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Spanish
Sub-Lt. Manuel Quimper, in command of
the sloop Princesa Royale, took possession
of the land at the entrance to Sooke Harbour
in June of 1790, naming it Puerta de Revilla
Gigedo, after the Viceroy of Mexico. Spain's
tenure was brief, and in 1794 the land
was under British rule. In 1990 the people
of the Sooke region invited representatives
from Spain to visit Sooke and celebrate
a re-enactment of Quimper's voyage from
Port Renfrew to Sooke.
The
journey was accomplished, with the co-operation
of canoes of the T'Sou-ke First Nation,
and met with an incredible community welcome
at Whiffin Spit. The commemorative park
at the base of Whiffin Spit was dedicated
on that day, June 23, 1990, with the participation
of Spain's Ambassador to Canada. In 1991,
the four-masted Spanish flagship Juan
Sebastian de Elcano sailed to British
Columbia, and Spain's gift, a bust of
Manuel Quimper, was unveiled to join the
earlier commemorative monuments at the
park.
This
park, now named for Quimper, is maintained
as a designated Regional Heritage site
by SEAPARC. The actual site where Quimper
planted the flag of possession is located
on the opposite East Sooke shore, but
because the land is privately held and
accessible only by water, the decision
was made to place the commemorative park
where it could be enjoyed by the public.
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