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Juan de Fuca2024 Jul 3
If you're on the west coast of North America you've probably heard the name Juan de Fuca in reference to the strait or tectonic plates named after him. But not only was he actually a Greek man named Ioannis Fokas, he may not have even existed. His legacy remains primarily in accounts of an Englishman Michael Lok, and despite sailing supposedly for King Phillip II no Spanish records of de Fuca exist. The Pacific Northwest strait became named after him because of Lok's stories, famous to another English captain named Charles Barkley.
If you're on the west coast of North America you've probably heard the name Juan de Fuca in reference to the strait or tectonic plates named after him. But not only was he actually a Greek man named Ioannis Fokas, he may not have even existed. His legacy remains primarily in accounts of an Englishman Michael Lok, and despite sailing supposedly for King Phillip II no Spanish records of de Fuca exist. The Pacific Northwest strait became named after him because of Lok's stories, famous to another English captain named Charles Barkley.