Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/437

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OREGON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
371

covered and named three important features, the first of which he referred to as Cape Grenville, and the next Quicksand Bay, the third feature he christened Cape Lookout, and the volume containing the story of his travels has a very fine plate showing this cape together with the remarkable rocks a little to the southwest. Having failed to discover the new river he was seeking, he returned to Nootka. For further information about the history of Nootka and the controversy between England and Spain over Meares' enterprise, see Meany's History.

It is not easy at this time to identify Cape Grenville. George Davidson supposes it to be Cape Falcon. Quicksand Bay seems to be what is now known as Tillamook Bay. Meares' description and picture of Cape Lookout, beyond all doubt, refer to what we now call Cape Meares, and the rocks that Meares christened Three Brothers are now known as Three Arch Rocks and form a bird reservation that is frequently written about.

George Davidson applied the name of Cape Meares to the feature herein described in 1857. Davidson was for many years connected with the United States Coast Survey and is considered the leading authority on the early explorations of the Pacific Coast. It appears that through some misunderstanding the Coast Survey adopted the name Cape Lookout on its charts of 1850 and 1853 for a point about 10 miles south of Mearesoriginal location. The name of Cape Lookout having become so well established in its new position and attaching to a point quite striking in appearance, it was apparently thought by Davidson, best to leave the name where it was and honor Meares by applying his own name to the feature that he discovered.

Professor Meany's remarks about Meares being the pioneer of two great industries refer to shipbuilding and timber exporting. When the Felice started for China she carried with her a deck load of spars, the first