George Vancouver and Henry Roberts, esteemed friends

Any local schoolkid can tell you Point Roberts received its name in 1792 from George Vancouver, in honor of his good friend Henry Roberts. This month commemorates the 250th anniversary – a quarter of a millennium – of George Vancouver and Henry Roberts first meeting.

Begun in 1772, Captain James Cook’s second world voyage proved there was no great landmass in the southern hemisphere, the fabled Terra Australis. Vancouver, 15, and Roberts, 16, were among a crew of 112 serving together for three years on the HMS Resolution, a ship barely as long as three school buses.

The pair also served on Cook’s third voyage – an expedition to determine if the Northwest Passage existed – which departed in 1776. Vancouver was midshipman on the HMS Discovery and Roberts served as master’s mate on the HMS Resolution under the infamous William Bligh.

In 1778, the crew were the first Europeans to visit Hawaii. From there, they went on to Vancouver Island, spending a month in Nootka Sound before continuing north to the Bering Strait and eventually back to Hawaii, where they were present for Cook’s death in 1779. Roberts is noted for having advanced skills as a cartographer who created beautiful and accurate charts detailing the official account of the voyage. The Point Roberts History Center displays a painting of the HMS Resolution by Roberts, sent to the historical society all the way from Australia by Garry Roberts, a descendent of Henry Roberts.

In 1790, Roberts was appointed captain of a round-the-world voyage of his own on the newly-built HMS Discovery. He named Vancouver as his first lieutenant. As preparations were underway, escalating tensions on Vancouver Island between the British and the Spanish led the Royal Navy to change their plans. Vancouver was given command of the HMS Discovery to explore the Pacific Ocean, including the Salish Sea.

It was on this voyage that Vancouver became the first European to set foot on Point Roberts, coming ashore on June 12, 1792 to walk among the six Coast Salish longhouses at Lily Point (unpopulated at that time of year). He named this place Point Roberts for his buddy Henry, writing in his journal, “This point … I distinguished by the name of Point Roberts, after my esteemed friend and predecessor in the Discovery.” Their 20-year friendship didn’t last much longer. Roberts died four years later, and Vancouver passed away in 1798, both at age 40.