Cape Elizabeth forms the western shore of Elizabeth Island and is located on the north side of Kennedy Entrance, about 96 miles (155 km) north-northeast of Kodiak and 36 miles (58 km) south-southwest of Homer, Alaska. The island is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) across, and is one of the three Chugach Islands, along with Perl Island and East Chugach Island. In 1778, Captain James Cook, aboard HMS Resolution, named the western headland “Cape Elizabeth,” unaware it was part of an island. The cape was named after Princess Elizabeth, the seventh child and third daughter of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1779, the island was renamed “Isla San Aniceto” by Captain Ignacio Arteaga of the Spanish Navy. The island was later renamed Elizabeth Island by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The western shore was named Cape Elizabeth. The island is constantly battered by storms in the Gulf of Alaska , and its topography is shaped largely by erosion-resistant rocks from the McHugh Complex. These rocks are south of the Border Ranges Fault, which is roughly aligned with the axis of Kachemak Bay. The most dominant rocks are partially metamorphosed siltstone, graywacke, and sandstone.

Ignacio de Arteaga y Bazán was given command of the frigate Favorita, while Bodega y Quadra commanded the Princesa. The expedition aimed to assess Russian colonization in Alaska, search for a Northwest Passage, and capture James Cook if found in Spanish waters. However, Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra did not encounter Cook, as he had been killed in Hawaii earlier in 1779. The two frigates sailed directly from San Blas to Bucareli Bay, Alaska, over 81 days. Continuing north, they faced overcast, cold, and snowy conditions. The Alaska Natives they met were friendly, approaching the ships in streamlined kayaks and eager to trade. The ships reached a place they named Entrada de Santiago, now known as Prince William Sound, and anchored at an island they called Magdalena, today Hinchinbrook Island. Continuing their journey, they made repeated landings to formally take possession and chart the newly discovered territory. They also claimed a bay near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, naming it Nuestra Señora de la Regla, now Port Chatham. The expedition progressed as far as Afognak Island near Kodiak. However, driving rain, cold weather, the deaths of seven crew members, and widespread illness from scurvy finally compelled Arteaga to order the two ships to head south.

Spain never published the accomplishments of its exploratory expeditions to Alaska, fearing the release of valuable military secrets. This decision inadvertently led to the relinquishment of its discovery claims. In the decade following the Arteaga and Bodega expedition, traders from various nations began exploiting the area’s resources. Captain Cook’s casual acquisition of a small collection of sea otter pelts, obtained through trade with Alaska Natives, enticed foreign merchants to the Pacific Northwest. Furs from Elizabeth Island became a valuable commodity in the Chinese trade market, and news of their source quickly spread to nearly every European merchant with a ship sturdy enough to sail to the Northwest. Today, Elizabeth Island hosts a few seasonal inhabitants occupying cabins on its northwest coast. Cape Elizabeth features a lighted navigation aid on a tower 48 feet (15 m) above sea level. A diamond-shaped red and white daymark warns mariners of a submerged rock 0.4 miles (0.7 km) west of the cape. Read more here and here. Explore more of Cape Elizabeth and Chugach Island here: