History about the islands

PREHISTORY

Ancient archeological remains have been found which indicated that the historical inhabitants of the Ecuadorian coast arrived on "Balsas" or a floating crafts and a sailing technique, which allowed them to go far out to sea. There are no traces of permanent settlements because they were probably accidental trips and lost at sea; therefore, it was very difficult for them to return.

1535 - DISCOVERY

The islands were discovered by Tomas de Berlanga, they found two islands and they saw three more, one of them, the largest, was Isabela. They named them Galapagos because of the similarity of the tortoise’s shell on a Spanish saddle. The lack of water and abundance of rocks caused a negative impression at first.

1561 - FIRST MAP OF THE ISLAND

The islands soon appeared on maps. The first was a map from 1561, soon they appeared on the Dutch maps like Mercator (1569) and Ortelius (1570). The name the "Enchanted Islands" appeared on a map by Ortelius of 1589. Guerrit’s map of 1622 shows three islands identified as Isabela, Santa Cruz, and San Cristobal.

1680 - PIRATES AND BUCCNEERS IN THE 17th CENTURY

The islands continued to be forgotten for more than a century until the English pirates realized they were an ideal base for attacking, (the Spanish trade ships) hiding out, repairing their boats, stocking up on water and tortoise meat for later journeys. The first expedition was that of John Cook and Richard Hawkins (1680). The second expedition in 1684 (Cook and E. Davis) was more intense and prolonged. They traveled the surrounding seas until 1688. The third was by Rogers and Countney who stayed from 1707 until 1711. With these expeditions began the exploitation of the tortoises.

1684 - COWLEY AND THE FIRST ENGLISH NAMES

In the expedition of John Cook in 1684, a long traveled William Dampier, who has left us a long legacy, and Ambrose Cowley made the first comprehensive map of the islands and gave them the English names, which last until today. Dedicating them to several sponsors or friends: The island of King Charles, Crossman, Brattle, Antony Dean, and the Duke of York, Norfolk, Albemarle, and Narborough. The map shows for the first time the approximate position of the islands, although some of them are difficult to identify, lake "Charles Island" which could be one of the islands currently known as Floreana, Española, or San Cristobal.

1788-1860 - WHALERS IN GALAPAGOS: COLNETT

Several English whalers discovered that the whales migrated to the Galapagos to breed. In 1788, the ship Emilia arrived to England with 140 tons of oil and 888 sea lion skins. Soon after, the Beaver of Nantucket (USA) returned with 1,300 tons of whale oil. It was the beginning of a virtual stampede. In 1793, Captain James Colnett arrived in the H.M.S. Rattler to study the possibilities of establishing a whaling station in the South Pacific. By the end of the century, no less than 40 whalers, English and American frequented the water of Galapagos during the time of the whales to stock up on water, tortoises and sea lion skins. It will never be known how many thousands of tortoise were sacrificed and taken from the islands.

19th - CENTURY THE FIRST INHIBITIANT: PATRICK WATKINS

In the beginning of the 19th century, an Irish sailor was abandoned on Charles Island (Floreana), his name was Patrick Watkins and he is considered the first inhabitant of the islands. He cultivated vegetables, which he traded to the whalers for rum to get drunk. Several years later, he managed to take some boats and some men whom he treated like slaves. With them, he took to sea but he arrived in Guayaquil alone. He then went to Patia where he convinced a mulatto woman to accompany him back to the island. He was arrested when trying to steal a ship and he spent the rest of his days.

1832 - ECUADOR CLAIMS RIGHTS TO GALAPAGOS

Although the islands belonged to Quito during the colonial years, after the independence they couldn’t be considered anybody’s land. For this reason the General Jose Villamil, born in Louisiana and residing in Guayaquil, suggested officially incorporating the Archipielago into the new Republic. The Colonel Ignacio Hernandez, delegate of the governor, performed the ceremony February 12, 1832 on the island of Floreana, which took this name in honor of the first president of Ecuador, Juan Jose Flores.

1835 - CHARLES DARWIN IN GALAPAGOS

On September 15, 1835, Captain Robert Fitz Roy arrive to the Galapagos on the "Beagle" as part of a trip around the world with the young naturalist Charles Darwin. They first visited Chatham Island (San Cristobal), and later Charles Island (Floreana). They sailed between Narborough and disembarked on Santiago. While the officials on board the Beagle drew a map of the islands, Charles Darwin studied and collected samples of the flora and fauna. His observation of the diversity of species on the islands would be the basis for the later elaboration of the Theory of Evolution. The Galapagos would be seen from under a different light, a virtual laboratory of evolution.

1942-1949 - GALAPAGOS IN World War II

The United States considered the Galapagos essential to the vigilance of the Canal. Since 1928, the US having studied all of the alternatives in case of a war in the Pacific, chose the island of Baltra as the principal base, and accumulated everything necessary in the Canal Zone ("the Galapagos Units"). Aerial vigilance began Five days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. March of 1942, operations at the base began: the U.S. built 3 airstrips (the first airplane, a B24 landed in May) the marines had their center in the adjacent "Eolian Cove" and constructed a dock (which is still being used), hydroplane ramps, etc. In total, the Beta Base, as it was called, could house six thousand men. Even though the Beta Base never had to face an emergency, the Union recognized that the Galapagos had played an important role, and for that reason they tried to buy or retain the base after the war. The official turnover took place in 1946, but the last contingents didn’t leave until the beginning of 1949.

1978 - NATURAL HERITAGE SITE

On September 8, 1978, UNESCO declared the Galapagos a Natural Heritage Site for its scientific prestige and to support the conservation efforts of the National Park. The General Secretary visited the islands in 1984 to proclaim it himself.

2001 - GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE

December 2: The Galapagos Marine Reserve is declared Human kind Natural Heritage Site by the UNESCO.