Cape Flattery
This weather-beaten point is the farthest northwest of contiguous US land; it is where
the
Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean. On March 22, 1778,
Captain James Cook (1728-1779) gave the point its English name, in reference to its flattering prospect
of a forthcoming strait—the
Juan de Fuca.
1
Cape Flattery makes up a part of the Makah Reservation. The Makah traversed these
rough waters to hunt and fish in a variety of canoes, from cargo to sailing designs.2
- 1. James Cook, Captain Cook's Three Voyages Around the World (London: George Routledge and Sons, 1880), 509.
- 2. Our History, Home of the Makah People: Our History.