Graveyard of the Pacific

[1] Unpredictable weather conditions, including storms and fog, and dangerous coastal characteristics, including shifting sandbars, tidal rips, and rocky reefs and shorelines, have caused thousands of ships to wreck in the area since European exploration of the area began in earnest in the 18th century.

[4] One book lists 484 wrecks at the south and west sides of Vancouver Island.

[6] Among its particularly dangerous landmarks are the Columbia Bar, a giant sandbar at the mouth of the Columbia River; Cape Flattery; the reefs and rocks lining the west coast of Vancouver Island; and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

[7] The term is believed to have originated from the earliest days of the maritime fur trade.

It reflects not only the danger of shipwrecks but also the state of open or near-warfare in the area between Russia, Spain, Great Britain, and native tribal peoples.