Unraveling a Mystery: Architectural Evidence Sir Francis Drake Landed on the Oregon Coast

Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe in 1577-1580 was one of the most famous voyages of all time, but it was also one of the most secret. Historians have spilled a good deal of ink debating questions about Drake’s movements on the West Coast of America: What was the northern limit of the voyage and especially, where was the location of his summer sojourn, the famous Fair & Good Bay? Presented by Melissa Darby is evidence from his architectural descriptions of Native houses he observed, as well as contemporary manuscripts and maps that demonstrate Drake and his crew in the Golden Hind spent most of the summer of 1579 on the Oregon coast rather than the oft-cited Drakes Bay on the central California coastline.