much water that it needed repairs. But there was no chance to fix it until they reached Peru. Bodega finally arrived in Callao, Peru, on July 18, 1782. This was thirteen months after leaving San Blas.
He soon found out there was no extra mercury. The Viceroy of Peru, Agustín de Jáuregui, had already sent all the mercury he could spare to Acapulco. Bodega did not want to return without any cargo. So, he arranged to carry military supplies. The Santiago was repaired, and many rotten planks were replaced. Bodega sailed from Callao at the end of March 1783. He carried military supplies and passengers. The trip north went smoothly. Bodega anchored the Santiago at San Blas on June 20, 1783.
Time in Spain
Soon after Bodega returned to San Blas, he was ordered to go to Havana, Cuba. In 1784, he asked for and received permission to travel to Spain. He went there in 1785. He spent four years in Spain, which were often difficult. However, two good things happened. First, the king approved Bodega's promotion to Ship Captain on November 15, 1786. This was the highest naval rank below flag officer ranks. Second, he was knighted by the King of Spain. He became a knight of the Order of Santiago. This was a very respected order of knights in Spain. It was very hard to become a knight in this order. Bodega had started the process in 1775. He was finally knighted by the king on April 8, 1788.
Leader of San Blas
At the end of his time in Spain, Bodega was chosen to be the leader of the Naval Department of San Blas. He was told to pick six junior officers to work under him. Bodega y Quadra chose Manuel Quimper, Ramón Saavedra Guiráldez y Ordóñez, Francisco de Eliza, Salvador Fidalgo, Jacinto Caamaño, and Salvador Menéndez Valdés. Bodega and these six officers sailed to America. They were on the same ship as the new Viceroy of New Spain, Conde de Revillagigedo.
The viceroy and Bodega arrived right after the Nootka Crisis. They had two urgent problems to solve. First, they had to arrange for the release of British ships, officers, and sailors. These had been captured by Martínez in 1789. Second, they had to follow a Royal Order from April 14, 1789. This order said that the Spanish base at Nootka Sound must be kept. At first, neither Revillagigedo nor Bodega knew that Martínez had left Nootka Sound. So, the Royal Order meant that a new trip had to be quickly planned. Its purpose was to permanently reoccupy Nootka Sound. This reoccupation trip was organized very fast.
Three ships, the Concepción, San Carlos, and Princesa Real, sailed from San Blas. They arrived at Nootka Sound in early April 1790. Francisco de Eliza was made the leader. Quimper, Fidalgo, and other officers were part of the trip. Soldiers from the Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia, led by Pedro de Alberni, sailed with Eliza. They were to protect the Nootka base. The trip needed many supplies. This included cannons, ammunition, warm clothes, new gear for the soldiers, materials to build buildings and Fort San Miguel, and thousands of copper sheets for trading with local people. Bodega y Quadra was able to organize all these complex supplies. He did this even though San Blas often lacked resources. The ships sailed within months of Bodega's arrival. This was a great achievement.
Nootka Sound Leader
Quadra was asked to give his expert opinion after the Nootka Crisis at Nootka Sound. In 1789, as the leader based at San Blas, he sent out several new exploration trips. In 1791, he was chosen as the Spanish representative. His job was to discuss and carry out the Nootka Conventions at Nootka Sound.
As the leader of the Spanish base at Nootka, Bodega made sure to welcome every visitor. This included local people and Europeans. He held feasts for the officers of every ship that arrived at Nootka Sound. These included the French ship La Flavie, the "Portuguese" ship Feliz Aventureira (which was actually British), and American ships like the Columbia (led by Robert Gray) and the Hope. He also hosted Vancouver's ships HMS Discovery and Chatham, and many others.
The journals of many people who visited Nootka Sound in 1792 describe how amazing Bodega's dinners were. This was especially true for such a remote place. Over fifty people would be served many courses. They used Bodega's personal collection of about 300 silver dinner pieces. Bodega also offered ship repair services to any vessel that needed them. Several ships, including the Chatham, were repaired by Spanish workers.
