User talk:Pfly/Sandbox

A talkpage off a sandbox? Why not I guess, seems like a good idea so your workpage doesn't get cluttered; also maybe a central area for mutual side topics:

Hermosa

One thing that this Princess Royal article reminded me of is the story of Hermosa, an apocryphally-named pirate haven allegedly at Fairhaven on Bellingham Bay; is there an archaeological trace there, I think, of some Spanish/Mexican relic? Because there is in Keremeos, and in the Okanagan Mission area of Kelowna (or was). The "conquistador" expedition into the Okanagan and their retreat via the Similkameen and demise there is fairly well-known, though most interpretations have them coming up teh Okanagan River from the Columbia. The author of either Fur and Gold and/or Indian Wars of the Pacific Northwest has a different theory (one book appeaers to quote/be modelled on the other), and their version turns up in other books also. The author theorizes that one reason for the deployment of the Catalunyan Volunteers was to take on the pirates, who were teh supposed reason the Spanish explorers didn't penetrate much into the Strait of Juan de Fuca until the Volunteers were at Nootka. theres' circumstantialpcurioius evidence like the story of one exporer/captain in the Port angeles-Clallam area who found a bunch of skeletons on crucifixes lined up along the beach, facing sweaward; not an Indian way of killing, and curiously Christian, gory-chirrurguresque-Mexican-crucifix kind of way, like teh grove of skulls that gave Gingolx its name. It could have been a Chimakuan way of killing, nobody knows too much about them, but that would ahvbe been their last few days there.....anyway these authors say the priates, faced with increased Spanish naval and political presence, and wearing older-style armour, some ex-troops he thingks, tried to colonize inland, and made it to Kelowna via passes from the Skagit, but made enemies of hte Similkameen on the way through; after a harsh winter, they tried to retreat but were ambushed at Keremos and wiped out; native housesholds there have bits of Spanish armour and swords (also cavalry sabres from a later US expedition/chase during the Yakima or Cayuse Wars....). I'm not saying this is all true, but that the theory itself is interesting, adn is a published, notable theory; so one day an article; we've all been walking fine lines on WP:OR, in terms of investigating stuff none of our sources seem to have right, or don't address; which is why my Original Research Wiki which I'll link when I get it going. OK, time for a somke and I have to remember what other tangent I was going to toss by you; didn't have to do with the Princess Royal though....Skookum1 (talk) 03:49, 3 May 2008 (UTC)