Grâce au fonds exceptionnel de la Library of Congress de Washington, j'ai déniché un document signifiant quels furent les premiers européens à fouler le sol californien :
Cabrilho's Discovery of California
Portuguese were also involved in the
exploration of the west coast of North America. In 1542-43, Portuguese-born
João Rodrigues Cabrilho and his chief pilot Bartolomé Ferrelo, who may have
been Portuguese, were the first Europeans to explore the coast of the present
state of California. Sailing for Spain, Cabrilho left in June of 1542 from
Navidad on the west coast of Mexico and proceeded north. He reached San Diego
Bay in September, becoming the first European to set foot in what is today the
state of California. He continued north along the California coast but died in
January 1543 from an infection resulting from a broken arm. Ferrelo, his pilot,
continued north, possibly reaching the Oregon coast in March 1543.
Cabrilho's and Ferrelo's voyages are indicated by light reddish brown and
light blue on this reconstructed map compiled by the nineteenth-century German
historical geographer Johann Georg Kohl. A student of America's discovery and
exploration, Kohl prepared this map, as well as similar maps of the Atlantic
and Gulf Coasts, as a graphic device for summarizing and visualizing the area
covered by the various explorers. The extent of each explorer's travels is
indicated in a different color.
Johann Georg Kohl. A Map Showing the Progress of Discovery on the West Coast of the
U.S. and Vancouver Island. 1857. Pen, ink, and watercolor.
Geography and Map Division, Kohl Collection, miscellaneous (5).
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