Quadra and Vancouver Island
In August 1792, Bodega welcomed English Captain George Vancouver. The two leaders quickly became friends. They explored together and shared supplies and information. Vancouver's surgeon, Archibald Menzies, helped Quadra with his bad headaches. During their meetings, Bodega y Quadra asked Vancouver to name "some port or Island after us both." (Bodega wrote in his journal that Vancouver suggested it). Vancouver had realized that the land where Nootka stood was a large island. So, he suggested naming it Quadra's and Vancouver's Island. He wrote: "would name some port or island after us both in commemoration of our meeting and friendly intercourse... I have therefore named this land... The Island of Quadra and Vancouver." This name was put on maps. Later, it was shortened to Vancouver Island.
However, the two leaders could not agree on how to follow their governments' instructions. The main issue was whether Spain should hand over only the small piece of land built by John Meares, or the whole West Coast, or something in between. It is widely believed that Meares had exaggerated his discoveries. Bodega y Quadra was unsure how much his superiors wanted to keep Spanish control in that area. He decided to push for a specific condition. This condition was later approved by both the king and viceroy. Vancouver also lacked clear instructions. He stuck to a very strict reading of Article I of the Nootka Convention.
Since they could not agree, they decided to send the issues back to their governments in Madrid and London. Quadra arranged for Vancouver's messenger, William Robert Broughton, to travel through Mexico. Viceroy Revillagigedo criticized Bodega for letting Broughton pass through New Spain. Eventually, Spain and Great Britain signed an agreement on January 11, 1794. They agreed to leave the region (the third Nootka Convention).
Death
Bodega y Quadra had suffered from chronic headaches for several years. In April 1793, he asked for time off to get better. His request was granted. He left San Blas for Guadalajara and Mexico City. He had severe blood loss in Guadalajara. He had a seizure in Mexico City and died there on March 26, 1794, at age 50. Viceroy Revillagigedo's official statement said Bodega died "of natural causes."
When George Vancouver learned of Bodega's death in September 1794, he wrote in his journal:
"The death of our highly valuable and much esteemed friend Senr Quadra, who in the month of March had died at St. Blas, universally lamaneted. Having endeavoured, on a former occasion, to point out the degree of admiration and respect with which the conduct of Sen'r Quadra toward our little community had impressed us during his life, I cannot refrain, now that he is no more, from rendering that justice to his memory to which it is so amply intitled, by stating, that the unexpected melancholey event of his decease operated on the minds of us all, in a way more easily to be imagined than described: and whilst it excited our most grateful acknowledgements, it produced the deepest regret for the loss of a character so amiable, and so truly ornamental to civil society."
Legacy
Places named after him:
- Bodega Bay in northern California.
- Vancouver Island was often called "Vancouver's and Quadra's Island" on maps in the 1800s.
- Quadra Island, an island in British Columbia, Canada. It was named after him in 1903.
- Quadra Street, a main road in Victoria, British Columbia, and nearby Saanich.
- Boca de Bodega (Bodega Inlet) is the entrance around Wadleigh Island. It was named by Francisco Antonio Mourelle on May 24, 1779.
- Quadra, São Paulo, a Brazilian town also named for the explorer.
- HMCS Quadra, a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Summer Training Centre in Comox, BC.
- The federal voting district of Vancouver Quadra on the West Side of Vancouver, BC.
Places he named:
- He named the point we know as Point Grenville, "Punta de los Martires" (Point of the Martyrs).
- Canoa Point (Canoe Point) was named by Bodega/Mourelle in 1775/79. It is a point of land on Prince of Wales Island.
- He discovered and named Bucareli Sound in Alaska. He named hundreds of places in that area.
- Unlucky Island (La Desgraciada), named by Bodega/Mourelle.
- Ladrones Islands were named Islas de Ladrones (Thieves) by Bodega/Mourelle in 1779.
- Cañas Island (Reeds) is an island in Trocadero Bay. Bodega/Mourelle named it Ysla de Cañas.
- Trinidad, California was named by him and Bruno de Heceta on Trinity Sunday, June 11, 1775.
Other:
- The Quadra rose, a type of rose, was named in his honor.
Spanish name variations used in books:
- Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra
- Juan Francisco de Bodega y Quadra
- Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra
- Juan Fran[cis]co de la Bodega y Quadra
- Juan Francisco de la Quadra
- Juan de la Bodega y Quadra
See also
In Spanish: Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra para niños
