How an 1811 Fur-Trading Deal on Vancouver Island Went Horribly Wrong

People from the Nootka tribe sail their canoes toward the Tonquin in Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island in 1811. Public Domain

Commentary

By the early 19th century, the coastline of the Pacific Northwest had been reached by expeditions from Russia, Great Britain, Spain, and the United States, all of them eager to exploit the resources of the area and trade with the native tribes. One such venture ended in disaster on the waters off Vancouver Island on June 16, 1811.